The best-value player in Fantasy, Cole Palmer (£5.9m), and Rodrigo Muniz (£4.7m) completed the top five transfer targets.
Palmer has produced eight double-figure hauls since making his first start for Chelsea in Gameweek 7, two more than any other player in Fantasy. The Blues entertain Manchester United on Thursday.
It was a disappointing evening for the 273,000+ Fantasy bosses who recruited Muniz as he failed to return despite having five shots in the box in Fulham’s 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest, the most of any player in Gameweek 31 so far.
Erling Haaland (£14.3m) is the top captain pick for Manchester City’s home match against Aston Villa, an increase of nearly 200,000 on the previous Gameweek, with Salah in second.
However managers will now be hoping their vice-captain will bring rewards after Haaland was named as an unused substitute in Man City’s success against Villa.
Son Heung-min (£10.1m) took third spot, handed the armband by more than 679,000 managers, but he was unable to add to his impressive tally of five double-digit hauls on the road, blanking in Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-1 draw at West Ham United.
It was an off night too for Dominic Solanke (£7.2m), who had only one shot in AFC Bournemouth’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, and failed to find the back of the net.
A home fixture versus Luton Town persuaded over 670,000 managers to entrust Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) with the captain’s armband. The England international is Arsenal’s top-scoring player in Fantasy, registering 181 points, 50 more than any team-mate.
He also added nine assists in that campaign, earning him a place in the PFA Team of the Year for the second time in three seasons.
Toure was reunited with Guardiola in the final two seasons of his City career and signed off in style, helping them to a record total of 100 points.
“You think back to the [Roberto] Mancini season in 2011/12 and he was up there with [Patrick] Vieira and [Roy] Keane, [Steven] Gerrard and [Frank] Lampard. He was a giant. He used to steam past everyone. He was so powerful, strong and had brilliant technique. At times he was unplayable.” – Phil Neville
“The way he has performed his entire career is impressive. He has had a lot of great games and won so many things here.” – Kevin De Bruyne
Did you know?
Toure’s 20 goals during 2013/14 was one of only two seasons in which a central midfielder has reached that mark in a single campaign – Frank Lampard the other in 2009/10.
During his time in the Premier League from 2010/11 to 2017/18, Toure attempted 15,745 passes, completing 13,995, both totals the most of any player in the competition.
Toure holds the record for the most penalty attempts without missing in the Premier League, scoring with all 11 of his spot-kicks.
Liverpool have an appealing home fixture versus bottom side Sheffield United on Thursday.
Salah continued his impressive home form with the winning goal against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend. He’s now blanked in only one of his 11 home starts, averaging 9.2 points per match over that run.
Harvey Barnes helped to tee up the record when the Newcastle United winger came off the bench on Saturday to score twice in the incredible 4-3 comeback win against West Ham United.
It took his tally to four goals as a substitute this season, the joint-most alongside Brighton & Hove Albion forward Joao Pedro and Manchester United’s Scott McTominay.
Barnes, Joao Pedro and McTominay are only halfway to the record for a player in a single Premier League season, after Adam Le Fondre hit EIGHT off the bench for Reading in 2012/13.
But the four assists from Leon Bailey and Brennan Johnson as substitutes have already matched the best ever tally for a campaign.
The two wingers have moved level with five other players, and will now battle it out over the remaining weeks of the season to set an outright record.
We are looking at the 15 nominees who have been shortlisted for the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2024.
The two players with the most combined votes from the fans and a Premier League Awards panel will enter the Hall of Fame. Fans can have their say by voting up until 12:00 BST on Monday 8 April.
Triple Premier League title-winner Toure was a colossal presence at the heart of Manchester City’s midfield in a trophy-laden eight-year spell.
Signed from a Barcelona team managed by Pep Guardiola in 2010, Toure combined driving runs, playmaking prowess and ruthless finishing to inspire three league triumphs.
Isak scored his 15th Premier League goal of the season in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Everton, the fifth consecutive home match in which he found the back of the net.
With Newcastle dealing with an injury crisis, the Swede will be vital as eighth-placed Newcastle aim to secure qualification for European football for next season.
Head coach Eddie Howe also hopes Isak’s future remains at Newcastle.
“He’s come to us at a really good time of his career where we can help him, develop his talents and give him a platform to show how good he is,” Howe said.
“He’s building in confidence all the time. He’s a high-level player and we’re delighted to have him with us.
“You have to try to keep your best players. Whether you’re able to do that continually with the rules that are in place at the moment, that’s always unsure.
“I’m not in control of that, but from my perspective, to be the team that we want to be we have to keep our best players and keep improving.”
Newcastle are next in action at Fulham on Saturday.
Substitutes are having more and more of an impact in the Premier League, to the extent that this season there has been a RECORD number of goals scored off the bench.
Justin Kluivert’s winner against Crystal Palace on Tuesday – which came just 15 minutes after his introduction – was the 133rd Premier League goal scored by a substitute this campaign.
Brentford have won only 28 points from their first 31 Premier League matches this season, their worst points tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1946/47 (also 28 points, assuming 3 points/win), which is the last time they were relegated from the top tier.
Brighton had 24 shots in this match without scoring – just the third time they have done so home and away in the competition.
Pascal Gross created seven chances and completed 118 passes for Brighton. It was the second time this season that he’s had 5+ chances created and 100+ passes in a Premier League match (also v Sheff Utd), with Cesc Fabregas in 2016/17 the last player to do that more than once in a single campaign (also twice).
Brighton made four changes to their line-up for this match, which means they have made 114 starting XI changes in the Premier League this season – the most of any side. In fact, it is more than the Seagulls made in any of their previous six campaigns in the competition.
Alexander Isak has committed his future to Newcastle United amid rumours surrounding the striker’s future.
Isak has been linked with a transfer away from St James’ Park, with title-chasing Arsenal reportedly one of the clubs interested in signing him in the summer.
But Isak says he “loves” Newcastle and suggests he has no immediate plans to leave.
“Of course I want to be here in the future,” he told inews.
“I came here for the project. I absolutely love playing here, I really feel at home. I want to finish this season in a good way for me and the team.”