Fantasy Premier League GW30 reaction: Martinelli shows his magic but James jaded

Gameweek 30 of the Premier League season saw some crucial fixtures with teams at the top and bottom of the table jostling for important points.

Manchester City closed the gap to Arsenal while third-placed Newcastle fought back to beat Brentford and Chelsea's struggles continued at Wolves.

We take a look at the best and worst fantasy performers across two days of thrilling action.

Gameweek 30 top performers

Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)

The Gunners stormed into a 2-0 lead at Liverpool on Sunday and it was Gabriel Martinelli who grabbed the opener before providing an assist for his Brazilian team-mate Gabriel Jesus.

His 13-point return will please 38.1% of fantasy fanatics as well as boss Mikel Arteta who could not hide his emotions as the North Londoners raced into a first-half advantage.

The league leaders were ultimately held to a 2-2 draw but a short trip to West Ham next weekend gives Arteta's men an opportunity to rectify their errors.

Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Pep Guardiola's goalscoring machine was at it again as City ran riot at Southampton.

Two of the four goals scored by the away side came courtesy of Erling Haaland who produced a spectacular overhead kick to earn himself 12 fantasy points.

There is no doubt that the Norwegian will add to his Premier League tally of 30 in the coming weeks and Leicester will need to be perfect in defence if they are to keep him at bay in GW31.

Nick Pope (Newcastle)

England stopper Nick Pope returned 11 points to become the weekend's highest-scoring goalkeeper after keeping out an Ivan Toney penalty at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The 30-year-old continued his fine form for the Magpies who boast the league's best defence — conceding only 21 times in 2022-23.

Next up for Eddie Howe's outfit is a trip to Aston Villa, who are unbeaten in their last seven matches under Unai Emery.

Gameweek 30 worst performers

Reece James (Chelsea)

Chelsea's miseries mounted at the hands of Wolves on Saturday as a Matheus Nunes wonder strike condemned the Blues to another defeat.

Reece James did not do much to encourage the 12.6% of players who put their faith in the Englishman, scoring just two points in the Midlands.

Things do not get much easier for Frank Lampard's side who host Brighton in the upcoming round of fixtures.

Ben Mee (Brentford)

It was a day to forget for Brentford who gave up a 1-0 lead at home to Newcastle to dampen their hopes of qualifying for Europe for the first time.

Ben Mee was at the heart of the defence and picked up just one point for the second time in three weeks for the Bees.

A trip to Wolves provides the perfect opportunity for Thomas Frank's team to bounce back and keep in touch with the sides above them.

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Arsenal may have left Merseyside with a draw but it was a quiet day at the office for Bukayo Saka.

The 26-cap England international earned 41% of fantasy players just one point for the second week in a row.

Saka has been a vital player for the Gunners this season but his heavy workload may finally be taking a toll as we enter the final weeks of the campaign.