FPL
The £4.5m Full-Back Who Outscored Every Attacker on the Pitch
13 September 2026
A £4.5m full-back just outscored every attacker on the pitch. Mykolenko hauled 11 in a goalless draw, Tarkowski and Van Hecke weren't far behind, and Spurs' expensive front line got outdone by a defensive scrap. In this guide: how five defenders cleared six points each from a 0-0, and whether Spurs' attack is still worth trusting before Villa at home.
- Mykolenko: 11 points, three bonus and a clean sheet at £4.5m. Absolute steal.
- Tarkowski and Van Hecke: 8 points each. Two more clean-sheet defenders cashing in.
- Spurs had 62% possession and 407 opposition-half passes; Everton had the better chances anyway.
- Solanke and Marmoush combined for four points. Quiet week, moving on.
- Next: Spurs host Villa, Everton host Ipswich. Both fixtures look kinder for goals than this one did.
A goalless draw with five defenders on six points or more
No goals, one card worth mentioning (De Zerbi booked from the touchline in the 88th), and five defenders across both sides finishing on six points or better. Mykolenko's eleven points, built on three bonus, was the standout individual return of the day at a price that should interest anyone light on budget options.
Tarkowski and Van Hecke both returned eight from opposite ends of the pitch, while Kinsky and Robertson picked up seven apiece for Spurs. The clean sheet did all the talking in FPL terms here, not the attack.
Tottenham's starting XI: expected points v actual points
| Player | xPts | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsky, top three expected points pick | 3.84 | 7 | +3.2 |
| Van Hecke, top three expected points pick | 3.72 | 8 | +4.3 |
| Robertson | 3.49 | 7 | +3.5 |
| Van de Ven, top three expected points pick | 3.69 | 6 | +2.3 |
| Sávio | 1.07 | 3 | +1.9 |
| Tonali | 3.16 | 3 | -0.2 |
| Bentancur | 3.22 | 3 | -0.2 |
| Gray | 2.50 | 3 | +0.5 |
| Fernandes | 2.47 | 3 | +0.5 |
| Marmoush | 3.66 | 2 | -1.7 |
| Solanke | 0.86 | 2 | +1.1 |
Top three xPts picks, including ties. xPts = expected points; +/- = actual minus expected. Green: 1.5+ above. Red: 1.5+ below. Otherwise neutral.
Everton's starting XI: expected points v actual points
| Player | xPts | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickford | 3.21 | 6 | +2.8 |
| Tarkowski, top three expected points pick | 3.50 | 8 | +4.5 |
| Mykolenko | 2.96 | 11 | +8 |
| Maitland-Niles | 0.18 | 6 | +5.8 |
| Garner | 2.28 | 4 | +1.7 |
| Johnson | 1.53 | 3 | +1.5 |
| George | 3.49 | 3 | -0.5 |
| Armstrong | 2.96 | 3 | 0 |
| Dewsbury-Hall, top three expected points pick | 4.03 | 2 | -2 |
| Barry, top three expected points pick | 3.79 | 2 | -1.8 |
Top three xPts picks, including ties. xPts = expected points; +/- = actual minus expected. Green: 1.5+ above. Red: 1.5+ below. Otherwise neutral.
Solanke's 0.86 expected points against a £5.9m price tag is a quiet warning sign — barely in the game before making way after 62 minutes. Marmoush's gap, 3.66 expected against a two-point return, is more forgivable, the kind of underperformance that fixes itself without needing a transfer.
Spurs had the ball. Everton had the better chances
Everton out-xG'd Spurs with 38% of the ball and 39 fewer touches in the box. All that territory bought Spurs nothing where it mattered; 599 passes moving the ball around without breaking Everton down. Worth remembering before backing Spurs' attack again purely on possession stats.
0.69 xG on target for Spurs: the final ball was missing, not the plan
Eight of Spurs' fourteen shots got blocked, and their xG on target of 0.25 is the lowest figure of any team across the whole Saturday round. Everton's back line, Tarkowski and Mykolenko leading it, made Spurs' possession largely irrelevant. That's a defence worth another look before writing off Everton's away form.
Villa and Ipswich: the GW5 direction for both sides
| Player | Price | Expected points | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsky | £4.5m | 3.91 | Aston Villa (H) |
| Van Hecke | £4.9m | 3.78 | Aston Villa (H) |
| Robertson | £4.4m | 3.54 | Aston Villa (H) |
| Tarkowski | £6.0m | 4.78 | Ipswich (H) |
| Mykolenko | £4.5m | 4.09 | Ipswich (H) |
Tarkowski and Mykolenko both project higher for GW5 than they returned this week, with Ipswich's leaky defence at home a promising follow-up. Spurs host a Villa side that just shipped 22 shots to Forest, which should suit their attackers far more than this fixture did — don't judge Spurs' front line off one blank against a well-drilled Everton back line.
