MANCHESTER CITY were given a scare by Southampton at Wembley on Saturday but ultimately prevailed to reach yet another FA Cup final.
Nico Gonzalez’s (£2.6m) magnificent strike proved to be the worthy winner but Jeremy Doku (£4.5m) was the standout performer from a Dream Team perspective.
Doku made an impact at Wembley Credit: PA
With the score at 0-0, the Belgium international came off the bench around the hour-mark as Pep Guardiola felt the need for reinforcements against a Championship outfit who seem well prepared for a return to the top flight — Saints will make the play-offs at the very least.
Doku drew his side level with a deflected effort just two minutes after Finn Azaz has put the underdogs ahead with a superb curled effort.
And though his simple ten-yard pass back infield to Gonzalez wasn’t a determining factor in the winning goal, it counts as an assist all the same.
Strangely, the 23-year-old’s two goal involvements were not the most notable aspects of his sensationally efficient 17-point haul.
Despite playing just over half an hour, Doku banked FIVE bonus points, the most available for a single fixture.
A full-back’s nightmare Credit: EPA
Earning maximum bonus points is relatively rare among players who complete the full 90+ minutes and so for an asset to achieve it in approximately a third of the time is worthy of attention.
As a reminder, players have to earn 12 player performance marks (PPM) to pocket five bonus points — Doku registered 16!
DOKU’S HALF-HOUR MASTERCLASS
- 1 goal from outside the area +1 PPM
- 2 fouls won +2 PPM
- 85% pass completion rate +2 PPM
- 11 successful dribbles +11 PPM
That last statistic is the headline.
11 successful dribbles in 32 minutes puts even peak Neymar to shame.
No player earned more points than Doku over the weekend Credit: AP
In fact, Doku is in a league of his own when it comes to dribbling in the world of Dream Team.
MOST SUCCESSFUL DRIBBLES THIS SEASON
- 133 – Jeremy Doku
- 71 – Pedro Neto
- 70 – Rayan Cherki
- 67 – Hugo Ekitike
- 64 – Iliman Ndiaye
- 63 – Mohammed Kudus
- 63 – Yankuba Minteh
- 62 – Elliot Anderson
Man City’s No11 has amassed 61 bonus points in total, only Lewis Hall (£3.9m) has more to his name (64) at this stage.
Doku also ranks joint-second overall for assists with 16, alongside team-mate Rayan Cherki (£5.2m).
His current ownership of 8% appears rather low and surely a fair few Dream Team managers will be tempted to recruit him for the final stretch?
Guardiola is targeting a domestic treble Credit: Getty
Having qualified for the FA Cup final, Man City will now fulfil two fixtures in Gameweek 36.
And they still have a postponed Premier League game against Crystal Palace to squeeze in at some stage, which will inevitably create another double Gameweek to target.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
