Goalless draws for Liverpool and Arsenal ensured ground was lost in the top four fight, as the Premier league returned for another round of midweek fixtures.
Following a disappointing derby day defeat Manchester United recovered to beat Bournemouth 1-0, table toppers Manchester City brushed past Swansea 4-0 and Everton kept up their good run of form, securing a 1-0 victory at St James’ Park.
Gameweek 17’s top scorer is James Barrow, Head of External Affairs at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, who is currently residing in 31st after climbing numerous places courtesy of an 81 point haul. David Silva and Willian, who along with Shinji Okazaki were top scorers for the round, lead the way with 16 points, with captain Romelu Lukaku having his score doubled to ten – a score shared by Everton keeper Jordan Pickford in his clean sheet heroics against Newcastle.
Back towards the summit and Andrew McDermott is the big mover in the top ten, securing 75 points to move up to the cusp of the top three in fourth. Manchester City’s in form attacking midfielder David Silva top scored once again, building on the foundations set by a solid backline. The quarter of Andreas Christensen (substituted in the 79th minute), Nicolas Otamendi, James Tarkowski and Hector Bellerin all enjoyed clean sheets and six points each, with David De Gea putting in another good display on his way to 11 points.
Sneaking back into the final place in the top ten is sports trader Renato Costache, leapfrogging one place with 50 points. Kevin De Bruyne (ten points) and De Gea (11) top scored for this side, with the rest of the points evenly spread.
As the halfway point of the Premier League fast approaches, gameweek 18 gets underway at the King Power stadium with Crystal Palace the visitors to face Leicester City. Both Arsenal and Chelsea have home ties with Newcastle and Southampton respectively, before the weekend’s premier tie gets underway. Saturday evening sees Tottenham Hotspur visit the Etihad Stadium, in a bid to inflict a rare defeat on Pep Guardiola’s side.
Manchester United and Liverpool visit West Brom and Bournemouth on Sunday, before Monday Night Football see’s in form Everton host Swansea at Goodison Park.
