With four gameweeks left, Gameweek 35 demands careful moves. Managers still chasing mini-league gains should prioritise reliable returns and inexpensive enablers that free funds for captains in the final stretch.

Goalkeepers: David Raya (£6.0m) remains the standout option among keepers after a 10-point haul last weekend and offers value alongside Arsenal’s defence. Fulham have blanked in four of their last six league games, making a home clean sheet plausible. At the other end of the budget spectrum, Karl Darlow (£3.9m) has accrued 24 points across his last five games and faces relegated Burnley at home, serving as a low-cost enabler. For managers planning ahead to double Gameweek 36, Dean Henderson (£5.1m) is an alternative given Crystal Palace’s two fixtures next round, despite a tricky away match with Bournemouth this Sunday.

Defenders: Gabriel (£7.2m) is a must, while Nico O’Reilly (£5.1m) has become increasingly attractive for managers preparing for City’s double in the next round; he has returned 27 points from his past three fixtures and faces low-scoring Everton away on Monday. Crystal Palace options include Jaydee Canvot (£4.5m) and Chris Richards (£4.4m) as budget routes into their backline, and Daniel Muñoz (£5.8m) offers more attacking upside after scoring in the defeat at Liverpool. Leeds defensive targets such as James Justin (£3.9m), Jayden Bogle (£4.4m) and Pascal Struijk (£4.3m) are also useful given a favourable fixture.

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (£10.4m) stands alone as the essential midfield pick; he is chasing the Premier League assist record for a single season and has delivered returns in each of his past seven matches, even ahead of Manchester United’s home game with Liverpool. Other options highlighted are Eberechi Eze (£7.2m), who made an impact after being brought off the bench in Europe, Rayan Cherki (£6.5m) with 23 points across his last three matches, Ismaïla Sarr (£6.3m) ahead of a double, Noah Okafor (£5.6m) despite a slight injury concern, and Enzo Fernández (£6.5m) under Calum McFarlane.

Forwards: Erling Haaland (£14.5m) is essential following recent goalscoring exploits. Support options include Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.7m), who could benefit from Burnley’s struggles after Scott Parker’s dismissal, and Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m), who has produced 24 points across his past two home games for West Ham ahead of a trip to Brentford.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin faced no sanction after an apparent hair contact on Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella during the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley. The incident, which occurred midway through the first half, showed downward contact from Calvert-Lewin’s hand to Cucurella’s long, curly hair. Cucurella immediately grabbed the back of his head.

Referee Jarred Gillett did not issue a decision at the time and the match was paused for VAR official Paul Howard to check the footage. Calvert-Lewin was cleared after the review. TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher, who had real-time access to the VAR process and conversation, relayed that the contact was from “the flat of the hand” rather than a clenched fist.

The episode invited comparison with an earlier case involving Lisandro Martínez. Only two days before the Chelsea–Leeds semi, a regulatory commission acting for the FA published written reasons for denying Martínez’s appeal against a red card and three-match ban. Interim Manchester United manager Michael Carrick called that decision at the time “one of the worst” he’s ever seen. The club had lodged an appeal arguing that Martínez was the victim of wrongful dismissal and that the ban was “excessive.”

The commission rejected the appeal. It said it did not feel “with any confidence” that the “force exerted” by Martínez on Calvert-Lewin’s hair/scalp was “negligible.” The panel took into account Calvert-Lewin’s reaction, which it said “suggested that he had felt a certain amount of force exerted upon his hair/scalp.” On that basis the commission concluded the VAR interpretation of the Martínez incident was “reasonable” and therefore not an “obvious error.” The match-day announcement that followed the Martínez review had been: “After review, Manchester United 6 is guilty of pulling his hair – violent conduct. Final decision is red card.”

The contrasting outcomes have left Manchester United fans unsettled and prompted wider questions about consistency in officiating in England. The draft also notes that a clear hair pull from Fulham’s Kenny Tete on Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo in February went unpunished.

Tottenham Hotspur’s first Premier League win of 2026 failed to pull them out of the relegation zone as West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United all collected points in midweek. Nottingham Forest demolished Sunderland 5–0 to record three wins from their last four, maintaining a five-point cushion over 18th-placed Spurs. Leeds remain focused on their FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea on Sunday, and Sean Longstaff’s 97th-minute equalizer against Bournemouth midweek kept their survival hopes alive.

Spurs sit on 34 points, West Ham on 36, Nottingham Forest on 39 and Leeds on 40. The final four fixtures carry heavy significance for each club.

Tottenham
– Aston Villa (A) – May 3
– Burnley (H) – May 1
– Chelsea (A) – May 4
– Everton (H) – May 24
Winning against Wolves was an obligation for Tottenham, but the weekend trip to Aston Villa is a far sterner test. A crucial home meeting with Leeds follows and then an away match at Stamford Bridge. Di Zerbi’s side conclude at home to Everton in a fixture described as likely to determine their fate.

West Ham
– Brentford (A) – May 2
– Arsenal (H) – May 10
– Newcastle (H) – May 10
– Leeds (H) – May 11
West Ham will take confidence from an agonizing win against Everton and seven points from their last three. Brentford, winless since February, present a winnable game, before a daunting home match with Arsenal and an away day at Newcastle. The season ends at the London Stadium against Leeds.

Nottingham Forest
Forest travel to Stamford Bridge next weekend, a match sandwiched by a Europa League semifinal tie against Aston Villa. They then host Newcastle before travelling to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the penultimate weekend. Forest will hope safety is secure by the time Bournemouth visit the City Ground in the final match.

Leeds United
Leeds aim to be FA Cup finalists by the time they host Championship-bound Burnley, a match that offers a valuable opportunity to collect three points and move closer to Premier League survival.