FantasyBet’s Unexpected Goals returns to look back on Gameweek 6. It’s the article that uses Fix’s underlying stats to discover who were the luckiest (and unluckiest) FPL assets in the gameweek just gone. 

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The luckiest goalscorer in Gameweek 6

Forget FIFA’s “The Best” - the luckiest goalscorer in Gameweek 6 is this week’s most sought-after footballing prize.

Unlike last gameweek, there were far fewer candidates this time around. The standout winner was Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is starting to become an all-too-familiar name around these parts. His rocketed shot from Salah’s set-piece lay-off was born out of a measly xG of just 0.05 for the match. 

On most other weeks, 0.05xG would be far too high to snatch the top prize. In Gameweek 6, however, it appears the goalscorers were all pretty deserving. A close second was N’Golo Kante’s solo effort in the same game. That came off the back of a match xG of just 0.09 for the Frenchman. It’s another tough pill to swallow for Liverpool defence owners.

The luckiest assist in Gameweek 6

Fortunate assisters are always far more plentiful than their goalscoring counterparts. That’s because of the mystical “FPL assist” - a category that, fortunately for me, Fix’s Stats Sandbox accounts for. 

First on the list is Joel Ward, who picked up an assist after forcing poor Leander Dendoncker (some say at gunpoint) to score an own goal. The Palace defender finished the game on a total of 0.00xA. Sheffield United’s Oliver Norwood also benefited from a Yerry Mina own goal off his corner, giving the midfielder an FPL assist from 0.00xA.

There are others, too. Otamendi was deemed by FPL to have nabbed an assist for Bernardo Silva against Watford, but replays showed the final touch actually came off a Watford defender. He too ended the game on 0.00xA but has an assist to show for it.

Hamza Choudhury is this week’s honorable mention. The Leicester substitute used his first touch of the game to play an innocuous pass to James Maddison, who did the rest with a 25-yard effort. Choudhury got 0.02xA for his troubles.

The unluckiest FPL players in Gameweek 6

As always, we finish this week’s article with a look at the unluckiest FPL players. These conclusions are drawn from Fix’s unique xFPL stat, which shows us how many FPL points any player should have rightfully gained. 

The unfortunate recipient of Gameweek 6’s title is, intriguingly, Manchester United’s Harry Maguire. He had an xFPL of 6.37 points but walked away with just a single point to his name. His 16.1% FPL ownership can certainly feel hard done by. 

Acknowledgment should also be given to Lucas Digne, Marcus Alonso, Seamus Coleman and Juan Mata. All had an xFPL of more than 5.25 and emerged without a return.