Everton 1-1 Leeds United wrapped up Gameweek 23 on Monday evening.
This is what we saw.
MOYES ON ELIGIBILITY OF BRANTHWAITE + DEWSBURY-HALL
The match saw the fit again Kiernan Dewsbury Hall (£4.9 million) and Jarrad Branthwaite (£5.3m) are back in action, both as half-time substitutes.
Dewsbury-Hall’s comeback is notable as he had garnered quite a bit of FPL interest before his Gameweek 16 injury. In the fourteen starts he had made before that point, he had recorded seven offensive returns and six defensive contribution points (DefCon). And now, of course, it’s cheaper than ever before: £4.9 million.
As for Branthwaite, his availability is less about his own appeal than what it means for another Everton defender. Michael Keane (£4.7m). Keane himself had attracted a Fantasy following before his red card in Gameweek 21, thanks to his ability to score goals, clean sheets and DefCon points in a variety of ways.
It seems that in the shorter term, Dewsbury-Hall is closer to entering the fray; Branthwaite had not kicked a ball since May before Monday’s match.
“My plan was not to put Jarrad or Kiernan on so early because Jarrad probably hasn’t played in eight months and Kiernan really… Kiernan is different. He probably could have played 45 minutes but that wasn’t the intention. So it wasn’t like these guys could play on the bench; they couldn’t. But to get them back, I thought they made a big difference when they came on.” – David Moyes
Keane will now return from suspension in Gameweek 24 and could reclaim his place if Branthwaite continues to work on his fitness. In the longer term, there is obviously concern about minutes.
Could David Moyes switch to a 3-4-3/3-5-2 to accommodate both centre-backs And James Tarkowski (£5.8m)? That is possible, because he did indeed switch to a wing-back system at half-time on Monday, although that was perhaps more to counter Leeds’ identical shape. In the 72nd minute it was a foursome again.
GREALISH + GUDMUNDSSON INJURY UPDATES
We got post-match updates (sort of) on two players who missed the game at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
David Moyes’ comments on Jack Grealish (£6.4m) didn’t give us many new insights.
“We’re getting closer, but no. We’re waiting for the surgeon and what he thinks is the right choice. We’re getting closer and hopefully we can update you soon.” – Jack Grealish
Daniel Farke was certainly helpful Gabriel Gudmundsson (£3.8 million).
“Unfortunately he has a bit of strain in his adductor, so he could always miss this match. We hope to have him back as soon as possible. So it depends on the further assessment. The initial assessment wasn’t great – it said maybe three to four weeks. But at the moment it looks a bit brighter. So we have a second opinion. I hope to have him back as soon as possible, so that he misses a maximum of one or maybe two matches, but no more, because he is clearly an important player for us, although I have to saying that James Justin was also excellent in this position today.” – Daniel Farke on Gabriel Gudmundsson
FOUR OBJECTIVES IN FIVE GAMES FOR BARRY
Thierno Barry (£5.7m) trailing alone Igor Thiago (£7.2m) for FPL ‘form’ among FPL forwards, i.e. points per match over the last 30 days.
The young striker’s fourth goal in five gameweeks for the Toffees continued his revival after a disappointing start in England.
As Moyes noted, this is a young man abroad trying to find his way – and it seems he’s starting to feel a little more at ease now.
“He is a young French international under 21 who is trying to find his way. His English was okay [when he arrived] but not great. I think he’s just now really starting to settle in and getting used to the whole club, the way the whole Premier League works, what’s expected, the intensity of the competition. He gets used to the levels of work you have to do and as a result he also achieves a few goals. And obviously, if you bring in a number nine, you want him to score. So he’s just starting to score a few goals, but we have to try to create some more chances so he can maybe get a few more.
“His training is getting better. His levels are improving. We can see that and that’s nice for us. But I think that also comes from getting used to the expectations and the intensity of the Premier League.” – David Moyes on Thierno Barry
His near-post run for his goal on Monday was that of a seasoned goalscorer, while his earlier attempt at ‘trivela’ suggested a striker playing with a little more confidence.
Thierno Barry with the trivela💫
But @LUFC’s Karl Darlow made the stop in style ⛔️ pic.twitter.com/RTfuFsjUpz
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 27, 2026
CALVERT-LEWIN CLOSE
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) couldn’t punish his former employers, but he couldn’t have come much closer. Denied an early attack then Jordan Pickford (£5.6m) moved up to block his goal, before somehow hitting the post from inside the six-yard box with the goal at his mercy.
Above: Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s two shots, both ‘big chances’, on Monday evening
To rub salt in the wounds, the striker switched Anton Stach‘s (£4.9m) cross in the 28th minute, a delivery that went all the way through James Justin (£3.9m) to score. Some owners were convinced that Calvert-Lewin had touched the ball on its way to Justin; Opta disagreed.
Stach has now returned the favor (goal, assist, DefCon points) in nine of his last eleven Premier League appearances. Back on the corner, the co-leading FPL midfielder for chances created over the past six Gameweeks (14), and now operating further forward as one of the ‘dual 10s’ in Farke’s 3-4-2-1, he quietly goes about his business.
LEEDS – NO PUSHOVERS FOR ARSENAL?
Leeds’ excellent recent results continued. They have tasted defeat in only one of their last ten Premier League games – and even that should have been avoided thanks to a late defeat. Luke Perry (£4.5m) rick.
They also conceded one or fewer goals in nine of the eleven above-mentioned matches.
Not such an easy match for Arsenal in Gameweek 24, especially as it’s at Elland Road?
DEFCON SUPPLIERS
Finally, a look at the eight players who collected DefCon points on Monday. Six of them are on Leeds’ books, while it’s no surprise that Tarkowski is there for the seventh Gameweek in a row:
READ MORE…
#FPL #notes #Barry #form #DCL #close #Moyes #fit #returners