- There were six matches on the schedule for Saturday, yet only three saw usage.
- We start off with the one outlier among the six selections. Andrew picked Burnley's Ashley Westwood as the Clarets took on Norwich City. The Canaries have been prime targets for quality match ratings against and that trend continued here. But, to make a long story short this game was brutal. There were more yellow cards then shots on target. Westwood escaping that flurry of cautions and having a sparkling long ball completion percentage of 71% earned him a 7.3.
- Chelsea backers had images of 8's and 9's dancing through their head as a weak Southampton set up their shaky 4-4-2 against arguably the highest octane offense in the Premier League. Well, maybe if we picked the right people those mental images would have become realities.
- Current leader Scott's pick, Romelu Lukaku, was unable to put either of his two shots on frame and struggled to keep possession against a team that has been incapable of hounding big strikers in 2021. His 6.9 feels like a gift.
- His closest competitors, Ryan and Trevor, didn't fare that much better with their selections. Ryan's pick Jorginho (6.7) was a late demotion to the bench but he eventually came on in the 73rd minute for the man who replaced him and proceeded to make zero significant contributions. Thiago Silva (7.0) saw two of his defensive teammates score and got Chelsea's only yellow card. His 89% passing out of the back is the only thing that presumably saved him from sinking into the 6's.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have been a popular side for the Pick One lately with many fixtures on light days as well as that oh so popular late match on the weekends. They produced again today to help out the two low men in the Pick One table.
- Greg got a rare 90 minute performance from Adam Lallana who turned back the clock with a box-to-box display reminiscent of his Southampton days en route to a 7.0 rating.
- But top score for the second straight matchday went to Matt, this time by his lonesome with his Seagull. His pick from last time out, Marc Cucurella, would have been the best Brighton pick with a 7.7 but I'm sure a 7.5 from Leandro Trossard will be an enjoyed boost nonetheless seeing the wreckage in front of him.
- Optimal pick for the day would have been Wolverhampton's Hee-Chan Hwang whose 8.5 came with the efficient resume of 2 goals on 2 shots on 2 successful dribbles in a 2-1 win against Newcastle.
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