Aston Villa's Goalless Crisis Deepens as Bruno Fernandes Keeps Delivering - GW3 FPL Review

Round 3 delivered two contrasting storylines on September 6: Aston Villa somehow extended their goalless run to three straight Premier League games despite dominating possession against Hull City, while Bruno Fernandes prepares to chase a third consecutive standout performance in tonight's trip to Everton. Here's the full breakdown of both, plus a look at which players are proving genuinely consistent three rounds into the season.

Hull City 0-0 Aston Villa: Villa's Wastefulness Continues

Aston Villa dominated Sunday's draw at Hull City on every underlying metric except the one that matters most. Unai Emery's side had 74% possession, an xG of 1.93 to Hull's 0.57, and 13 shots to Hull's 11 - but managed just a single shot on target compared to Hull's four, extending their scoreless streak to three straight league games.

StatHull CityAston Villa
Possession26%74%
xG0.571.93
Total shots1113
Shots on target41
Big chances12
Touches in opp. box924
Pass accuracy167 (73%)624 (90%)

Per FotMob's match report, Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis was again the difference-maker, keeping his side's latest clean sheet with a 7.2 rating. Villa's summer signing Nicolas Jackson came on for the final 20 minutes but couldn't force the breakthrough his side desperately needed.

Three Games, Zero Goals: How Bad Is It?

Aston Villa have now gone three full Premier League matches without scoring a single goal, the clearest statistical crisis in the division right now. A 4-0 opening-day loss to Brighton, a battling 0-1 defeat to Arsenal, and Sunday's scoreless draw at Hull have combined for zero goals and just one point from a possible nine.

Aston Villa three-game goalless drought stats table showing zero shots on target in losses to Brighton and Arsenal plus a scoreless draw against Hull City

Three matches, zero goals scored - FotMob data

The most alarming detail is Villa's shot conversion: they had zero shots on target in both of their opening two losses, and even Sunday's improved attacking display against Hull only yielded one. With 5.29 combined xG across three games and just one converted shot on target, this looks less like bad luck and more like a genuine finishing crisis that new manager Emery will need to address before the international break.

Bruno Fernandes: Two Games, Career-Best Form

Bruno Fernandes has been the standout individual performer of the season so far, and tonight's trip to Everton is his chance to make it three strong displays in a row. After a quiet 7.5-rated outing in Manchester United's opening-day loss to Hull City, Fernandes exploded with a hat-trick and an assist in the 5-2 win over Ipswich Town, posting a 9.8 match rating and an xG of 2.02.

Bruno Fernandes back-to-back performance card showing his rating and goals from Manchester United's first two Premier League matches plus tonight's Everton fixture

Bruno Fernandes through two rounds, with tonight's Everton test ahead - FotMob/FPL data

Across the season so far, Fernandes is a joint league-leading scorer with 3 goals, tops the goal-involvement charts with 4, and sits 2nd in the league for average FotMob rating (8.63) - trailing only Brighton's breakout midfielder Jack Hinshelwood. According to Fantasy Football Scout's predicted lineups, he's confirmed to start again tonight in Manchester United's central attacking role, with Baleba, Amad Diallo and Ugarte all still missing for United.

Who Else Is Genuinely Consistent Three Rounds In?

Beyond Fernandes, a handful of players have separated themselves as reliably strong performers rather than one-match wonders. Liverpool's Cody Gakpo leads this group: he has been named Man of the Match twice in three appearances, on top of a league-leading 3 assists, making him arguably the most consistently influential player in the division right now.

PlayerTeamRatingMan of the MatchNote
Jack HinshelwoodBrighton9.011League's top-rated player
Bruno FernandesMan United8.631Joint top scorer, most G+A
Cole PalmerChelsea8.531Consistent for a top-4 side
Bukayo SakaArsenal8.431Key man for an unbeaten Arsenal
Cody GakpoLiverpool8.292Most MOTM awards in the league
Marc GuéhiCrystal Palace8.161Standing out despite team results

Konstantinos Tzolakis also deserves a mention outside the outfield rankings: his 8.03 average rating and repeated clean sheets have made Hull City's defense one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, a rare bright spot for a newly-promoted club.

FPL Angle

Bruno Fernandes remains the clearest premium captaincy option in the game given his current scoring and creating output, and tonight's Everton fixture - away at a side missing its own attacking spark following Iliman Ndiaye's departure - looks favorable on paper. Cody Gakpo is a strong differential pick given his 3 assists and two Man of the Match displays at a lower ownership than the biggest names. On the flip side, Aston Villa assets remain a hold-off for FPL purposes until the goals start coming; even new signing Nicolas Jackson has had only fringe minutes so far.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How many goals has Aston Villa scored in the Premier League this season?

Zero. Aston Villa have played three matches - losses to Brighton (4-0) and Arsenal (0-1), plus a scoreless draw at Hull City - without scoring a single goal.

Q2. Is Bruno Fernandes playing tonight against Everton?

Yes. Per Fantasy Football Scout's predicted lineups, Fernandes is confirmed to start in Manchester United's attacking midfield role for the away trip to Everton, kicking off at 22:00 local time.

Q3. Who is the most consistent performer in the Premier League so far this season?

Liverpool's Cody Gakpo has the strongest case, having been named Man of the Match in two of his three appearances while also leading the league in assists with three.

Q4. Why did Aston Villa fail to score despite dominating possession against Hull City?

Villa held 74% possession and generated 1.93 expected goals, but managed only one shot on target from 13 total attempts, continuing a season-long pattern of wasteful finishing.

Q5. Should Bruno Fernandes be an FPL captain option for Gameweek 3?

Yes. He is a joint league-leading scorer with 3 goals, has the league's most combined goals and assists with 4, and carries the 2nd-best average rating in the Premier League heading into tonight's away fixture at Everton.

Data sources: FotMob Premier League | Fantasy Football Scout (as of September 6, 2026)

Related reading: Manchester United 5-2 Ipswich: Bruno Fernandes Hat-Trick Review | Bottom 5 Reality Check: GW2 Stats Deep Dive

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