After last weeks embarrassing outcome, things did not ease up as I had to face Michael. Mike was the twin brother of Darren (D-Man) and they were both gunning for the title, but with Darren ahead Mike could not afford to lose.
It was another blank gameweek which are always tricky, and I had Lewis Dunk suspended. As well as that I had Kelechi Iheanacho and he did not have a game as Leicester played in the FA Cup Final. My opponent had seven inactive players so if he remembered the deadline then I knew he would have to take at least a 4-point hit. I was confused at what to do and sometimes that means making transfers out of anger. Whenever I sell him he seems to do something of note but I let go of Wilfried Zaha as Crystal Palace had Aston Villa. I perceived this to easily be a more difficult fixture than Everton‘s home match with Sheffield United so I reluctantly kept Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Icelandic international had not done anything constructive since I recruited him but surely he could punish an already relegated team. Raphinha was the man to come back in for Zaha.
At the back in came Leeds’ Stuart Dallas for the suspended Dunk. I was only going to take a 4-point hit but then at the 11th hour I looked at West Ham’s remaining games and got in Michail Antonio for Iheanacho. I was going to bench Jesse Lingard but then left him in and benched Ollie Watkins, a decision I felt uncomfortable with but you can only start 11 can’t you. After the deadline I saw to my annoyance that Mike also drafted in Dallas, as well as bringing in Heung-min Son. I was livid I wanted Son but I never had enough funds. He was also his captain so if he outperformed my captain Harry Kane it would be a massive problem. What this also meant however was that Mike only had 10 men as he only took a 4-point, but after last week I was taking absolutely nothing for granted.
The action started on Friday as Manchester City travelled to Newcastle. With the Magpies safe and City obviously going to rotate no-one knew exactly what to expect and it ended up being a 7-goal thriller. Mike had the dangerous Joao Cancelo in his defence, so I was happy that Newcastle took the lead, but this was only for Cancelo to level things up. His shot looked like it was going wide when it was deflected in, but the replay showed it was likely to hit the target. The Portuguese full back was then to get a 'fantasy' assist as his shot cannoned off the post for Ferran Torres to score the winner and complete his hat-trick. Cancelo was booked but this did not stop him from getting a double figure return. So not a good start as I was now 15 points behind.
Saturday began with Leeds' trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley. In what on paper should have been a tricky game Marcelo Bielsa's men ran riot with a 4-0 triumph full of lovely fluid football. No contribution attacking-wise from Dallas but of course he got clean sheet points. Patrick Bamford who Mike had was booked and then taken off before the hour, the good news with Bamford was cancelled out however as Pascal Struijk was in Mike's team too, so he benefitted even more from their clean sheet. Raphinha assisted the opening goal for Mateusz Klich but I could have done with more from him but at least it was not a wasted transfer.
There was no one either of use had playing in Southampton's 3-1 win over Fulham so to the Amex Stadium we go. Brighton and Fulham looked set for a goalless draw but then there were two very late goals as it ended 1-1. There was no contribution from Lingard as I kind of expected and Antonio's best chance saw him completely fluff a header. My opponent had Lingard too but I really needed something from my differential Antonio. It was a change I was not going to make and now I knew Watkins who I benched for him would contribute. Saturday ended 26-8 in Michael's favour.
Sunday began with Crystal Palace against Aston Villa. Watkins as I said was on my bench and so was Palace's Tyrick Mitchell. Villa took the lead through John McGinn and I thought that I had dodged a bullet with the Eagles conceding, only for Mitchell to produce a lovely cross for Christian Benteke to level. Things got worse as Villa took the lead from Anwar El Ghazi and you guessed it Watkins assisted, 'sigh'. But my misfortune was far from over, first the man I sold Zaha made it 2-2, and then Mitchell bundled in the winner, yes Mitchell! I bench him and he gets his first assist and then his first goal of the season! 'Just my damn luck!!'.
I had no words for this, I did not even need to bring Dallas in if I knew he would definitely start as Roy Hodgson had said that he was looking to rotate as the season closed. No clean sheet for Emiliano Martinez too, but Mike had him also so it did not effect the head-to-head. Tottenham then beat Wolves 2-0. Kane put Spurs ahead with a well taken goal which was sandwiched between him hitting the post twice. I really could have cleaned up with him as captain but at least he did score. The second time he hit the post, Son also struck the woodwork so I was quite lucky there. Sergio Reguilón of course got clean sheet points so I therefore now had 26 points just sitting there on my bench, 'FML!'.
Liverpool were up next as they were away against West Brom and there was surprising team news as Diogo Jota had a foot injury and Jurgen Klopp confirmed that he was out for the season. This meant I would now get the points off the bench from Watkins, as he was my first sub, but this is not the way I wanted it to happen. Liverpool went behind and this meant no clean sheet for my differential Andy Robertson. Salah equalised with a fine strike in the first half, and it looked like it was heading for a draw when Alisson popped up and scored a header in injury time, yes you read that right the goalkeeper! Liverpool had 13 corners in the game, so trust the goal to come from an in-swinging corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold when most of the corners from that side had been out-swingers by Robertson. Nevertheless I was ecstatic as I did not think a goal was coming and the main thing was that my team had won.
The last contest of the week was Everton at home to Sheffield United. Michael now had 40 points and I had 43, I needed Sigurdsson and Lucas Digne to outscore Dominic Calvert-Lewin or I would be defeated. Things started badly as Sigurdsson was not named in the starting XI. Everton conceded an early goal so there were no clean sheet points for Digne. You would think the Toffees would have made a comeback but it never came and I have to thank Aaron Ramsdale for keeping out Calvert-Lewin. So I squeezed a 4 point win and ironically with that win after reviewing the weeks results I have made Michael's brother Darren the champion for this season. I am telling you this, head-to-head leagues are crazy one of my lowest scores of the season but yet I get a win when I have almost hit 100 and lost twice.
@DubulDee
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