Fantasy Premier League: Haaland, Salah and Pascal Gross headline GW1 top scorers and team of the week

The big-hitting attackers hit the mark as the season got underway but some surprising names joined them as the most impactful on the FPL scene

The new 2022/23 Premier League season kicked off on Friday night and now every club has faced that first hurdle, with some sides faring rather better than others over the weekend.

Manchester United again suffered defeat to Brighton in what was Erik ten Hag’s first game in charge, while Liverpool surprisingly dropped points at newly promoted Fulham. But for reigning champions Manchester City it was straight back to business with a brace from new signing Erling Haaland, while Tottenham also showcased their credentials for the campaign with a brutal demolition of Southampton.

While as fans it’s always a case of wanting your own team to win, the nine million players involved in Fantasy Premier League this season gives every game during the campaign an additional edge of interest- so which players starred across the opening games?

A few of the usual faces have started fast including Mohamed Salah, Jorginho and the aforementioned Haaland - but those who opted for new Arsenal signing Oleksandr Zinchenko would be delighted with his competitive debut for the Gunners, as well as the 1.5% of team bosses who opted for Brighton’s matchwinner Pascal Gross.

Here are the top five performing players in each of the four positions in FPL, along with the overall team of the week according to the positions allocated to them in-game.

Goalkeepers

1. Edouard Mendy, Chelsea - 7 points

1. Ederson, Man City - 7

3. Aaron Ramsdale, Arsenal - 6

3. Mark Travers, Bournemouth - 6

3. Nick Pope, Newcastle - 6

Defenders

1. Fabian Schar, Newcastle - 15

2. Oleksandr Zinchenko, Man City - 12

2. Lloyd Kelly, Bournemouth - 12

4. Ben Chilwell, Chelsea - 9

4. Emerson Royal, Spurs - 9

(AFP via Getty Images)

Midfielders

1. Pascal Gross, Brighton - 15

2. Dejan Kulusevski, Spurs - 13

3. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool - 12

4. Jorginho, Chelsea - 11

5. Jefferson Lerma, Bournemouth - 10

5. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Leicester - 10

5. Daniel Podence, Wolves - 10

Forwards

1. Aleksandar Mitrovic, Fulham - 13

2. Erling Haaland, Man City - 13

3. Darwin Nunez, Liverpool - 9

4. Ivan Toney, Brentford - 8

5. Danny Welbeck, Brighton - 7

Team of the week

Mendy (Chelsea); Schar (Newcastle), Kelly (Bournemouth), Zinchenko (Arsenal); Gross (Brighton), Kulusevski (Spurs), Salah (Liverpool), Jorginho (Chelsea), Lerma (Bournemouth); Mitrovic (Fulham), Haaland (Man City).

Gameweek 2 deadline is at 11am BST on Saturday 13 August.