Joao Pedro leapfrogs Erling Haaland in Dream Team rankings to reach double century of points with FA Cup hat-trick

WE’VE written about Joao Pedro (£3.8m) a lot in recent weeks but if ever there was a time to underline his name it’s now.

Brighton’s No9 was the second-most transferred-in player for Gameweek 21 and we even included him in our captaincy suggestions – those who followed that tip were handsomely rewarded.

Under considerable pressure to deliver, Pedro returned 24 points via a hat-trick against Sheffield United in the FA Cup on Saturday.

The 22-year-old scored two penalties, his speciality this season, before securing the match ball with a pinpoint finish from the edge of the box.

Incredibly, he’s now scored TEN spot-kicks this season across all competitions.

Add in eight goals from open play and his tally of 18 goals is only bettered by Erling Haaland (£7.9m) among all Premier League players.

While the Manchester City poacher holds a slender lead in that regard, Pedro has leapfrogged the Norway international in the Dream Team rankings.

The ex-Watford forward’s haul at Bramall Lane took him to 200 points for the campaign, five more than Haaland – although of course the latter has been out for a few weeks with a foot injury.

Pedro is just the fourth asset to celebrate his double century in 2023/24, Phil Foden (£5.2m) reached the milestone against Tottenham on Friday night while Bukayo Saka (£5.6m) and Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) achieved the feat earlier this month.

With the Egyptian superstar sidelined, the Brazilian is currently the top scorer in the game among available strikers.

Pedro also ranks third in position for bonus points this term, having earned 15 of them in total with three coming against the Blades at the weekend.

It took a while but he’s finally a justifiably popular player among gaffers – his ownership of 17.8% makes him the fifth-most selected forward right now.

And he’s almost certain to be among the most-popular recruits again ahead of Gameweek 22 having plundered 69 points across his last five outings!

Before then, Pedro faces Luton in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

Looking forward, the Seagulls host rivals Crystal Palace in Gameweek 22 with the Eagles horribly out of form.

A trip to Spurs represents a tougher test in Gameweek 23 but Roberto De Zerbi’s side then have a relatively favourable run in the top flight: Sheffield United, Everton, Fulham, Nottingham Forest.

Plus, Brighton are due to play Wolves in the FA Cup fifth round and it won’t be long before they resume their Europa League campaign either.

Essentially, Pedro is viable option for the foreseeable future.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk