Harry Wilson – Hull City
Harry Wilson was back on the score sheet once again, picking up his third goal in four league matches. Hull put on an impressive display to beat Ipswich 3-0 away from home. Wilson bagged the Tigers’ second goal of the night with a skilful finish at the back post. He found himself in acres of space and expertly tucked the ball home with a first-time, side-footed volley. The roles were reversed at the weekend, however, as Hull had a torrid time away to Birmingham, a match which the ultimately lost 3-0. Wilson was kept very quiet and had a minimal impact on the game before he subbed off with 76 minutes on the clock.
Andy Firth – Chester
Andy Firth kept his first professional clean sheet with an impressive display against Aldershot. The match finished 0-0 in varying conditions and Firth was kept on his toes for most of the game as his goal came under heavy fire from the Aldershot forwards. He made a string of impressive saves throughout the match, a number of which were reaction saves from point-blank range. Firth was undoubtedly the best Chester player on the pitch and they certainly had him to thank for the hard-earned point. He was rightly crowned the man of the match at the end of proceedings.
Jon Flanagan – Bolton Wanderers
Jon Flanagan put in what was probably his best loan performance of the last two seasons when he helped Bolton overcome Aston Villa with a 1-0 scoreline. The full-back was denied his first goal for Bolton in the first half when he saw his half-volley desperately hacked off the line. He got his revenge in the second half with a goal-line clearance of his own, with about 15 minutes left. It was a last gasped stretch from Flanagan which diverted the ball away from the net and back into the safety of his goalkeeper’s arms. Thanks to the Liverpool man’s intervention, Wanderers preserved their clean sheet and edged themselves one step closer to safety.
Pedro Chirivella – Willem II
Pedro Chirivella continued his run of consistent form as he produced yet another gutsy performance in the centre of Willem II’s midfield. They would’ve been disappointed to not take all three points away from the match with FC Twente, as a late goal from the hosts meant in finished 2-2 and Willem II had to settle for a draw. Chirivella made two tackles and two interceptions as he led the defensive efforts of his team from just in front of the back four. This match was the Spaniards 27th appearance in Holland this season, meaning that he’s picked up the most amount of game time than any of the other Liverpool loanees.
Marko Grujic – Cardiff City
Promotion-chasing Cardiff City secured their seventh consecutive league victory with a 3-1 win at Brentford on Tuesday. Marko Grujic had an uneven evening as he was largely at fault for Brentford going 1-0 up after he lost the ball near midfield and left his team stretched for numbers at the back. However, his passing was a little better this time out as the Serbian completed 70% of his passes and in total, he had more accurate passes than any of his teammates. Following his error, his defensive efforts were at a lot higher standard as he made three tackles and seven clearances. Cardiff’s impressive run of victories has left themselves comfortably in second position in the Championship, with many media outlets citing Grujic as playing an influential role in their promotion hopes.
Ovie Ejaria – Sunderland
Sunderland seem destined for back-to-back relegations and the 2-0 loss to Preston North End has left them five points adrift of safety. Their task was made even harder when Jake Clarke-Salter was sent off, the third time in five matches Sunderland have finished with ten men. Ovie Ejaria put in a shift and was the best Black Cat on the pitch as he desperately tried to get some form of attacking movement going for his side. Preston struggled to contain him as he completed six dribbles, but there was really little that he could do with the minimal support he had around him.
Anderson Arroyo – Real Mallorca B
Real Mallorca B picked up their fifth straight clean sheet with Anderson Arroyo as a part of their back line. The Spanish side put in another dominant performance and secured a 3-0 victory.
Divock Origi (Wolfsburg) unsurprisingly saw limited game time following on from his substitution before halftime last week. The Belgian was limited to just five minutes of game time this week, despite Wolfsburg playing twice. Sheyi Ojo (Fulham) was also just used as a second-half substitute at the weekend. Ryan Kent (Bristol City), Connor Randall (Hearts) and Matty Virtue (Notts County) were all unused substitutes, while Corey Whelan (Yeovil Town) and Allan Rodrigues (Apollon Limassol) were left out of their matchday squads altogether. There were no matches in the Belgian Jupiler League this week so Taiwo Awoniyi (Royal Excel Mouscron) and Lazar Markovic (Anderlecht) had time to rest, whereas Daniel Sturridge (West Bromwich Albion) saw no action as he continues to try and recover from his injury.
