All eyes were on the Sky Bet Championship this week, as both League One and League Two Clubs were in FA Cup action. Despite the reduced numbers, some individual performances certainly didn't disappoint...
Goalkeeper
Jack Butland – Nottingham Forest v Stoke City
The England keeper has been in brilliant form of late and he once again made some crucial saves against Nottingham Forest to keep the home side at bay and earn the Potters a vital point and his third successive clean sheet.
Defenders
Tobias Figueiredo – Nottingham Forest v Stoke City
Cleared a late Peter Crouch effort off the line in the dying minutes on Saturday but once again has been part of a Forest defence that has looked very solid of late as they kept back to back clean sheets.
Ben Davies – Bristol City v Preston North End
Was influential at the back helping PNE keep the door shut at Bristol. It was Preston’s first away win of the campaign and Davies’ presence at the back has been a strong contributing factor to their recent unbeaten run.
Mike van der Hoorn – Bolton Wanderers v Swansea City
Helped the Swans keep out the late pressure with a number of balls in to the box which he seemed to win every one of. Looked assured and calm in an impressive Swansea victory.
Midfielders
Harvey Barnes – West Brom v Leeds Utd
Full of energy with regular runs down the wings that dragged the Leeds defenders out of position on numerous occasions and his pace and trickery helped ensure he was a constant menace. Scored a nicely taken goal to help cap a brilliant West Brom performance.
John McGinn – Derby County v Aston Villa
Scored the crucial opening goal and set up Tammy Abraham for their second. He was pulling the strings for the visitors for the majority of the game in midfield and helped control possession for the visitors. Played a massive part in his team’s win.
Moritz Leitner – Norwich City v Millwall
Scored an absolutely brilliant goal and was at the heart of midfield for the Canaries. His deliveries from set pieces were regularly dangerous, nearly providing an assist on a couple of occasions. He continues to look very strong in the centre of midfield in an in-form Norwich side.
Kamil Grosicki - Birmingham City v Hull City
Hard to choose between him and Fraizer Campbell in Team of the Week. But Grosiki was pivotal in both of Campbell’s goals that pulled the Tigers level and the free-kick that sent his team ahead was a superb strike – an absolute beauty from 25 yards out that ended his seven-month wait for a goal.
Forwards
Che Adams – Birmingham City v Hull City
Absolutely lethal in front of goal and the Blues’ hat trick hero looks razor sharp. He’s now notched eight for the season and is a big part of Garry Monk’s side. His clinical finishing on Saturday shows the confidence Adams has and Birmingham have him to thank for stealing a point late on.
Teemu Pukki - Norwich City v Millwall
He’s in Team of the Week again! He scored twice against Millwall with two brilliantly taken finishes and notched his 10th goal in 16 games. He has now scored twice in the Canaries’ last two games. Proving to be a vital part of the Norwich cog.
Jordan Hugill – Middlesbrough v Wigan Athletic
Has come in for some criticism from sections of the Boro support but his brace against Wigan was just reward for a display that saw him the lead line with authority. A confident penalty and a brilliantly taken second goal helped the Teesiders stay in third and right in contention.
Manager
Dean Smith – Derby County v Aston Villa
His team’s performance at Derby County was superb as they swept aside the Rams, scoring three brilliant goals in the process. Smith has now enjoyed three wins in his first five for Villa, although this was arguably their most impressive.
