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After a long wait, club football is finally back. Even though we had the world cup this year, it did seem like a long time since we saw football. And now finally, the most exciting league in the world, yes the English Premier League is back and we are done with Matchday 1.
Matchday 1 gave us a glimpse of what lies ahead. Well, this season, like any other EPL season, we again cannot predict the winner. But as things stand, it looks like a fight for the title between Liverpool and Manchester city with Manchester United finishing in 3rd position. The 4th spot is hard to predict and is up for grabs. Obviously, it is too early to say anything and as the season progresses, we will get to know more.
Matchday 1 saw easy wins for Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea while Tottenham and Manchester United had to fight hard to get their 3 points. It seemed like Arsenal weren't still used to the Emery style of playing having lost their opening fixture. Yet, they should have no shame in losing to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
The returning of the EPL also meant a return for Fantasy Premier League. In this slideshow, we will be using the points system used in fantasy football to pick out the top 5 players of game week 1. So sit back and enjoy! and feel free to put in your views in the comments section.
#5 Jose Holebas (Watford)
Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points - 13
Watford had a good matchday 1 defeating Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 at home. Watford looked always comfortable in the match, having 53% of the possession and having had a total of 19 shots. Watford did lack efficiency, they had a shot accuracy of 26% but that could not stop them from taking away the 3 points.
The Left-back, Jose Holebas played a crucial role, having kept a clean sheet and also assisted both the goals. He looked comfortable at the back and his attacking contribution certainly helped the team.
In FPL, Jose Holebas who has a price of only 4.5M earned 13 points after having kept a clean sheet and assisting 2 goals.
#4 Richarlison (Everton)
FPL Points - 14
One of Everton's main man Richarlison had an extremely good outing even by his standards. After losing their CB on a red card, Everton really needed to play well against a good Wolves side to get some points. Richarlison stood up with 2 great goals and helped his team earn a 2-2 draw against the wolves. Being down to 10 men, Everton were struggling to get in the game. They had 5 shots on target and a possession of 42%.
Richarlison scored in the 17th and 67th minute to help his team earn a draw and earn 14 points in FPL. He seems to be a bargain at only 6.6M and seems like a great player to have in your team in FPL.
#3 Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City)
FPL Points - 15
If anything, Manchester City look to be the first team since 2008-09 to win the EPL twice in a row. Not only does this team score some brilliant goals, they also have a great defensive matchup.
Having unarguably the toughest matchday 1 fixture, City beat Arsenal 2-0 and did not disappoint. They dominated the game having more of the ball(58%) and 17 shots.
At the back, Mendy was just brilliant. He not only kept a clean sheet but also assisted 2 goals one-a-piece to Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva. Such a Steller performance helped Mendy earn 15 points in FPL and help city get off to a flying start. Mendy is now priced at 6.1M in FPL.
#2 Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
FPL Points - 16
Liverpool currently stand first in the Premier League table thanks to a 4-0 thrashing off West Ham. Liverpool outplayed West Ham in every aspect of the game and are certainly a force to recon in Europe this season.
In the match, Liverpool had 65% possession of the ball and had 18 shots on target. Mane sealed the match for Liverpool with two goals, one just before half time and one in the 53rd minute. He was also the man of the match and earned a total of 16 points in FPL and is now valued at 9.6M in FPL.
#1 Roberto Pereyra (Watford)
FPL Points - 16
Yes, we have another Watford man on the list. Roberto Pereyra was the top performer of the week, having scored 2 goals for his team in a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
Pereyra scored in the 35th and 54th minute. His great performance has led to an increase in his value in FPL from 6M to 6.1M. He earned 16 points, making him the week's top player.
