Shock results dominated the midweek slate, none more notable than Wolverhampton Wanderers’s last-gasp win over Liverpool. The round was less chaotic than the weekend, but several individual displays caught the eye of statisticians at FotMob.

Cole Palmer (Rating: 8.6) was central to Chelsea’s response in the Midlands. Chelsea had looked likely to suffer a fourth Premier League match without victory after conceding early at Aston Villa, but they recovered to secure a 4–1 win and capitalise on slips from Liverpool and Man Utd in the race for Champions League qualification. As he’s so often been at Chelsea’s best, Cole Palmer was integral to an important win in the Midlands. The attacking midfielder returned to the scoresheet as he rattled beyond Emi Martínez for his side’s third of the evening, a rare non-penalty goal these days, and his general play laid the foundations for an impressive attacking display.

Adam Wharton (Rating: 8.6) returned to form for Crystal Palace as the Eagles recorded a significant 3–1 away victory at London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Wharton offered a composed head amid a frenetic end to the first half, supplying two assists to complete Palace’s quick-fire comeback. The first was a simple pass to Jørgen Strand Larsen but the second was a sumptuous through ball poked home by two-goal Ismaïla Sarr.

James Garner (Rating: 8.7) continued a quietly excellent season in Everton’s midfield during their 2–0 win over Burnley. Garner’s set-piece quality provided the opening goal; a teasing free kick delivery to the far post led to James Tarkowski’s opener. He finished the game with more touches than anybody else on the pitch and a match-high 13 defensive contributions, underscoring how influential he has been in Everton’s engine room this campaign.

These three performances were among the brightest in Gameweek 29, each combining tangible statistical impact with decisive moments that helped their teams on the night.

All 20 Premier League clubs are reported to have satisfied Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) for the 2024–25 season, with a number of clubs using asset sales to parent companies to record revenue in their accounts.

Everton and Aston Villa are understood to have benefited from the sales of their women’s teams to parent companies, following Chelsea’s decision to do so in June 2024. Premier League rules permit the use of such sales when recording revenue, while UEFA does not allow them.

Aston Villa’s £55 million ($74.2 million) sale of their women’s team to their parent company is credited with helping the club avoid Premier League breaches. That transfer is not understood to have the same effect under UEFA’s financial regime. Unai Emery’s side are said to have broken UEFA’s squad cost rule, which restricts spending on player wages, transfers and agent fees to 70% of revenue.

Villa’s dispute with the squad cost rule has been ongoing. The club were fined £5.2 million last summer and another failure to meet UEFA requirements is expected to bring further financial punishment.

PSR regulations have become increasingly unpopular since their introduction in 2025, with the use of loopholes such as the sale of women’s teams and other club assets cited as factors that have eroded confidence in the system. As a result, Premier League officials are pursuing changes to the rules, with squad cost regulations among the areas under review.

England’s top flight will initially adopt a softer approach by restricting spending to 85% of revenue. Villa’s first breach of UEFA’s squad cost rule last summer occurred when the governing body’s limit was set at 80%. Discussions have also been held over a process known as “anchoring.” The reported accounts and the proposed reforms signal an active season of regulatory review and potential change within English top-flight governance.

Manchester United were without Lisandro Martínez for the visit to Everton after the centre back was ruled out with a suspected calf injury, according to The Athletic. Martínez had started the club’s previous 10 fixtures across all competitions after winning a long-running selection battle with Amorim and his subsequent successors.

The absence of Martínez follows a lengthy ACL layoff earlier in his career. Muscle problems after such extended recoveries are common and, per the same report, Martínez is expected to miss “one or two weeks.” Given the current gaps in the schedule, Michael Carrick will not be without his influential defender for long if that timetable holds.

That medical update forced changes to the matchday selection. United lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Senne Lammens in goal; Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw across the back four; Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo in midfield; Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha behind Bryan Mbeumo.

Substitutes named were Atlay Bayındır (GK), Ayden Heaven, Tyrell Malacia, Noussair Mazraoui, Jack Moorhouse, Manuel Ugarte, Tyler Fletcher, Joshua Zirkzee and Benjamin Šeško.

Martínez’s left-footed passing and the angles he creates from the left of the defence are highlighted as valuable to the side. His absence provides an opportunity for Leny Yoro, but it seems likely Harry Maguire will shift across to the left-hand side of the centre-back pairing in the short term. Maguire occupied that position earlier in his career, though Erik ten Hag previously expressed concerns: “The angles are not good for Harry if he is playing on the left side,” the Dutch boss fretted, “it’s difficult for him also defending in wide areas on his left foot but I think he is more capable on the right.”

Fixture notes list the immediate matches affected: Feb. 23 v Everton (A), March 1 v Crystal Palace (H), March 4 v Newcastle (A) and March 15 v Aston Villa (H).