Premier League

More than 625,000 Fantasy Premier League managers endured a frustrating start to Gameweek 8 as the most-bought player, Brennan Johnson (£6.6m), blanked.

The No 1 transfer target for the round, Johnson had scored in each of his last seven matches across all competitions - but that run came to an end in Tottenham Hotspur's 4-1 win over West Ham United. It wasn't for a lack of trying, however, as Johnson took four shots inside the penalty area.

His team-mate Dominic Solanke (£7.7m) was also recruited in large numbers but he also blanked.

Indeed, despite the big win, none of Spurs' FIVE most-owned players produced a return.

Micky van de Ven (£4.6m) owners will feel especially sore. Not only did the cut-price defender concede a goal but he picked up a yellow card, his third of the campaign, reducing his total to a single point.

GW8 most-owned Spurs players

Player Owned by Pts Pedro Porro 29.2% 2 Solanke 13.7% 2 Van de Ven 11.5% 1 Romero 10.2% 2 Johnson 9.2% 2

Attention now turns to Bryan Mbeumo (£7.5m) and Dwight McNeil (£5.7m), who have the opportunity to provide immediate rewards for the combined 798,000+ who added them to their squads.

Only Erling Haaland (£15.4m) can better Mbeumo's six goals this season. The Cameroon international will be looking to improve his tally when Brentford travel to Manchester United.

Meanwhile, McNeil's prospects are lifted by Everton's visit to Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys have allowed their opponents 31 big chances this season, the most of any side.

GW8 most-bought players

Player Bought by Pts Johnson 626,944 2 Mbeumo 471,335 - McNeil 399,649 - Solanke 326,884 2 Wood 325,565 -

Chris Wood (£6.3m) completes the top five transfers in.

Tottenham Hotspur scored three goals in eight second-half minutes to beat West Ham United 4-1, bouncing back after throwing away a two-goal lead and losing to Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break.

Mohammed Kudus put West Ham ahead early on, only for Dejan Kulusevski to level towards the end of an entertaining first half.

Ange Postecoglou surprisingly withdrew James Maddison at half-time, but that change paid off as Spurs swiftly pulled clear.

Yves Bissouma swept home in the 52nd minute. Then goalkeeper Alphonse Areola scored an own goal in the 55th minute, before Son Heung-min struck the third goal in the 60th minute that settled the contest.

To add to West Ham's woes, Kudus was sent off late on as they drop to 14th in the Premier League table with eight points from as many matches, while Spurs go sixth with 13.

How the match unfolded

The visitors struck first in the 18th minute when Jarrod Bowen showed great tenacity to keep an attack alive before crossing for Kudus, who scored at the far post.

Brennan Johnson was guilty of a glaring miss when he nodded Destiny Udogie's cross wide, but Spurs did level in the 36th minute, Kulusevski's strike hitting both posts and crossing the line despite West Ham goalkeeper Areola getting fingertips to it.

Pedro Porro sent a scissor kick wide shortly before half-time, but Spurs' relentless pressure was rewarded soon after the interval with Bissouma side-footing in after excellent combination play from Son and Udogie.

Spurs' third goal came in fortuitous fashion as Son's shot deflected off Jean-Clair Todibo and Areola before squirming over the line. But there was no luck about their fourth goal as the South Korean raced through to fire home.

Son clipped the foot of the post one minute later, and West Ham's miserable outing was capped when Kudus saw red for violent conduct.

Postecoglou's change pays off

Coming after a 3-0 rout of Manchester United at Old Trafford, Spurs' 3-2 defeat at Brighton last time out led many to describe Postecoglou's style as reckless, rather than entertaining.

However, for as bad as Spurs were in the second half at Amex Stadium, they were excellent after the break here, with a surprise half-time switch the catalyst.

Maddison played a key role in Kulusevski's leveller, capitalising on a West Ham turnover to drive over halfway and find the Swede near the right corner of the box, yet he did not emerge for the second half as Postecoglou chose to introduce Pape Sarr.

That substitution proved a masterstroke, allowing Kulusevski to operate in a No 10 role to devastating effect.

His clever reverse pass played in Son to force the own goal, while it was Sarr who provided the assist when Son made it 4-1 on the hour-mark, his pinpoint pass allowing the Spurs skipper to drive at Areola and arrow his finish inside the near post.

Postecoglou now has a selection headache ahead of next week's trip to Crystal Palace, with Kulusevski staking his claim for a central role and Sarr bringing fresh energy to the midfield.

No lift-off for Lopetegui

Having thrashed Ipswich Town 4-1 prior to the international break, West Ham were eyeing their first back-to-back Premier League victories since March.

The Julen Lopetegui era appeared to have lift-off when Kudus gave them a surprise lead against Spurs, the winger scoring for a second straight match, but the Hammers' defence began to creak under constant pressure and they could have no complaints when Kulusevski equalised.

In the second half, West Ham simply failed to lay a glove on their hosts. Bissouma was granted the freedom of the penalty area to score Spurs' second goal, and the subsequent mix-up between Areola and Todibo summed up the visitors' performance.

To add to Lopetegui's frustrations, Spurs' third goal came just as he was readying a triple substitution in a bid to turn the tide.

In the end, West Ham were arguably fortunate to limit their hosts to four goals, with Kulusevski, Johnson and Timo Werner all passing up late chances. Johnson also should have scored in the opening period.

To make matters worse for West Ham, they will also be without key attacker Kudus for matches against Man Utd, Nottingham Forest and Everton following his late dismissal.

Club reports

Spurs report | West Ham report

What managers said

Ange Postecoglou: "We had to fight hard in the first half. Going a goal down wasn't ideal but we clawed our way back into it, and it is not easy. West Ham are a big physical side and they have got some speed as well.

"Second half we were outstanding. We upped the tempo and played some quality football, defended when we needed to and got our finishing right."

Julen Lopetegui: "First of all we are very disappointed for our fans. The summary is that they [Tottenham] deserved to win to be fair. We started well and we deserved to take the lead despite their two big chances. We defended well, attacked well and had more chances too."

Next Premier League fixtures

Key facts

Since the start of last season, Tottenham have won eight of the 12 home Premier League games in which they have conceded first (L4) this is at least twice as many home wins after falling 1-0 behind as any other side in the competition in this time.

This was West Ham's heaviest Premier League defeat in a game which they scored the opening goal since January 2013, when they lost 5-1 at Arsenal.

Tottenham have kept just one clean sheet across their last 19 home Premier League games (a 4-0 victory over Everton in August), while Spurs’ one clean sheet on home soil in 2024 is the joint-fewest shutouts among ever-present sides in the competition (alongside Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Wolves).

Since the start of last season, only Sheffield United (seven) have conceded more own goals in the Premier League than West Ham (five), while Tottenham have benefitted from more own goals than any other side in the competition across that period (seven).

The Scout is tipping five players for big success in Gameweek 8 of 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League ahead of Saturday's 11:00 BST deadline.

James Maddison (Spurs) £7.5m

A home encounter against West Ham United gives the Tottenham Hotspur playmaker the chance to extend his fine start to the season.

Maddison is Spurs’ top-scoring player in Fantasy across the first seven Gameweeks, producing two goals, three assists and 39 points.

That run includes double-figure returns against Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion in the last three Gameweeks.

Maddison's goal v Brentford

Maddison’s free-kick and corner kick duties can give him the edge over his less expensive team-mate Brennan Johnson (£6.6m), who has scored in each of the last three Gameweeks.

Spurs have produced 35 shots from set-pieces, more than any other side.

Phil Foden (Man City) £9.2m

After earning his first league start of the season in Gameweek 7, the Manchester City midfielder is set to embark on a run of opponents that can help him get back to his best.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), each of the champions’ next four matches – against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton, AFC Bournemouth and Brighton – score under three.

Man City's next four fixtures

GW Opp. FDR 8 Wolves (A) 2 9 Southampton (H) 2 10 Bournemouth (A) 3 11 Brighton (A) 3

*1 = easiest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture

Foden’s visit to Wolves this weekend looks particularly encouraging. His hosts have conceded a league-high 21 goals, while their 26 big chances conceded also ranks among the worst three sides this season.

Owned by just over five per cent of managers, Foden is a ready-made differential with the potential to shake up mini-leagues across the next four Gameweeks.

Nikola Milenkovic (Nott’m Forest) £4.5m

The Nottingham Forest centre-back looks a strong all-round prospect at home to Crystal Palace.

Milenkovic has produced attacking or defensive returns in three of his first six appearances in 2024/25, combining an assist with two clean sheets.

Palace have struggled in attack ahead of their visit to the City Ground – they have scored one goal in their last three matches, suggesting Milenkovic could be set to earn another clean sheet.

The Serbian offers a reasonable threat at set-pieces, too. His total of three headed shots ranks joint-top for Nott’m Forest this season.

Alex Iwobi (Fulham) £5.5m

The Fulham winger has been overlooked by managers in Fantasy due to the popularity of his team-mate Emile Smith Rowe (£5.7m).

Whereas the latter can be found in more than 27 per cent of squads, a mere one per cent have selected Iwobi ahead of his home encounter against Aston Villa.

Notably, the Nigerian has been far more reliable when playing at Craven Cottage in 2024/25. He has blanked just once in his three home outings having produced a goal, an assist and 18 points.

Fulham’s upcoming schedule indicates Iwobi can reward managers on the lookout for a cut-price differential. According to the FDR, five of their six matches from Gameweek 9 onwards score only two.

Fulham's fixtures from Gameweek 9

GW Opp. FDR 9 Everton (A) 2 10 Brentford (H) 2 11 Crystal Palace (A) 2 12 Wolves (H) 2 13 Spurs (A) 4 14 Brighton (H) 2

Liam Delap (Ipswich) £5.6m

Four goals in his last five outings have made the Ipswich Town star the most-bought forward in Gameweek 8.

Delap has earned 137,000 transfers in ahead of a very kind mid-term schedule which includes home matches against Everton and Leicester City in the next three Gameweeks.

The underlying statistics show Delap is by far the most likely Ipswich player to get goals in the upcoming period.

His 11 shots, eight shots in the box and seven shots on target are all team-leading totals. Similarly, his five big chances – situations where the player is expected to score – are at least three more than any team-mate.

Premier League clubs continued their preparations for 2024/25 over the weekend, with 15 sides in action.

Here we take a look at how they fared in their encounters.

Liverpool 0-1 Preston

What happened?

Arne Slot's first pre-season match ended in a 1-0 defeat to Preston North End in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Liverpool's AXA training ground. See: Liverpool report

What did we learn?

Slot lined up Liverpool in a 4-3-3 formation, similar to under former manager Jurgen Klopp. Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Harvey Elliott and Conor Bradley all featured, with Salah tasked to lead the line in the first half.

What did the manager say?

“We controlled the game completely, we only conceded one shot,” Slot told the club website. "The bad thing about it was that that shot went in, [it was] a great goal, though."

When do they play next?

Liverpool are off to the US where they meet Real Betis in Pittsburgh on 27 July.

Rangers 0-2 Man Utd

What happened?

Manchester United earned their first win of pre-season, thanks to a sublime 39th-minute finish from Amad and Joe Hugill's drive 20 minutes from time. See: Man Utd report

What did we learn?

Despite only signing from Lille on Thursday, 18-year-old Leny Yoro gave an assured performance on his debut. Jadon Sancho also made his first appearance for the club since 26 August 2023.

What did the manager say?

“Today was much better, especially in the prospect of aggressiveness. We were much more on the front foot and it was a team [effort] in both halves so, yeah, it was enjoyable to watch,” Erik ten Hag told the club website.

“Last season he [Amad] had bad times with bad injuries. Now for this season, this has to be the year. It’s great that he starts like this.”

When do they play next?

Ten Hag's side travel to the US, first facing Arsenal in Los Angeles on 27 July.

QPR 0-2 Spurs

What happened?

Tottenham Hotspur made it two wins out of two. Yves Bissouma opened the scoring thanks to some wonderful skill before Dane Scarlett added a second late on. See: Spurs report

What did we learn?

Archie Gray once again lined up at centre-back, but another of Spurs' recent arrivals, Lucas Bergvall, had to be withdrawn after 25 minutes due to a knock.

What did the manager say?

"We’ve had a tough week, training, game, travel, so I felt for the boys, we kind of knew we’d be a bit leggy, but I still felt we played some good stuff,” Ange Postecoglou told the club website.

When do they play next?

Spurs fly to Japan where they play Vissel Kobe in Tokyo on 27 July.

Sligo Rovers 3-3 Everton

What happened?

Two goals from Youssef Chermiti helped Everton fight back from 2-0 down to draw. Mason Holgate was also on target. See: Everton report

What did we learn?

Sean Dyche would have been pleased with a number of players in the second half, with Chermiti aiming to kick on after a slow first season for Everton, while Iroegbunam looked assured in midfield. Summer signings Iliman Ndiaye and Tim Iroegbunam made their debuts.

What did the manager say?

“With these games it's always awkward with scorelines but the lads did 13.5km yesterday, which is a big day - trust me,” Dyche told the club website.

When do they play next?

Everton visit Salford City on 27 July.

Crystal Palace 1-1 Charlton

What happened?

A 90th-minute equaliser from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi secured a draw in Palace's second pre-season match. See: Palace report

What did we learn?

New signings Chadi Riad and Daichi Kamada both started for the Eagles, with the latter setting up Rak-Sakyi's leveller. As well as his assist, Kamada nearly set up a goal for Riad.

When do they play next?

Palace head to Crawley Town on 27 July.

Sunderland 1-1 Nott'm Forest

What happened?

Second-half substitute Anthony Elanga set up fellow sub Omar Richards for a thumping equaliser. See: Nott'm Forest report

What did we learn?

Nuno Espirito Santo has seen his wingers be his chief creators in in Forest's two pre-season matches. After Callum Hudson-Odoi produced two assists in in a 3-0 win at Chesterfield, Elanga provided the key pass on this occasion.

Richards' goal

What did the manager say?

"We tried to rotate and give minutes to everybody. Omar did well," Nuno told the club website. "But the result is not so important now - the players acquire the fitness level that is necessary."

When do they play next?

Nuno's side meet Millwall in Murcia, Spain, on 23 July.

Eastleigh 1-7 Southampton

What happened?

Adam Armstrong claimed a brace as Saints started pre-season with a win featuring six different goalscorers against non-league oppoisition. See: Southampton report

Armstrong's goals

What did we learn?

Russell Martin switched from a 3-4-3 to a 4-3-3 at half-time, the latter being the most popular of six different formations used last season. A total of 22 players were used over the 90 minutes, including new signings Ronnie Edwards, Charlie Taylor, Yukinari Sugawara and Nathan Wood.

What did the manager say?

“I’m annoyed we conceded a goal from a set play - it’s my job to be demanding... but on the whole it was a really good evening for us," Martin told the club's official website. “The new guys, who haven’t been here long at all, fitting in seamlessly and doing some really brilliant stuff."

When do they play next?

Southampton face Bordeaux on 24 July in the first of two behind-closed-doors matches in Spain.

Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 Ipswich

What happened?

Ipswich kicked off their pre-season campaign with a win in wet conditions thanks to a goal from Sam Morsy just before the half-hour mark. See: Ipswich report

What did we learn?

Morsy proved he can be a scoring threat against top-quality opponents. In his last three league campaigns, he has scored 10 goals and provided 16 assists.

When do they play next?

Ipswich host Fortuna Dusseldorf on 27 July.

Wolves 3-0 Bristol City

What happened?

Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan and an own goal ensured Wolverhampton Wanderers eased past their Championship opponents in a behind-closed-doors fixture. See: Wolves report

What did we learn?

Rather than a normal 90 minutes, this encounter consisted of four 30-minute quarters in order to maximise both the number of players Gary O'Neil used, along with match minutes to increase fitness levels.

Hwang's goal

When do they play next?

Wolves fly to the US, first facing West Ham United under former head coach Julen Lopetegui in Florida on 27 July.

Spartak Trnava 0-3 Aston Villa

What happened?

Aston Villa continued their winning start to pre-season thanks to goals from Leon Bailey, who captained the side, the in-form Morgan Rogers and Cameron Archer. See: Aston Villa report

What did we learn?

After scoring twice in their first friendly against Walsall, Rogers has three goals in two pre-season outings.

When do they play next?

Villa travel to the US, first playing MLS side Columbus Crew on 27 July.

AFC Wimbledon 2-5 Brentford

What happened?

Igor Thiago scored twice on his Brentford debut, with Yoane Wissa, Kevin Schade and Bryan Mbeumo also on the scoresheet. See: Brentford report

What did we learn?

Thiago made a positive start to life with the Bees, offering encouragement as Thomas Frank searches for attacking depth. Midfielder Stuart Armstrong, on trial with Brentford following his departure from Southampton, also got a chance to impress.

All of Brentford's goals

What did the manager say?

“Positive experiences boost confidence and it’s always nice for a striker to score. There’s still a lot to go on, and he’ll [Thiago] of course need to do it in the Premier League, but it’s a good start,” Frank told the club website.

When do they play next?

Brentford visit Boreham Wood on 23 July.

Leicester City 2-1 Villarreal

What happened?

Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi netted a goal apiece as new Leicester manager Steve Cooper oversaw a narrow win in France. See: Leicester report

What did we learn?

It was a useful opportunity for Cooper, who was able to run the rule over two starting XIs who took to the field in a match formed of two 60-minute halves.

What did the manager say?

When do they play next?

Leicester travel to Shrewsbury Town on 23 July.

Dagenham & Redbridge 0-1 West Ham

What happened?

Lopetegui tasted victory in his first match in charge at West Ham, with a wonderful Andy Irving curler claiming a narrow victory. See: West Ham report

What did we learn?

Summer signings Maximilian Kilman and Luis Guilherme both started, while new goalkeeper Wes Foderingham, came on in the second half. Lopetegui used the match as an opportunity to see virtually his entire squad play, with 22 of West Ham's 24-man squad involved.

When do they play next?

West Ham will face Wolves on 27 July in Florida.

Newcastle 3-1 SpVgg Unterhaching

What happened?

A strong Newcastle side proved too strong for the third tier German side SpVgg Unterhaching, with Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak on target. See: Newcastle report

What did we learn?

The return from injury of Nick Pope will be welcome news for Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe, after the Newcastle backline struggled following the goalkeeper's dislocated shoulder suffered against Manchester United last December. Fellow goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos made his first appearance for the club since signing from Nottingham Forest.

When do they play next?

Newcastle travel to Hull City on 27 July.

AFC Bournemouth 1-1 Wrexham

What happened?

Hollywood star and Wrexham owner Rob McElhenney was among the spectators as Marcos Senesi's headed equaliser earned a 1-1 draw in Santa Barbara, United States. See: Bournemouth report

What did we learn?

The form of Philip Billing, who provided the assist for Senesi's leveller, will have been encouraging for Cherries' head coach Andoni Iraola, while new signing Daniel Jebbison got a useful 45 minutes of action under his belt. Bournemouth also played in a special kit designed by actor and club shareholder Michael B. Jordan.

What did the manager say?

New Tottenham Hotspur signing Archie Gray is set to be the latest player to follow in their father's footsteps to play in the Premier League.

There are 23 father-and-son pairs in Premier League history, the latest being Patrick and Justin Kluivert. The most famous are perhaps the Schmeichels and the Wrights.

But Archie Gray's story is remarkable and goes beyond just one generation.

The 18-year-old's dad is Andy Gray, who played 51 times in the Premier League, for Leeds, Archie's former club, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland.

Archie's grandfather is Frank Gray. Frank won the First Division title with Leeds in 1973/74 and the European Cup with Forest in 1979/80.

Furthermore, Archie is the great nephew of Eddie Gray, one of Leeds’ best ever players, who won the First Division title twice, an FA Cup and a League Cup. Eddie twice managed Leeds, including succeeding Peter Reid in 2003/04, Leeds’ last in the Premier League until they were promoted again for 2020/21.

And it doesn't end there, as Archie also has a brother, Harry, who is in Leeds' academy.

"Ever since I was young I used to watch my dad [Andy] play and I heard about my uncle playing and my grandad Frank, I've always had to live up to it," Archie told the Daily Mail in April.

"My dad's been really good with me for advice, but I've been very lucky that everything has come together for me.

"Ever since I was 15 things have come at me so quickly, but I've just got to be grateful for what I've got and keep improving."

Archie Gray's footballing family

Brother: Harry Gray, current Leeds player

Dad: Andy Gray, former PL player

Grandad: Frank Gray, European Cup winner

Great uncle: Eddie Gray, legendary former Leeds player/manager

Archie's dad, grandad and great uncle all played for Scotland, but Spurs' new signing has his sights on representing England, his country of birth.

"Hopefully I can [get England recognition], but I've just got to take it step by step and keep focusing on my club football," Archie told the Daily Record in April this year. He has now won two caps for England's Under-21s.

"I'd be really happy just to play for my country. My hopes are to play for England, definitely. It's where I'm from and where I've grown up.

'I'm three quarters English, so that's where' I'm at. My dad is totally happy for whatever makes me happy, even though Eddie supports Scotland. But I'm the same as him, I'm happy as long as he's happy."

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