There were mixed fortunes for the 10 most-bought players in Gameweek 36 of Fantasy Premier League as Kevin Schade (£5.2m) and Josko Gvardiol (£6.4m) outscored their more popular team-mates.
Kevin De Bruyne (£9.6m) was the No 1 transfer target, transferred in by more than 770,000 managers for Manchester City's appealing trip to Southampton attracted by the Belgian's two double-figures hauls in his previous four appearances. But De Bruyne was unable to continue his good form as the match finished 0-0.
The goalless draw benefitted those who snapped up defender Gvardiol, who recorded his fifth shutout in seven Gameweeks.
There were also encouraging signs at the other end of the pitch as the Croat benefitted from a switch to full-back following Manuel Akanji's (£5.3m) return to the Man City back line.
The tactical change saw Gvardiol register eight touches in the opposition penalty area, his highest total since Gameweek 18, and allowed him to have two shots in the box.
The stats also offer some comfort to De Bruyne's new owners, despite the blank. Their new signing had five shots and created four chances, both match-high totals.
GW36 most-bought players
| Player | Bought by | Pts |
| De Bruyne | 770,732 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Wissa | 656,804 | 1 |
| Mbeumo | 533,942 | 6 |
| Gvardiol | 458,422 | 6 |
| Wood | 451,998 | 8 |
| Elanga | 304,481 | 7 |
| Cunha | 281,178 | 0 |
| Ait-Nouri | 223,592 | 1 |
| Schade | 208,505 | 11 |
| Sels | 188,859 | 2 |
Hopes were high ahead of Brentford's game at Ipswich Town, with Bryan Mbeumo (£8.2m) and Yoane Wissa (£6.8m) the second and third most-bought players respectively.
Mbeumo supplied an assist as the visitors emerged 1-0 winners, which will feel a little disappointing considering his two goals and 15 points in the reverse fixture. But he at least fared better than Wissa, who was yellow-carded and mustered just a single point, his first blank in five outings.
The real winners, however, were those who moved for Schade, with the German registering double digits for the second successive match. Schade scored and received maximum bonus for an 11-point haul.
Elsewhere, it was a day to forget for Wolverhampton Wanderers' duo Matheus Cunha (£7.1m) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£5.1m).
Wolves lost 2-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion with the pair combining for a grand total of one point. Cunha was subbed off before the 60th minute after picking up a yellow card, while Ait-Nouri lost a point for conceding two goals.
Despite Nottingham Forest's late setback against Leicester City, both Chris Wood (£7.1m) and Anthony Elanga (£5.5m) delivered for Fantasy managers.
Wood scored his 20th goal of a stellar season and got two bonus points with Elanga, who assisted Morgan Gibbs-White's (£6.4m) first half goal.
Although Leicester had failed to score in five of their last six away games, there was disappointment for the 180,000+ Fantasy managers who brought in Matz Sels (£5.2m) for a clean sheet.
GW35 most-sold players
| Player | Sold by | Pts |
| Mateta | 374,193 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Saka | 351,829 | 2 |
| Marmoush | 331,866 | 1 |
| Isak | 331,057 | 2 |
| Salah | 314,559 | 2 |
He may have recorded more points in a single campaign than any other player in the history of Fantasy, but Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) is the fifth most-sold player for Gameweek 36 and those sellers were justified.
The Egyptian has averaged just 3.7 points per match (ppm) since Gameweek 30, having returned over 10.6ppm across the rest of the season. And Salah blanked for the third time in four Gameweeks at home to Arsenal.
Fellow premium-priced midfielder Bukayo Saka (£10.3m) also blanked at Anfield. Six consecutive blanks have caused managers to feel their money could be better invested elsewhere.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) has failed to recapture the form he showed before his injury in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, scoring just twice in seven appearances compared to nine attacking returns in his eight matches before Gameweek 28.
The Frenchman, who was the most-sold player ahead of GW36, blanked for the fifth time in six Gameweeks. Furthermore, Mateta was substituted before the 60th minute against Tottenham Hotspur to return just a single point.
Alexander Isak (£9.6m) and Omar Marmoush (£7.6m) were also shipped out in large numbers as Fantasy managers reorganised their front lines.
Marmoush was unable to take full advantage of the injury to positional-rival Erling Haaland (£14.8m), with no goals in three outings.
With Haaland named in the starting XI for the first time since Blank Gameweek 29 (BGW29), the security of starts Marmoush enjoyed in the Norwegian's absence is gone.
He was restricted to a cameo appearance off the bench and one point in the draw with Southampton as he missed a late chance.
Isak suffered a drop in ownership and failed to find the net in Newcastle's 2-0 win against Chelsea for for his first home blank in five matches. The Magpies visit Arsenal next weekend.
