Matchday 16 of the Championship saw both Norwich City and Bournemouth return to winning ways and hence preserve their automatic promotion positions.
At the tail-end of the table, there was finally some joy for Derby County, who picked up a long-awaited victory on the road to Millwall.
Three talking points from Matchday 16:
Derby County end 11-match winless streak: Derby had recently gone winless for 11 straight games in the Premier League, but they managed to end the streak against the Millwall at the Den. In the past two meetings, they were guilty of conceding late goals which denied them victories (1-1 draws). They were able to avoid a similar instance against Millwall with a 1-0 triumph. Jason Knight’s goal in the 69th minute has helped them jump above the bottom spot for the first time in six matchdays. Since Wayne Rooney took control as the interim manager, the club have remained unbeaten with five points from three games and they will be hoping to climb up the table during the festive period. The Rams are currently two points adrift of safety and face a testing challenge against Brentford on the road in midweek.
Norwich City’s stunning comeback win: The Canaries may be top of the table, but they have been hugely unfortunate with the number of injuries to key players. Their top-scorer Teemu Pukki returned to the mix after a minor hamstring problem, but they were still missing as many as 10 first-team stars. Despite commanding the vast possession, it appeared that they could be heading for a second straight defeat after Josh Windass scored at the hour mark for Sheffield Wednesday. However, they made a tremendous comeback after the 80th minute with two quick goals. Teenage forward Josh Martin scored within two minutes of coming off the bench from close range and just minutes later, right-back Max Aarons fired home the second goal for the Canaries. Daniel Farke’s side have now scored the winning goal after the 84th minute or more in five matches this season.
Blackburn Rovers’ defensive resilience: The Rovers could not extend their three-match winning streak in the Championship, but they will be satisfied with the 2-2 draw at Brentford. Tony Mowbray’s side lost both of their centre-backs in Scott Wharton (achilles) and Darragh Lenihan within the opening half with the latter being sent off in the 36th minute with a straight red card after he brought down Ivan Toney. The Bees striker scored from the resultant penalty which levelled the scores at 1-1. At the hour mark, Sergi Canos put Brentford on course for a fourth straight win, but Jacob Davenport’s 87th minute equaliser meant that the Rovers extended their unbeaten league run to seven matches. They showed tremendous defensive resilience as they conceded just three shots on target.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
