FPL tips: Everton produce best attacking and defensive performance of the season

Everton v Leeds United – Premier League – Goodison Park
(Image credit: Peter Byrne)

Everton’s 3-0 win against Leeds in gameweek 25 may well prove to be the turning point in their season.

Threat is a metric introduced by the FPL to measure the quality of the chances a player enjoys in front of goal, with a score of around 100 usually accounting for a goal’s worth of chances.

According to the metric, the Toffees produced their best attacking and defensive performance of the season last weekend.

A graphic showing the amount of Threat scored and allowed by Premier League teams in gameweek 25

With a Threat score of 299 to Leeds’ 63 in GW25, Frank Lampard’s team bucked the trend which has seen them slide to 16th in the Premier League.

Their score of 299 Threat was their best all season, while the amount of Threat they conceded was the lowest they have allowed all term as well.

It will come as no surprise then to learn that the 3-0 result was Everton’s biggest winning margin of the campaign.

The highest Threat scorer in the team on Saturday was midfielder Anthony Gordon, whose recent numbers may encourage a number of new backers.

Gordon registered 67 Threat against Leeds and returned 14 points thanks to a goal and an assist – which represents a quarter of his total for the season.

Everton’s Anthony Gordon during the Premier League match at Goodison Park, Liverpool. Picture date: Saturday February 12, 2022

Anthony Gordon (Peter Byrne/PA)

The 20-year-old also notched a brace as recently as GW21 – at £4.5m and just one per cent ownership, his potential as a differential is huge.

Elsewhere Michael Keane impressed with 13 FPL points after a goal and a clean sheet in GW25.

The Everton defender returned his first double figures points score to his managers on Saturday and now has two goals and two assists for the season.

At £4.8m and just 2.7 per cent ownership such a performance may well have turned a few heads, but many will want to see more in the way of clean sheets – Keane has just four this season.

Everton do boast more established FPL players – Demarai Gray has the biggest share of the team’s Threat this season with 555 but is a doubt for their next game with a hip injury.

Strikers Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison meanwhile are arguably the Toffees’ best players, but neither can boast an impressive run of form.

Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin prior to his penalty kick miss during the Premier League match at Goodison Park, Liverpool. Picture date: Sunday January 2, 2022

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Peter Byrne/PA)

The former has failed to score in the league since his return from injury some weeks back, while the latter has just one goal since GW15.

Everton’s win against Leeds was their first in the Premier League since December 6, while Lampard’s side face Southampton, Manchester City, Tottenham and Wolves next.

FPL managers will be keen to see if any of the club’s assets continue to impress as they did in GW25.