FPL Gameweek 31 concluded on Monday night (Monday, April 17) with Leeds hammered 6-1 by Liverpool.
Here, we review some of the key FPL Gameweek 31 <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a> and highlights from the week&#8217;s action.
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team">AI recommended transfers for your FPL team</a></li>
<li><a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips/">The Ultimate Guide to FPL Gameweek 32</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/best-fpl-free-hit-team-for-blank-gameweek-32">The best Free Hit team for FPL Gameweek 32</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>FPL Gameweek 31: Liverpool put six past Leeds</h2>
Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) and Diogo Jota (£8.7m) both scored twice as Liverpool beat Leeds 6-1 at Elland Road.
Cody Gakpo (£7.6m) and Darwin Nunez (£8.7m) also got themselves on the scoresheet, with two assists from Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3) among the highlights. Jota and Gakpo also added assists to their goals.
Luis Sinisterra (£6.5m) scored an early second-half goal for the home side, his fourth goal of the season.
Alexander-Arnold was used as an inverted full-back in Liverpool&#8217;s last league game against Arsenal, drifting into central midfield.
The same was the case here, with his average position alongside Fabinho (£5.2m) in the middle of the park.
Only Bruno Fernandes (£9.5m) has created more big chances in the last two gameweeks and Alexander-Arnold will be one of the first names on the team sheets of those playing their Free Hit in Gameweek 32.
<div id="attachment_53999" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-53999" class="size-full wp-image-53999" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TAA-heatmaps.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TAA-heatmaps.jpg 897w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TAA-heatmaps-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TAA-heatmaps-768x626.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TAA-heatmaps-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" />A marked difference in positioning for Trent Alexander-Arnold in the last two gameweeks</div>
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<h2>FPL Gameweek 31: Villa and Watkins continue hot streak</h2>
Ollie Watkins (£7.7m) scored twice as Aston Villa recorded their fifth straight win, with Unai Emery&#8217;s side defeating Newcastle 3-0 at Villa Park.
Much of that winning streak has been down to Watkins, who now has 11 goals and three assists in 12 games.
Villa&#8217;s clean sheet was their fourth in five,
Watkins, who led the league for expected goals (xG) and expected FPL points this weekend, told BT Sport after the game:
<blockquote>&#8220;We are enjoying it at the moment. [We are] trusting teammates in tight areas and if we make mistakes we go again.
&#8220;Real togetherness in the team and looking forward to the games to come.&#8221;</blockquote>
Jacob Ramsey (£5.2m) also found the back of the net and contributed an assist, as did full-back Alex Moreno (£4.5m).
<div id="attachment_53961" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-53961" class="wp-image-53961 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Watkins-GW31.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Watkins-GW31.jpg 897w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Watkins-GW31-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Watkins-GW31-768x626.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Watkins-GW31-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" />Ollie Watkins&#8217; Gameweek 31 <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></div>
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<h2>FPL Gameweek 31: Antony stars &#8211; but Bruno blanks</h2>
Manchester United defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the City Ground, with Marcus Rashford (£7.1m) missing out through injury.
The Red Devils lost Marcel Sabitzer (£4.7m) to injury in the warm-up, with Christian Eriksen (£6.2m) coming into the starting 11.
Erik ten Hag was hopeful it was not a &#8216;big injury&#8217; but did not want to take risks, with United&#8217;s Europa League second-leg tie in midweek.
Bruno Fernandes (£9.6m) returned to a more advanced midfield position as a result of the late change &#8211; but the Portuguese failed to convert a commanding performance into FPL points.
Fernandes, who twice hit the woodwork, had the highest expected assists (xA) in the league &#8211; 1.09. His two big chances however were not taken advantage of by his teammates.
Instead, the star of the show was Antony (£7.3m), who scored and assisted for maximum bonus points. Anthony Martial (£6.3m) also registered an assist.
United&#8217;s injury issues saw them line up with a back four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.3m), Harry Maguire (£4.7m), Victor Lindelof (£4.1m) and Diogo Dalot (£4.7m). Dalot, who filled in at left-back, scored the winner.
David de Gea (£5.0m) now has 14 clean sheets to his name in the league this season. United have now gone ahead of Newcastle at the top of the shutouts table.
Elsewhere, Casemiro (£4.9m) made his return to the side after a four-game suspension, while Luke Shaw (£5.1m) was not fit enough to make the matchday squad.
<div id="attachment_53962" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-53962" class="size-full wp-image-53962" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Antony-GW31.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Antony-GW31.jpg 897w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Antony-GW31-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Antony-GW31-768x626.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Antony-GW31-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" />Antony&#8217;s Gameweek 31 <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></div>
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<h2>FPL Gameweek 31: Saka misses penalty as City gain ground on Arsenal</h2>
Erling Haaland (£12.2m) scored twice as Manchester City beat Leicester 3-1 on Saturday.
John Stones (£5.5m) opened the scoring with a sensational strike five minutes in before Haaland converted a penalty and added a second on the 25 minute mark.
Rotation was the main headline of the match on the City side, with Nathan Ake (£5.1m) and Ilkay Gundogan (£7.3m) among those benched.
Stones and Haaland were subbed off at half time, with Rodri (£5.6m) and Jack Grealish (7.3m) also making way later in the second half.
Grealish was brought into 914,000 FPL teams ahead of deadline and rewarded his backers with an assist and a single bonus point.
Dean Smith&#8217;s first match in charge of the Foxes ended in defeat &#8211; but their second-half showing will have provided him with some comfort.
Leicester&#8217;s xG of 1.62 was narrowly ahead of City&#8217;s 1.6. Kelechi Iheanacho (£5.9m) scored a tap-in and hit the post after a James Maddison (£8.1m) cross.
<div id="attachment_53963" style="width: 1292px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-53963" class="size-full wp-image-53963" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Transfers-in-GW31.jpg" alt="" width="1282" height="753" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Transfers-in-GW31.jpg 1282w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Transfers-in-GW31-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Transfers-in-GW31-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Transfers-in-GW31-768x451.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Transfers-in-GW31-610x358.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Transfers-in-GW31-1080x634.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Transfers-in-GW31-1280x753.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1282px) 100vw, 1282px" />Gameweek 31 transfers</div>
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League leaders Arsenal could not match City&#8217;s three points, drawing 2-2 at West Ham on Sunday.
The Gunners took an early 2-0 lead through Gabriel Jesus (£8.1m) and Martin Odegaard (£6.7m), only for a Said Benrahma (£5.7m) penalty and Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) goal to peg them back.
Mikel Arteta&#8217;s men had a golden chance to extend their lead to 3-1 but Bukayo Saka (£8.6m) missed from the spot.
Saka, in 40.8% of FPL teams, came away with no FPL points. Gabriel Martinelli (£6.9m) grabbed an assist meanwhile.
Post-match, Arteta said of Saka&#8217;s penalty agony:
<blockquote>&#8220;If I had to pick one player to do it, it would be him again. In that moment we missed it and this is football.&#8221;</blockquote>
Arteta acknowledged missed spot-kicks were part of the package for those who took responsibility for them, adding Saka had experience of reacting to the scenario and bouncing back.
<div id="attachment_53156" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-53156" class="size-full wp-image-53156" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Saka-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Saka-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Saka-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Saka-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Saka-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Saka-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Saka-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Saka-610x407.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Saka-1080x720.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Bukayo Saka. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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<h2>FPL Gameweek 31 key stats &#8211; and the best of the rest</h2>
In this section, we round up the leaders for the key <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta">Opta stats</a> metrics in Gameweek 31 so far &#8211; as well as rounding up the best of the rest of the FPL action.
Dominic Solanke (£5.5m) scored one and assisted two in Bournemouth&#8217;s 3-2 away win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Brighton continued their fine form with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Julio Enciso (£4.6m) found the top corner and Danny Welbeck (£6.5m) scored after coming on for the injured Evan Ferguson (£4.6m).
A run in the side for Enciso, who came on for Joel Veltman (£4.6m) after 28 minutes, could see Alexis Mac Allister (£5.5m) revert to a deeper midfield role. Enciso has two goals in two games for the Seagulls.
Roberto De Zerbi&#8217;s side had 26 shots on goal against Frank Lampard&#8217;s men. It was the most shots by an away team at Stamford Bridge for nearly 30 years.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-53964" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Brighton-heatmap.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Brighton-heatmap.jpg 897w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Brighton-heatmap-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Brighton-heatmap-768x626.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Brighton-heatmap-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" />
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<h3>Opta stats leaders for FPL Gameweek 31: Players</h3>
<ul>
<li>Shots &#8211; Antony: Seven</li>
<li>Shots on target &#8211; Ollie Watkins: Four</li>
<li>Shots in the box &#8211; Ollie Watkins: Six</li>
<li>Big chances &#8211; Erling Haaland, Anthony Martial, Neal Maupay and Ollie Watkins: Two</li>
<li>Goals &#8211; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Ollie Watkins, Erling Haaland and Eberechi Eze: Two</li>
<li>xG &#8211; Ollie Watkins: 1.24</li>
<li>Big chances created &#8211; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dwight McNeil, Jacob Ramsey, Bruno Fernandes, Ivan Perisic and Dominic Solanke: Two</li>
<li>Assists &#8211; Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominic Solanke: Two</li>
<li>Expected assists (xA) &#8211; Bruno Fernandes: 1.09</li>
<li>FPL points &#8211; Diogo Jota, Ollie Watkins and Eberechi Eze: 16</li>
<li>Expected points (xPts) &#8211; Ollie Watkins: 10.38</li>
</ul>
<h3>Opta stats leaders for FPL Gameweek 31: Teams</h3>
<ul>
<li>Total shots &#8211; Brighton: 26</li>
<li>xG &#8211; Manchester United: 3.23</li>
<li>Highest expected goals conceded (xGC) &#8211; Nottingham Forest: 3.2</li>
<li>Lowest xGC &#8211; Brighton: 0.4</li>
<li>Most FPL points &#8211; Liverpool: 77</li>
</ul>
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FPL Gameweek 31 review: Alexander-Arnold’s positioning, Arteta on Saka penalty miss and key FPL stats

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