September £100 Game: Victor Is Our First Last Man Standing
We have our first Last Man Standing. Forty-nine players entered the September £100 Game, free to enter with no entry fee. Four gameweeks, a pile of upsets and a worrying number of missed deadlines later, Victor Ijadunminiyi was the only one left.
The game ran from Gameweek 5 to Gameweek 8. Here's how the field went from 49 to one, and the four picks that got Victor there.
Congratulations, Victor
Four picks, four wins, and the first ever winner of our £100 game. The £100 prize has been paid to Victor. The next free game is open in the app now.
Gameweek 5: a brutal start
The opening round did the most damage. Twenty-four players went out: 21 because their team didn't win and three because they didn't make a pick. That's almost half the field gone in one weekend.
Nottingham Forest lost 0-1 at home to Coventry City, Tottenham went down 2-3 to Aston Villa and Fulham could only draw 1-1 with Manchester United. Manchester City backers had a much better afternoon, even if it wasn't relaxing: City beat Sunderland 5-3. Victor was one of them.
Gameweek 6: the deadline claims more than the football
The field dropped from 25 to 11, and the football barely had anything to do with it. Of the 14 players knocked out, 13 simply didn't submit a pick. Only one went out to a losing team.
Victor went with Brighton and Hove Albion, who beat Sunderland 2-0. Sunderland had now been the opponent in both of his wins.
Gameweek 7: five more no-picks
Eleven players went into Gameweek 7. Every pick that was made won, but five players didn't make one, leaving six for the final round.
Victor picked Arsenal, who edged Nottingham Forest 1-0. Not pretty, but enough.
Gameweek 8: one survivor
Six players, one round. Four went out to losing picks and one missed the deadline. Chelsea lost 0-2 to Tottenham and Coventry City lost 0-1 to Fulham, ending several runs in one afternoon.
Victor backed Bournemouth against Manchester United, a pick plenty of people would have avoided. Bournemouth won 3-0, and Victor was the Last Man Standing.
Prize paid: £100 has been sent to Victor. Congratulations again, and thanks for being our first winner.
| Gameweek | Started | Lost pick | No pick | Survived |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GW5 | 49 | 21 | 3 | 25 |
| GW6 | 25 | 1 | 13 | 11 |
| GW7 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| GW8 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 49 | 26 | 22 | Victor |
Victor's winning run
| Gameweek | Pick | Result |
|---|---|---|
| GW5 | Manchester City | Beat Sunderland 5-3 |
| GW6 | Brighton and Hove Albion | Beat Sunderland 2-0 |
| GW7 | Arsenal | Beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 |
| GW8 | Bournemouth | Beat Manchester United 3-0 |
What stands out is the order. Victor used a big favourite early, then saved Arsenal for a tight game and took a risk on Bournemouth when only six were left. Because you can't pick the same team twice, keeping strong teams in reserve matters as much as picking winners.
Quick answers
Who won the September £100 Last Man Standing game?
Victor Ijadunminiyi. He was the only player of 49 to survive all four gameweeks, from Gameweek 5 to Gameweek 8, with four correct picks.
Has the £100 prize been paid?
Yes. The £100 prize has been paid to Victor, the winner of the September game.
Is the £100 Last Man Standing game free to enter?
Yes. There's no entry fee. Download the Last Man Standing app on iOS or Android and join the next monthly game.
How do you get knocked out of Last Man Standing?
Your team has to win. A loss or a draw knocks you out, and so does missing the deadline without making a pick. In the September game, 22 of the 48 eliminations were missed picks.
Can you pick the same team twice?
No. Each team can only be used once, so it pays to save strong teams for tougher gameweeks.
The biggest lesson: 22 players never lost a pick
Here's the number that jumps out. Of the 48 players knocked out, 22 went out because they didn't make a pick, not because their team lost. That's nearly half the eliminations.
The app sends deadline reminders before each gameweek locks, so turn notifications on. You can also make your pick days early and change it any time before the deadline. Live scores then show you in real time whether you're through, and you can follow the game, and the banter, in the game chat.
Could you be next?
Thanks to all 49 players who took part. The next £100 game is free to enter. Download the app, make your first pick and see how long you can last.