Law 14 Penalty Full Guide: How It Works
By Arasi Rex · Updated 15 August 2026 · 6 min read
Law 14 penalties are high-stakes, but the Premier League treats them as ordinary goals. A penalty goal wins the same three points as any other goal, feeds the same tiebreakers, and carries a specific fantasy football price: a miss costs -2, a penalty save earns the goalkeeper +5. Everything else is context around those exact numbers.
How the Law 14 penalty works
Start with the league structure. The Premier League has 20 clubs, each playing 38 matches, home and away, for 380 matches per season. A win is worth three points, a draw one. A penalty goal does not create a separate points category. A 1-0 win from a penalty takes three points; a 1-1 draw in which both penalties are scored gives both sides one point. That is the base rule.
The bottom three are relegated to the Championship, and three teams come up, two automatically and one through the play-off. None of that changes because a goal came from a penalty. Relegation and promotion are determined by where clubs finish in the 38-match table, not by how the goals were scored.
The table is where penalties become meaningful. When clubs finish level, the Premier League separates them in this order: points, goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head record. If a penalty goal changes any of those numbers, it changes the order. A penalty scored in a 1-0 win adds one to goals scored and goal difference. If a penalty is saved and no goal follows, the numbers stay unchanged. If the first four tiebreakers cannot split two sides and the position is for the title, relegation, or European qualification, a play-off at a neutral venue may be used.
Key details
Penalty events have their own FPL values, but they sit on top of normal scoring. Penalty goals are still goals. The goal points are 6 for a goalkeeper or defender, 5 for a midfielder, and 4 for a forward. A penalty miss costs the taker -2. A penalty save is worth 5 to the goalkeeper. The same goalkeeper can also collect +1 for every three saves made in the match. Clean sheets are separate: 4 for a goalkeeper or defender, 1 for a midfielder. Every two goals conceded costs a goalkeeper or defender -1. A captain doubles the total, so a captain who misses a penalty loses 4 points, and a captain who saves a penalty gains 10.
| FPL outcome | Points | League table effect |
|---|---|---|
| Penalty goal by goalkeeper or defender | 6 | Goal counts in the score |
| Penalty goal by midfielder | 5 | Goal counts in the score |
| Penalty goal by forward | 4 | Goal counts in the score |
| Penalty miss | -2 for taker | No goal |
| Penalty save | +5 for goalkeeper | No goal |
Transfer and squad rules shape who is on the pitch to take those penalties. FPL squads are 15 players with 11 starters and a £100.0m budget, and a manager can pick at most three players from one club. Club squads are capped at 25 players over 21, with at least 8 homegrown players. Under-21 players do not count against that 25. So an over-21 penalty specialist must fit inside the 25, while an under-21 taker does not take a squad slot. The penalty itself is the same, but the roster cost is different.
Substitutions add another layer. A team can make five substitutions per match, in a maximum of three windows plus half-time. Half-time is therefore a free window to change a taker. If a player comes on for the second half and scores a penalty, his FPL score is based on the same position-based goal points as anyone else. If a player is substituted before a penalty is awarded, he cannot affect that event. There is no separate penalty-taker slot in the scoring; the player who actually takes the kick is the one who matters.
Penalties can shift European places because league position decides continental entry. The typical structure sends the top four to the Champions League league phase, fifth and the FA Cup winner to the Europa League, and the League Cup winner to the Conference League play-off. If a cup winner has already qualified through league position, the place passes down. A penalty goal that changes a club's final position can move a club across those qualification lines. The tiebreakers do not care that the ball was placed on the spot.
The current format has not always been the frame for those moments. The Premier League was founded on 20 February 1992 as the FA Premier League, when First Division clubs broke away to negotiate their own broadcast deals. The first season, 1992/93, had 22 clubs, and that was reduced to 20 in 1995/96. Since then, 380 matches per season has been the standard, and every penalty taken in the competition has counted into the same table.
Common confusions
Penalty goals are not a separate FPL category. A forward's penalty is worth the same 4 points as a forward's open-play goal. The only penalty-specific numbers in the scoring system are a miss, -2, and a save, +5 for the goalkeeper. Everything else is normal goal and clean sheet scoring.
Penalty saves and clean sheets are independent. A goalkeeper can bank 5 points for a penalty save, then lose -1 if two goals are conceded. The miss and the save are separate lines in the scoring system. A goalkeeper who saves a penalty and keeps a clean sheet collects both the +5 and the clean sheet 4, because clean sheet points are not reduced by penalty events that happen in the match.
League tiebreakers do not care how a goal was scored. The order is points, goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head. A 1-0 win from a penalty and a 1-0 win from a counter-attack produce the same line in the table. A play-off is used only when the first four tiebreakers are level and the position is for the title, relegation, or European qualification. It is not an automatic response to any tied position.
Key takeaways
- A penalty goal is a normal goal in the league table and counts toward the points, goal difference and goals scored tiebreakers.
- In FPL, a penalty goal is 6 points for a goalkeeper or defender, 5 for a midfielder and 4 for a forward.
- A missed penalty costs -2, a penalty save earns the goalkeeper +5, and captain doubles both.
- The Premier League has 20 clubs, 38 matchdays and 380 matches per season; the over-21 squad list is 25 players with at least 8 homegrown.
- European qualification spots are set by league position, with cup places passing down when winners have already qualified.
FAQ
How many points is a penalty save in FPL?
A penalty save is worth 5 points to the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper also earns +1 for every three saves, and a clean sheet is worth 4 points for a goalkeeper or defender. Every two goals conceded costs -1.
What happens if your FPL captain misses a penalty?
A captain scores double, so a -2 penalty miss becomes -4. If a captain scores a penalty, the goal points for his position are doubled.
Are penalty goals treated differently in the Premier League table?
No. They count as goals for points, goal difference and goals scored. The tiebreak order is points, goal difference, goals scored, then head-to-head.
Can a penalty goal decide a European place?
Yes, indirectly. The typical European places are top four to the Champions League, fifth and the FA Cup winner to the Europa League, and the League Cup winner to the Conference League play-off. If positions are level, the tiebreakers decide, and a Law 14 penalty goal is part of goals scored.