Gameweek 16 of the 2023-24 season concluded on Sunday with a whopping 15 goals scored on that day alone and 27 goals scored over the course of the entire gameweek. We also saw five clubs successfully keep a clean sheet. With that in mind, let’s dive into all the action that took place and the key points.
Liverpool found themselves right up against it in the opening fixture in Gameweek 16 as they fell behind away at Crystal Palace through a Jean-Philippe Mateta (£4.9m) penalty. But the Reds took full advantage of Palace being reduced to ten-men, Mohamed Salah (£13.2m) equalising before Harvey Elliott (£4.8m) struck a fabulous winner to seal all three points and take Liverpool top of the Premier League.
The shock result of the gameweek came in the afternoon however, as Bournemouth shocked Man Utd at Old Trafford. The Cherries dominated Erik ten Hag’s side and fully deserved their victory. Dominic Solanke (£6.6m) netted his eighth league goal of the campaign, whilst Philip Billing (£5.2m) was also on the scoresheet. Defender Marcos Senesi (£4.4m) completed the rout with his second goal in as many gameweeks.
Brighton and Burnley plus Wolves and Nottingham Forest each played out 1-1 draws, Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford (£4.5m) drawing special praise for his performance against the Seagulls which saw him record ten saves. For Wolves, Matheus Cunha (£5.7m) has quietly racked up an attacking return in each of the last five gameweeks after scoring vs Forest.
Sheffield Utd secured a vital 1-0 victory over Brentford, their first triumph under Chris Wilder since his return to the club. The evening kick-off saw another huge result in the context of the Premier League table, as Aston Villa backed up their win over Man City in midweek by beating Arsenal, again by a single goal. John McGinn (£5.5m) struck the winner which took Villa to third-place.
Sunday was a happy one for Fulham, who picked up their second consecutive 5-0 victory of the week, this time thrashing West Ham. They weren’t the only home winners, as Everton picked up another huge three points, overcoming Chelsea 2-0 in what was their third consecutive clean sheet, a huge feather in the cap of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (£4.4m) and defender James Tarkowski (£4.4m).
Man City travelled to Kenilworth Road on the back having not won in four Premier League fixtures and pressure on their shoulders. It got worse for the champions as Luton took the lead through Elijah Adebayo (£4.8m). However, Pep Guardiola’s side rallied and turned things around through Bernardo Silva (£6.4m) and Jack Grealish (£7.2m), picking up a crucial three points on the road to stay within distance of the summit.
The final fixture of Gameweek 16 saw Spurs make a big statement in North London, dominating Newcastle and ending 4-1 winners in a resounding display. Heung-Min Son (£9.6m) punished those FPL managers who sold him due to his questionable injury status ahead of the match, gaining two assists and a goal from the penalty spot. Richarlison (£6.6m) bagged a brace on his return to the starting line-up, whilst full-back Destiny Udogie (£4.8m) also got in on the act.
