When Junior Kroupi (£4.5m) scored the opening goal of AC Bournemouth's thrilling 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday, owners of Antoine Semenyo (£8.0m) may have hoped for a Fantasy assist.
When Justin Kluivert £7.0m) delivered the corner into the box, the ball seemed to hit Semenyo on the back before dropping to the far post, where Kroupi finished at point-blank range.
However, a Fantasy assist was NOT awarded.
This is because Semenyo's touch was judged to be an "inadvertent touch", and because the ball then hit the arm of Palace defender Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m) on its way to Kroupi.
In the rules of Fantasy Premier League, under the section that covers "Touches", it says: "For an inadvertent touch to count as an assist, it must lead directly to the goal scoring opportunity."
The word "directly" is crucial here. It means the ball must go straight to the goalscorer without getting another touch. So, in this instance, the touch off Lacroix's arm ruled out the Fantasy assist.
Watch Bournemouth's first goal v Palace
Here, The Scout answers some key questions.
Why was Semenyo’s touch recorded as an "inadvertent touch"?
Semenyo made contact with the ball with his back, and the point of contact was judged to be unintentional. Stats Perform therefore recorded the event as an inadvertent touch, and not a shot attempt or a pass attempt.
But inadvertent touches CAN lead to assists, can't they?
Yes - an inadvertent touch can lead to an assist, but only if it goes directly to the goalscorer. In other words, as per the Assist rules, it must be the final touch before the goal is scored. This rule did not change ahead of the 2025/26 season.
So this wasn’t the case with Bournemouth’s first goal?
Correct. In this instance, Semenyo’s touch deflected off Lacroix before the ball eventually fell to Kroupi, who scored at the far post. Because of the additional defensive touch, the initial inadvertent touch did not qualify as an assist.
Why was Semenyo awarded an assist for Bournemouth's SECOND goal?
Semenyo’s assist for Bournemouth’s second goal is valid because his contribution was a clear pass attempt. His cross was partially cleared by Marc Guehi (£4.9m), but the ball then fell to Kroupi, who scored. Under the new assist rules introduced ahead of this season, an assist is awarded when a goalscorer receives the ball inside the penalty area after a single defensive touch.
Watch Bournemouth's second goal v Palace
So the new assist rules for defensive touches only apply when the action before the goal is a pass or shot attempt?
Exactly. Intentional attacking actions such as passes (including crosses and flick-ons) or shots can lead to assists even if a single defensive touch occurs before the goal is scored. But the rules for inadvertent touches remained unchanged for the 2025/26 season: they must lead directly to a goal, without any defensive intervention. This ensures that assists reward deliberate, positive attacking actions rather than accidental touches with no clear intent to find a team-mate or threaten the opposition’s goal.