Gameweek 31 saw Man United pull away from their city rivals to confirm their intent on retaining the Premier League title. Bolton, Wigan and QPR also grabbed vital wins in the race to escape relegation.

{jathumbnail}

An intriguing subplot featured a rejuvenated Chelsea battering Aston Villa 4-2, with Fernando Torres finally starting to make his mark as a marquee signing.  

Chelsea’s Serbian stalwart Branislav Ivanovic supplied the standout performance of the weekend, with a brace all the way from the back. Less than two per cent of fantasy managers selected the defender during the week, a fair reflection on his less-than-impressive run of points hauls.

Even with a point deducted for conceding two goals, Ivanovic still amassed an MVP-winning total of 16 points.

Another notable name in the Dream team was Sunderland’s Sebastian Larsson. The 26-year-old Swede, a popular pick in midfield, rewarded managers with 15 points, thanks to a delicious double during their 3-3 draw with Man City.

Wigan’s Paraguayan centre back Antolin Alcaraz was the bargain of the week, yielding 14 points for the cost of just £4.3 million.  

A sense of inevitability swept over the PPP/CTN Fantasy League, with Gameweek 18 co-champion Nith Poch and her side Aston Memot topping the tables once again with a tally of 81 points.

Poch’s squad surprisingly included just one from the Dream team, Man United’s Antonio Valencia on 13 points, while a last-minute change of captain from the injured Man City striker Sergio Aguero to team-mate Mario Balotelli reaped rich rewards of 20 points. Poch collects another choice of an internet dongle or a US$20 phone voucher as well as a T-shirt from sponsors Cellcard.

Poch lingered two points of seven other managers, who finished the gameweek on 79 points, including runaway overall leader Brenda Wade with her team AV Cambodia.

The side that clinched the 2010 Fantasy League honours looks set to repeat her success again this year, unless the 67 points lead she currently enjoys is rapidly dispersed.

Make no mistake, Brenda is having a blinding season and currently has the 95th best fantasy team on the globe. Perhaps her secret to success lies on the pages of website fantasy leaguecheat.co.uk. AV Cambodia also heads the standings of their fantasy league.

But there’s still seven weeks left, so anything can happen.

On to this weekend’s action, and gameweek 32 promises the usual thrills and spills albeit on a highly unusual opening day. The transfer deadline is 10:30pm on Friday, yes Friday, with Sunday night’s colossal clash of Arsenal v Man City completing the carnage.