Another round of FA Cup notes looking back at the rest of Sunday’s matches.
Then follow the fortunes of Fulham, Leeds United and Sunderland.
RESULTS
| Team | Opposition | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulham | Stoke city (a) | 2-1 win | Kevin, Reed | Muniz |
| Leeds | Birmingham city (a) | 1-1 draw (won on pins) | Completion | Ocaphore |
| Sunderland | Oxford United (a) | 1-0 win | Diarrhea pen | Cirkin |
SELECTION / ROTATION
| TEAM | CHANGES FROM GAME WEEK 26 | PLAYERS KEEPING THEIR PLACES (+ MINUTES) | OTHER NOTABLE PLAYERS (+ MINUTES) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulham | 10 | Iwobi (90) | Kevin (90), Robinson (90), Cuenca (90), Bobb (86), King (77), Muniz (77), Raúl (13), Wilson (4) |
| Leeds | 7 | Gudmundsson (120), Justin (120), Bijol (120), Bornauw (90) | Longstaff (120), Perri (120), Okafor (82), Nmecha (68), Calvert Lewin (52), Aaronson (52), Rodon (30) |
| Sunderland | 6 | Roefs (90), Mukiele (90), Le Fee (90), Hume (90), Diarra (64) | Gertrude (90), Talbi (81), Isidor (64), Sadiki (26) |
IS LE FEE OFF SANCTIONS?
It seemed like it Enzo Le Fee (£4.9m) was quickly forgiven for his dreadful penalty in Gameweek 21, a ‘Panenka’ effort that barely reached the goal line, as he scored in Sunderland’s next two games, while also converting their first penalty in the shootout against Everton.
The Frenchman played all ninety minutes on Sunday. However, one time Dennis Cirkin (£4.0 million) was fouled in the penalty area, Habib Diarra (£5.3m) stepped up and calmly sent the Oxford United goalkeeper the wrong way.
This will concern the owners of Le Fee in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), as the cheap midfielder’s appeal is to take some penalties. Regis Le Bris’ comments after the match are also not ideal.
“We like to keep a bit of unpredictability. The decision was made on the pitch. It’s really a matter of trust and who thinks he or she is best placed to do that.” Habib [Diarra] is very confident when it comes to taking a penalty. And he did it well.
“Enzo [Le Fee] was happy with the situation. He felt comfortable with the decision for Habib to take the penalty. I’m not worried at all about the connection between the boys.” – Regis Le Bris, via the Northern Echo
For the record, Diarra took and scored three Strasbourg penalties between March 2024 and January 2025.
DON’T GET GREAT
Heavy rain left the match in serious doubt, but the Oxford pitch eventually passed an inspection.
Le Bris could rest against the opposition from the championship Daniel Ballard (£4.6 million) and keep Brian Brobbey (£5.5m) in the bank.
Of interest to FPL managers is the absence of Omar Alderete (£4.1 million). The defender limped off in the home defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday, with Le Bris telling the media he would be rested on this occasion.
Expect him back for Gameweek 27 at home to Fulham.
MUNIZ DENT RAUL PROFESSION
Speaking of the Cottagers, they came from behind to overcome Stoke City. Marco Silva drastically changed his starting XI and chose not to use it Joachim Andersen (£4.5 million), Kenny Tete (£4.5 million) or Bernd Leno (£4.9 million).
As mentioned in our last article “Goals Imminent,” any temptation is worth jumping on Raul Jimenez‘S ( £6.1m ) good form and strong fixtures – considered the second best run between game weeks 27 and 31 – is limited by the return of a fellow attacker Rodrigo Muniz (£5.3 million).
This 77-minute run-out grabbed the Mexican’s playing time and further improved Muniz’s match fitness. He also assisted Kevin‘s (£5.8m) equalizer, after the latter had missed a number of earlier chances.
“It’s crucial for us to have Rodrigo Muniz and Josh King back. They came back from different types of injuries. We know how well they played together early in the season.”
“Oscar Bobb, a very, very good performance from him. You can feel it, the quality he is going to give in short spaces. And also a very good game from Kevin. He created a lot of good moments on our left.” –Marco Silva
Meanwhile, new acquisition Oscar Bobb (£5.1 million), however, started for the first time Harry Wilson (£6.0 million) replaced him towards the end.
This came right after Harrison Reed (£4.3m) pounced on a poor goalkeeper’s pass to score Fulham’s winner.
MINUTES BEFORE CALVERT-LEWIN + PERRI
Elsewhere, an entertaining lunchtime match went all the way through extra time to penalties.
Leeds made seven changes from the 2-2 draw against Chelsea, a match that did just that Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.9 million) missed due to illness. The forward only appeared here in the 68th minute, but no midweek fixture means he is expected to be fine for Gameweek 27.
Between the sticks, Karl Darlow (£3.9m) has started five consecutive Premier League encounters and caught the attention of Wildcard users. But his minutes may no longer be safe after that Luke Perry‘s (£4.5m) top performance.
The Brazilian made a brilliant early save to continue to deny ruthless hosts Birmingham. Nothing was better than him until an 89th-minute strike from Patrick Roberts, and then he saved in the shootout.
“I’m very happy and excited for him. He fully deserves to be in the spotlight today because he is such a smart and thoughtful man.”
“It has not been easy for him in recent weeks and in general also with his two injuries in recent months. But yes, days like these are the best to find his confidence again, to find his rhythm and today he deserves a lot of praise and he fully deserves to be in the spotlight.” – Daniel Farke on Lucas Perri
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