GW4 Review: Brighton Run Riot, Anfield Draws a Blank and the Bargains Get Paid

By Geomi George · Published 16 September 2026

Gameweek 4 was the week the template got punished and the bargains got paid. A 69-point average — the second-highest of the season — was built almost entirely by cheap defenders and mid-priced midfielders, while the derby, Anfield and a heap of premium midfielders delivered next to nothing. The top score was 151. Here is what happened, what it means, and what to carry into GW5.

The scores that mattered

The Team of the Week tells the story: Groß (17 — a goal, two assists and maximum bonus in Brighton's 5-0 at Coventry), Schade (15, two goals at Bournemouth), Bogle (15, goal and clean sheet in Leeds' 4-1 over Newcastle) and Raya (14, a clean sheet plus three bonus at Sunderland). Ipswich won 3-2 at Palace and put two of their own in the XI — Davis (14) and Emersonn (12). Of the eleven, only João Pedro and Raya are owned by more than a quarter of managers.

Brighton were the week's team: Groß, De Cuyper (11), Dunk (12) and Kostoulas (10) all hauled from one fixture. Everyone who took the "Coventry at home is a kind fixture" reading — us included — got that one exactly backwards.

Where the points went missing

• Two goalless draws. Liverpool 0-0 Fulham and Spurs 0-0 Everton took out a huge share of attacking ownership in one afternoon. Isak (2), Szoboszlai (3) and a 30-minute cameo for Gakpo (1) were the cost of backing Anfield.
• The derby was a Haaland game and nothing else. City won 1-0 at Old Trafford; Haaland scored it for 9 points (18 with the armband) and Gvardiol added an assist and bonus (11). Bruno Fernandes (2), Mbeumo (2) and Cherki — 45 minutes on the pitch for 1 — were the collateral.
• Newcastle collapsed at Leeds. Four conceded, Wissa on 2, Hall on 0 after a full 90, and Elanga now out with no return date. Newcastle assets were the round's most-sold before the games even started; that will accelerate.
• The Dubravka trap. Owned by nearly one manager in five, benched for Kinsky, zero points. A £4.0m keeper is only a bargain if he plays — check the team news line on the players page before you field one.

How our preview calls landed

We keep score, so here it is honestly. Our armband pointed to Anfield, and Liverpool drew 0-0 — the worst outcome on the board. Haaland, whom we called "safe by ownership, not by matchup", scored the derby winner. And the option we described as "a close call, not a snub", João Pedro, returned 12 against Hull in a 2-2. The lesson is one we wrote about in the captaincy guide and did not follow closely enough: when two captain options are close on projected points, the one with the higher ownership is the better risk-adjusted pick, because a blank hurts you far less when everyone else blanks too.

The rest held up better. We told Hull-defence owners to bench rather than sell for the Chelsea trip: Ajayi, Mendy and Egan scored 1, 1 and 2, and they have Newcastle away next, so the "don't panic" half of that advice still stands. Among the differentials, Bogle (3.4% owned) delivered 15 and is now the season's top scorer on 37 points at £4.5m, and Tavernier scored again for 8 and rose in price. Scott's 4 was the miss. Overall the backtested Best XI scored 70 — one above the average, which is fine, and would have been far better with the right captain.

The market has already moved

Managers acted fast. Rogers was the round's most-bought player (over 400,000 transfers in), followed by Groß, Gvardiol, Gibbs-White, Schade, De Cuyper and Belloumi — every one of them rose £0.1m overnight, as did João Pedro and Tarkowski. Going the other way: Szoboszlai and Elanga each lost more than a quarter of a million owners, with Cherki, Shaw, Bruno, Tzolis, Pedro Porro and Isak close behind. If you are planning to sell any of those, the price predictor will tell you whether to do it tonight or whether it can wait for the press conferences.

Injuries to watch

• Elanga (NEW) — out, unknown return date. Move him on.
• Shaw (MUN), Pedro Porro (TOT), Cash (AVL) — all listed at 75%. Wait for Friday's team news before selling; do not start them blind.
• Mateta (CRY) — injured and already falling in price; Palace's attack is off the table for now.

Looking ahead to GW5

The deadline is Friday evening, because Brentford v Chelsea kicks off the round on Friday night — earlier than a normal week, and the second early deadline in a row. The fixture list is generous to the big sides: Haaland hosts Sunderland, and Everton (v Ipswich), Newcastle (v Hull) and Forest (v Coventry) join City with difficulty-2 home games. Brighton v Arsenal and Bournemouth v Liverpool are the two that could go either way. Our Best XI has already rebuilt around it — Gvardiol, Guéhi, Gibbs-White and Mykolenko in; Palmer, Rogers, Gakpo and De Cuyper out — and the full GW5 preview follows later this week.

Before then: check your mini-league table, where the GW4 tab now settles ties on captain and vice-captain points, and run your squad through the team analyzer for the transfers that actually gain you points rather than just chasing last week's haul.