FPL
21 Shots, Five Scorers: Groß's 17 Points Headline a Rout
15 September 2026
Coventry are still bottom, still without a goal, still without a point after four games, and this was the week it finally got embarrassing. Twenty-one shots in the first half alone, five different Brighton names on the scoresheet, and a red card for good measure. Groß and De Cuyper's owners had a lovely afternoon. I just wouldn't go rushing out to buy either of them off the back of it.
- Groß scored a penalty, set up two more and finished with 17 points, the best individual return of the whole gameweek.
- De Cuyper chipped in with an assist, a clean sheet and two bonus for 11 points, despite barely touching the ball in dangerous areas himself.
- Kostoulas, Yalcouyé, Dunk and Ayari all got on the scoresheet too, so this wasn't a one-man show.
- Awoniyi was sent off in the 53rd minute for an elbow on De Cuyper, and Coventry finished with ten men, no goals and still no points from four games.
- Brighton host Arsenal next, which is a completely different proposition to what they just faced.
How lucky were Groß and De Cuyper, really?
De Cuyper's assist came from 0.04 expected assists on the day. Groß's two assists came from a combined 0.19. Add it up and that's three genuine assists between the pair of them from about 0.23 expected — nobody does that every week. The penalty pads Groß's own numbers nicely, sure, but two assists from 0.19 xA tells you Coventry's back line was just wide open, not that Brighton's midfield suddenly discovered some new level.
I'm not saying sell either of them off one game. But a ten-man Coventry side that's shipped 21 first-half shots isn't a fixture you're likely to see repeated, and Arsenal away — sorry, Arsenal at home for Brighton, my mistake — is up next. Price that in before you spend a transfer chasing this scoreline.
Brighton's starting XI: expected points v actual points
| Player | xPts | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbruggen | 3.98 | 8 | +4 |
| Kadıoğlu | 2.90 | 6 | +3.1 |
| Vušković, top three expected points pick | 4.29 | 6 | +1.7 |
| Dunk | 3.80 | 12 | +8.2 |
| Boscagli | 3.71 | 6 | +2.3 |
| Groß, top three expected points pick | 4.05 | 17 | +13 |
| Ayari | 2.67 | 8 | +5.3 |
| Gómez | 4.03 | 3 | -1 |
| Yalcouyé | 3.14 | 8 | +4.9 |
| De Cuyper, top three expected points pick | 4.56 | 11 | +6.4 |
| Kostoulas | 3.79 | 10 | +6.2 |
Top three xPts picks, including ties. xPts = expected points; +/- = actual minus expected. Green: 1.5+ above. Red: 1.5+ below. Otherwise neutral.
Coventry's starting XI: expected points v actual points
| Player | xPts | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rushworth, top three expected points pick | 3.08 | 0 | -3.1 |
| Amenda | 2.74 | 0 | -2.7 |
| Thomas, top three expected points pick | 3.24 | 0 | -3.2 |
| Pinnock | 1.16 | 2 | +0.8 |
| van Ewijk | 2.94 | 0 | -2.9 |
| Onyeka | 2.19 | 2 | -0.2 |
| Grimes | 3.01 | 2 | -1 |
| Dasilva | 2.88 | 0 | -2.9 |
| Rudoni | 2.46 | 2 | -0.5 |
| Awoniyi, top three expected points pick | 3.29 | -2 | -5.3 |
| Mason-Clark | 2.03 | 1 | -1 |
Top three xPts picks, including ties. xPts = expected points; +/- = actual minus expected. Green: 1.5+ above. Red: 1.5+ below. Otherwise neutral.
Rushworth, Amenda, van Ewijk and Dasilva all finished on zero. Awoniyi's elbow on De Cuyper got him sent off with the score still goalless, and from there it was only ever going one way. Frank Lampard's side remain the only team in the league without a single point this season.
It wasn't actually one-sided until the sending off
Coventry actually out-touched Brighton in the box, 29 to 26, and had their own moments before Verbruggen shut things down — a smart low stop from Rudoni and a strong save from Onyeka kept it level inside the first half hour. Kostoulas finally broke through in the 35th minute. Once Awoniyi walked in the 53rd, it turned into batting practice: Yalcouyé, Groß's penalty, a 25-yard screamer from Dunk, and Ayari's fifth deep into stoppage time. Brighton's 70% possession and 2.81 expected goals tell you where the balance really sat, even if the first half looked closer than that.
GW5: Brighton host Arsenal
| Player | Price | Expected points | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groß | £5.6m | 3.25 | Arsenal (H) |
| Verbruggen | £4.5m | 3.08 | Arsenal (H) |
| Kostoulas | £5.5m | 3.09 | Arsenal (H) |
| De Cuyper | £4.8m | 3.20 | Arsenal (H) |
| Boscagli | £4.5m | 2.66 | Arsenal (H) |
| Yalcouyé | £4.5m | 2.64 | Arsenal (H) |
| Ayari | £5.4m | 2.26 | Arsenal (H) |
Every projection drops the moment Arsenal replace Coventry on the fixture list. De Cuyper goes from 4.56 to 3.20, Groß from 4.05 to 3.25. It's not all bad news beyond that: Sunderland away, then Crystal Palace at home, then Liverpool away closes out the run, and there's a decent week buried in the middle of that. Just don't mistake five points scored against a team with no points of their own for a repeatable pattern against Arsenal's back line.
