Brobbey's hat-trick leads a 192-point XI, with creative midfielders and an assisting goalkeeper joining him.
Brian Brobbey scored three times at Manchester City and still left on the losing side. His fantasy managers had considerably more to celebrate: 28 TFF points, the biggest haul in a Gameweek 5 Perfect Line Up worth 192.0 points.
Eight clubs contribute to this week's XI. Sunderland supply three players despite conceding five, Villa's midfield makes its mark at Tottenham, and Carl Rushworth adds an assist to a clean sheet. It's a week where the scoreline and the fantasy return tell some very different stories.
Brobbey delivers, Sunderland still lose
City's 5–3 victory over Sunderland produced four members of this XI. Brobbey's treble came from five attempts, four on target. These were his first league goals of the season, taking him to 49 points overall. That changes the conversation after four goalless appearances, but the repeatable part is his involvement: five starts and 401 minutes. Antoine Semenyo answered with two goals and an assist for 17.5 points. He's played every minute of City's first five matches and now has two goals and three assists, giving managers evidence beyond this one extraordinary afternoon.
Enzo Le Fée's19 points came alongside an assist and five chances created. That's a sizeable jump: he had created three chances across the previous four Gameweeks. Nordi Mukiele's 14.5 needs a different reading. Four tackles, four interceptions and two chances created show how busy he was, but Sunderland conceded five. His place here shouldn't be mistaken for evidence of a dependable defence. Le Fée's starting role is established; sustaining this level of creativity is the next test.
Villa's midfield takes its chance
Aston Villa's 3–2 win at Tottenham bringsEmiliano Buendíaand Johan Manzambi into midfield. Buendía scored and supplied three chances, seven tackles and two interceptions on his way to 17 points. The defensive workload stands out because he had made only two tackles across his previous four appearances. Manzambi contributed a goal and an assist in 72 minutes for 15 points, adding four shots. It was his first league start of the campaign, so another place in the XI would tell managers more than immediately projecting this return across a full season.
Savinho joins them from the losing side with 17 points, despite recording neither a goal nor an assist. Three shots on target and four chances created explain the attacking involvement behind his selection. He now has nine chances created in 241 league minutes. That's worth monitoring, even with no attacking returns yet: opportunities are being produced, but managers still need those opportunities to turn into goals.
Tarkowski builds on a strong start
James Tarkowski's 20 points were the best defensive return in this XI. In Everton's 1–0 win over Ipswich, his effort was redirected into the net by Thierno Barry. The assist accompanied a clean sheet and four interceptions, taking Tarkowski to 69 season points, the highest total among this week's selected players.
There's more continuity here than in several of the attacking hauls. Tarkowski has completed all 450 minutes, with 11 tackles and 14 interceptions across five matches. A goal and an assist have helped, but the minutes and defensive activity give managers something more substantial to assess than one productive Saturday.
Rushworth and Schuster help at both ends
Rushworth earned 14 points as Coventry won 1–0 at Nottingham Forest. His long delivery set up Jay Dasilva's winner, while two saves accompanied the clean sheet. It's an excellent contribution from a goalkeeper, although the assist is a bonus managers should enjoy rather than expect. Coventry had conceded ten across their opening four matches, so this shutout is a welcome improvement that still needs backing up.
Jannik Schuster's 14.5 points also combined a clean sheet with an assist. He headed the ball across for Jaidon Anthony to open the scoring in Brentford's 3–0 win over Chelsea. With only two league starts and 253 minutes so far, his next team selection matters. The performance earns attention; a longer run of starts would strengthen the case.
Barnes supplies Newcastle's winners
Harvey Barnes completes the XI with 15.5 points after supplying both assists in Newcastle's 2–1 win over Hull. He also created three chances, matching his combined total from the first four Gameweeks. Five full matches and 450 minutes offer the clearest reassurance here. The creative output rose sharply this week, but his playing time already has consistency behind it.
Brobbey owns the headline, while Tarkowski offers the strongest season total within this selection. Assessing both the big return and the work behind it is what makes these weekly performances useful. See how TFF scoring works. Which of these players would you actually add?
