Cynical football fans around the world will remember the 33rd matchweek of the 2023-24 Premier League season as the round Manchester City secured their fourth straight Premier League title. Here’s how it unfolded.
Here’s what you need to be across, as we build up to FPL Gameweek 34.
When does FPL Gameweek 34 start?
Saturday 20 April, 10:30 pm AEDT
Two games kick FPL gameweek 34 off, both of which will have relegation ramifications towards the end of the season. Luton Town host Brentford while Sheffield United and Burnley clash.
Both Luton and Brentford have won just once in their last eight Premier League matches, while the form line of both Sheffield United and Burnley have been equally dour. Burnley have won once in their last eight games as well, with four red cards in those matches a sore point for Vincent Kompany, while Sheffield United haven’t tasted Premier League victory since early February.
The quality of football mightn’t be there, even if Luton and Burnley have shown a capacity to string together beautiful passages of possession at points this season, but that shouldn’t diminish the importance of these fixtures.
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FPL Gameweek 34 notes
Muric clanger gifts Brighton a point
You may never see a worse goalkeeper mishap than Ari Muric’s for Burnley against Brighton at the weekend. With his side up 1-0 and well on the road to a vital three points, the ball was played back to Burnley’s goalkeeper, only for him to fail to wrangle it under the control, allowing it to slide beneath his feet and roll into the back of the net.
Unfortunately for Muric, it’s his mistake. And a bad one at that. Fortunately for Brighton, it was made against them.
Arsenal’s title challenge falters late…again
It’s almost a rinse and repeat of the 2022-23 season for Arsenal. Right in the title hunt until the point of the season where it matters most. Aston Villa are no pushover this season, but Arsenal are at the top of the table and Villa had won once in their five matches before heading to London.
To Arsenal’s credit, they battered down Villa’s door, only to be met by a thick reinforced steel bar in the shape of Emi Martinez blocking their entry. The Argentine, seemingly desperately committed to preventing his former side lifting the title, stopped everything thrust his way.
For their part, this could’ve been three for Villa. A bending Youri Tielemans strike struck both the bar and the post after an hour, before Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins (£8.8 I 36.9%) struck at the death to send the three points back to Brimingham. An inquest will be had into the defensive patterns Arsenal slipped into late, with Declan Rice (£5.5 I 6.1%) switching off at the back post for the Bailey goal.
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Manchester United’s flat season continues
After 16 minutes, a midfield tackle finds its way to the feet of Dominic Solanke (£7.2 I 28.2%). In a rich vein of form, Solanke was never going to control it and wait for hope, especially not against a rookie defender. Solanke collects it, shimmies, quickly changing direction and leaving Willy Kambwala sprawled on the floor like a break dancer, before rifling a low shot beyond Andre Onana (£5.0 I 14.6%).
Such a result is not uncommon for modern Manchester United, particularly away from home. Bournemouth are a good outfit, with Andoni Iraola instilling a strict set of tactical ideals and a strong sense of relief for the Cherries. The same cannot be said for Manchester United, who are the footballing equivalent of a kid who hasn’t studied for their exams, winging it and praying for a positive outcome.
Classic smash and grab helps Newcastle thump Spurs
Severely impacted by injuries, Jacob Murphy and Elliot Anderson operating as makeshift wing backs, and facing a Spurs side that had won four of their previous seven games, this smelt like danger for Newcastle.
Fortunately for them, Spurs failed to smell the blood in the water and capitalise on their weakened squad. Alexander Isak (£8.0 I 24.6%) and Anthony Gordon (£6.1 I 12.9%) each made a mockery of Micky Van de Ven, one of the Premier League’s standout centre backs this season, as Newcastle’s directness proved too much for Spurs.
A brace takes Isak’s 2023-24 goal tally to 17 for the season, while Gordon’s now been involved in 23 goals this season. It’ll be back to the drawing board for Ange Postecoglou, whose Spurs side now look less likely of Champions League qualification.
City fire five past Luton
They wouldn’t have realised it at the time but this 5-1 win over Luton Town would prove monumental for Manchester City in their pursuit of a fourth consecutive Premier League title. Erling Haaland (£14.1 I 71.6%) rolled one in from the spot to score in consecutive Premier League games for the first time this year, an inconceivable baren spell, if it can be called that, for a Norwegian whose made goalscoring a basic function of his existence in the same way breathing it.
Haaland was involved in Luton’s unfortunate own goal inside the first minute, though he was making up for an uncharacteristic miss when one-on-one with Thomas Kaminski only moments earlier. Having set the bar for his performances astronomically high in his debut Premier League season, Haaland’s six goals in 11 games is a dry spell for him but a purple patch for others.
Elsewhere for City, Jeremy Doku, Joski Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic all scored screamers. Jeez, this City outfit are brilliant, aren’t they?
Crystal Palace strike once again for title chasing Liverpool
Nearly a decade after the infamous 3-3 draw that saw Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool side’s grip on the Premier League title slip, it was Crystal Palace once again throwing a nail in the coffin of Liverpool’s title dreams.
This time was different. This time the executioner of Liverpool’s title hopes was not Dwight Gayle, currently plying his trade at Derby County, it was Eberechi Eze. A slick passing move along Palace’s left side culminated in a Tyrick Mitchell byline cutback into the path of Eze, who was tasked to finish through traffic. If only briefly, it felt as if Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona had rolled into Anfield. Positive signs for Oliver Glasner’s side.
At 1-0, Virgil Van Dijk offered his best Steven Gerrard impression, slipping and gifting Jean-Philippe Mateta free passage on the Liverpool goal, only for Andy Robertson’s goalline clearance to save the day. Liverpool had their chances, but they went begging: the bar was struck, Dean Henderson’s limbs were met, desperate Palace defenders threw their body on the line.
In the end, it wasn’t Liverpool’s day and it might not be there season. These are the matches champions rise in, with Liverpool’s failure to do so meaning Jurgen Klopp’s final English campaign seems destined for to conclude disappointingly.
Cole Palmer, Premier League Player of the Season?
At the start of the season £40 million for Cole Palmer (£6.1 I 46.1%), a Manchester City academy graduate whose Premier League stats before this season read 19 games and zero goals, was considered laughable. In 28 games in 2023-24, the Chelsea winger now has 20 Premier League goals, equal with Erling Haaland as this season’s top scorer, and nine assists, the second-highest of any player this season.
Now, £40 million for Cole Palmer (£6.1 I 46.1%) looks like a bargain. Against Everton, who, let’s not forget beat Chelsea in December, Palmer became just the fourth Chelsea player to score four goals in a game, doing so with a first half perfect hat-trick; left foot, right foot, header.
The icing on the cake was a second half penalty marred by embarrassing antics from Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson, who got on the scoresheet late in the first half with an exceptionally taken strike.
It’s not just the volume of goals, more than any Chelsea player in a single Premier League season since Diego Costa in 2016-17, or the variety of goals, curled efforts from beyond the penalty box, looping dinks over goalkeepers and astute follow-up headers, that make Palmer great. It’s also the freewheeling nature of his general play, his execution, touch, inventiveness and bravery on the ball.
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Transfer targets under 15% ownership
DEFENDER: Fabian Schar (£5.6 I 11.2%)
MIDFIELDER: Anthony Gordon (£6.1 I 12.9%)
FORWARD: Ivan Toney (£8.1 I 9.0%)
