Gameweek 8 is done. On Saturday the template lost João Pedro and City lost for the first time this season (details in our Saturday review). Sunday added another twist: Michael Carrick left Bruno Fernandes on the bench and Manchester United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth.
Below: every result, how our Friday picks did, how our league got on and what to watch before Gameweek 9.
All Gameweek 8 results
| Match | Score | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Ipswich v Nottingham Forest | 1-1 | N. Williams 13′, Enciso 41′ |
| Aston Villa v Manchester City | 2-1 | N. Jackson 6′, 60′; Haaland 52′ |
| Arsenal v Everton | 2-0 | Konsa 7′, Gabriel 68′ |
| Coventry v Fulham | 0-1 | Bobb 80′ |
| Chelsea v Tottenham | 0-2 | Penders 77′ (own goal), Tel 87′ |
| Crystal Palace v Newcastle | 0-2 | Osula 47′, Barnes 58′ |
| Hull v Brentford | 1-1 | McBurnie 24′ (pen); Ouattara 63′ |
| Liverpool v Brighton | 2-0 | Groß 17′ (own goal), Isak 21′ |
| Manchester United v Bournemouth | 0-3 | Rayan 38′, Tavernier 43′, Evanilson 71′ |
| Sunderland v Leeds | 0-0 |
Bruno benched, United beaten
After Wednesday’s 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como, Bruno Fernandes publicly criticised the coaching staff’s tactics. On Sunday Carrick left him on the bench and did not bring him on. According to Goal, it was the first time in around five years that United’s captain started a match as a substitute. Bournemouth won 3-0 at Old Trafford. Carrick said afterwards that it was a tough situation and that he did not know what comes next. The pressure on him is the highest it has been all season.
For FPL: Bruno is 25% owned and scored 0. On Friday we wrote that with so many managers selling him, “the crowd may be right”, because our model sees match data, not a crisis at the club. That is what happened. Before Gameweek 9 (United go to Stamford Bridge) it is not clear whether he will be back in the team. If you own him, do not give him the armband until you know the line-up or hear what Carrick says at his press conference.
On the other side, everything went right: Tavernier (goal, 10 pts) and Evanilson (goal from a tight angle, 6 pts) were both in our Friday picks. Bournemouth’s top scorer was defender Hill: 11 points at 1% ownership.
Liverpool: Isak scores again, Groß own goal
Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 for their first home league win of the season. The opener was a Wirtz shot that deflected off Groß. In FPL that counts as a Groß own goal, not a Wirtz goal. Groß is 46.5% owned and scored zero. Isak got the second from Barcola’s cross, his sixth goal in seven league games (9 pts). Araújo, whose loan from Barcelona we covered in August, scored 10 points.
Two new flags from this game: Wirtz (ankle, 75%) and Brighton’s Kadıoğlu (hip, 75%, off after six minutes). Liverpool host Chelsea in the League Cup on Wednesday and Arsenal on Sunday.
Sunday’s other games
- Crystal Palace 0-2 Newcastle. Goals from Osula and Barnes (8 pts) early in the second half. Defender Dedić scored 10 points at 1.2% ownership. Palace fans booed Sage’s side off.
- Hull 1-1 Brentford. McBurnie from the spot, Ouattara from Igor Thiago‘s pass. Hull are still unbeaten at home.
- Sunderland 0-0 Leeds. Trafford saved twice from Brobbey: 10 points. Bogle kept a clean sheet but was booked: 5 points. Calvert-Lewin played despite Friday’s 50% flag (84 minutes, 2 pts).
Top scorers of the gameweek
| Player | Club, price | Ownership | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel | ARS, £7.9m | 21.8% | 17 |
| Konsa | ARS, £4.6m | 19.5% | 14 |
| N. Jackson | AVL, £6.7m | 7.1% | 13 |
| Tel | TOT, £5.6m | 0.2% | 11 |
| Hill | BOU, £5.5m | 1.0% | 11 |
| Bobb | FUL, £5.5m | 0.4% | 11 |
| Tavernier | BOU, £6.3m | 15.6% | 10 |
| Trafford | LEE, £5.0m | 6.0% | 10 |
The game’s most-captained player, Haaland, scored 8 points, or 16 with the armband.
How our Friday picks did
| What we said on Friday | Result | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 captain: Rogers | 1 pt | wrong |
| Captain pick: João Pedro | 0 minutes (training injury) | wrong |
| Captain pick: Bogle | 5 pts | average |
| Captain pick: Tavernier | 10 pts, goal | right |
| Haaland only 9th in our captain picks | 8 pts | wrong |
| Bruno: “the crowd may be right” | 0 minutes, benched | right |
| Saka: sell before the deadline | did not play | right |
| Stach: after Friday’s flag, switch to Le Fée or Tavernier | Stach 24 minutes, 1 pt | right |
| Gibbs-White: model on his side | 2 pts | wrong |
The conclusion is uncomfortable for us, so we will say it plainly: for the second gameweek running our top captain pick lost out to Haaland. Our warnings about who to sell or bench (Saka, Bruno, Stach) worked better than our calls on who to captain.
Our Recommended Squad for Gameweek 8 scored 49 points. Captain Bogle gave 10, Tavernier 10, Haaland 8, Van Hecke 7. Diop came on automatically for João Pedro (1 pt), while Rogers, Groß and De Cuyper managed 2 between them.
Our league after Gameweek 8
Update (Monday 26 October): the game has confirmed the points. The overall FPL average for Gameweek 8 was 45 points and the top score in the game was 120. Our league’s average (73 teams), after confirmed points and automatic substitutions, is 46.3, which is 1.3 points above the game average. 40 of our 73 teams beat the game average. The margin is small, mainly because of João Pedro, Calafiori and Groß (details below).
- Best score: Planet Lino, 73 points and a climb from 39th to 17th. Then CWANE WUJKI and Szase (67 each).
- Biggest jump near the top: PTC Mistrzem Anglii, 63 points and up from 8th to 5th.
- Top of the table: Pogoń Bydło 629, AVERAGEJOE 600, WinSquad 578, Wojciech’s Team 576, PTC Mistrzem Anglii 570.
- Captains: Haaland for 44 teams (60%), João Pedro for 13, Palmer for 5 (-2 points).
- What helped us: 42% of our teams started Konsa, while only 19.5% of all managers own him. That gave the league an edge.
- What hurt us: João Pedro was in 84% of our starting XIs, Calafiori in 81% and Groß in 62%. Together they scored 1 point. Isak (9 pts) started for only 3 of our 73 teams.
The live table is on the Mini League page. You can join at any time with the code 3ix1cw.
Before Gameweek 9: what to check this week
- João Pedro (72% owned): the knee scan result is not out yet. Wait for Alonso’s press conference before Saturday.
- Palmer: serves his red-card ban in the League Cup at Liverpool on Wednesday. He can play against United on Saturday.
- Bruno Fernandes: see above. Carrick’s decision before the Chelsea game.
- 75% flags: Calafiori (54% owned, hip), Wirtz, Kadıoğlu, Neco Williams, Bobby Thomas. Still out: Saka, Semenyo, Szoboszlai. All tracked live in the Injury Centre.
- Midweek: League Cup fourth round, including Liverpool v Chelsea on Wednesday at 20:00 (all the ties).
- Gameweek 9 deadline: Saturday 31 October, 11:00. Chelsea v Manchester United opens the round at 12:30. The big game is Liverpool v Arsenal on Sunday at 16:30.
A first look at Gameweek 9
Our model recalculated its ratings once the gameweek ended. The only player with a “Strong Buy” verdict is now Tavernier (£6.3m, rating 90). Early captain picks:
| Player | Rating | Risk | Upside | Fixture (difficulty) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tavernier (BOU) | 90 | 38 | 79 | home to LEE (3) |
| Evanilson (BOU) | 89 | 37 | 78 | home to LEE (3) |
| Van Hecke (TOT) | 89 | 30 | 83 | home to CRY (2) |
| Rogers (CHE) | 88 | 45 | 68 | home to MUN (4) |
| Bogle (LEE) | 87 | 38 | 75 | away at BOU (3) |
Haaland is rated 87 and plays at home to Brighton (difficulty 3), but he does not make our top captain picks. After two gameweeks in which he beat our captain choice, we will look at this closely before Thursday’s guide. The list will still change this week as scan results and new flags come in. The latest picks are always on Captain Picks.
Our “Who to buy before Gameweek 9” guide follows on Thursday.
Data: official Fantasy Premier League API and our AI model, as of Sunday 25 October, evening. Points and averages are provisional until the game confirms them. Quotes and match reports via ESPN, Sky Sports, Goal and PA. All times UK.