Championship Top Five, Round 25: Forest dominate the rankings
Nottingham Forest surrendered much of the possession in the game to Wigan, as well as more shots on goal, but it would be the home side who would run out 1-0 winners, with goalkeeper Brice Samba vital to the win. Not only did he save a second-half penalty from Josh Windass, but made four saves in total as well as nine ball recoveries. His presence was also important during a one-on-one duel with Nathan Byrne, as he quickly came off his line to narrow the angle which led to the Wigan man missing with his attempt to the left of goal.
Monday night was certainly a memorable evening for young 18-year-old Jason Knight, as he scored his first two senior goals for Derby as they defeated Charlton 2-1. For his first, he showed superb bravery to smuggle the ball over the line, knowing he would likely be on the end of a kick from the defender or a smash against the inside of the post. HIs second, which proved to be the winner, saw him break away at the back post and latch on to a lofted cross to sidefoot a calm strike home.
Middlesbrough made it three wins on the bounce with an impressive victory away at West Brom, with Daniel Ayala putting in a true captain's performance. He scored the opening goal of the 2-0 win with a towering header from a corner-kick, but was also typically solid at the other end of the pitch. He won 8/13 duels, 8/11 aerial duels, and also made three ball recoveries, two interceptions, and 11 clearances (the most in the Championship in this round of fixtures).
Back to Forest now, as Matty Cash earns his place in the rankings for his outing at right-back. Going forward, he sent two successful crosses into the box and 11 passes into the final third, but it was his defensive prowess which was the most impressive aspect of his performance. He won 16/18 duels which was by far the most of anyone in the league, as well as 7/8 tackles and 100% of his aerial duels. He also made eight ball recoveries, three interceptions, and four clearances.
Even though Wigan arguably had the better of Forest for much of the game, the eventual match winner with the only goal of the game was Tobias Figueiredo, who went up for a corner to glance a cracking header across goal into the top corner from the front post. In defence, he made the second-most clearances of anyone in the Championship with 10, and won 6/8 duels, 100% of his tackles, and 3/4 aerial duels.
HONOURABLE MENTION
Lewis Travis (8.3) was unlucky to be on the losing side for Blackburn, who were defeated 2-1 by Huddersfield. He assisted the only goal of the match for Rovers, and also made 12 ball recoveries, and won 7/11 duels.
ROUND TO FORGET
It was a cracking match between Birmingham and Leeds, but one thing is for certain - the goalkeepers didn't cover themselves in glory. Kiko Casilla (4.8) conceded four and Connal Trueman (5) conceded five.