📈 EFL Review: Saints march on; Royals rumble; Ten-goal thriller | OneFootball

The Football League served up its usual helping of brilliant goals and astonishing late drama this weekend.

Here are our highlights.

Championship

Moment of the weekend

Southampton may not have had the blockbuster start to the season enjoyed by the likes of Ipswich and Leicester but as 2023 turned into 2024, the south coast club have been remorseless.

Russell Martin’s side are currently the in-form side in the Championship and continued their stunning run up the table this weekend with a 4-0 win over a recently rejuvenated Sheffield Wednesday.

Four different goalscorers helped secure the three points at St Mary’s with Southampton now having not lost a game since the end of September.

Those 20 games unbeaten are a new club record with the former Premier League side now just three points off the Tractor Boys in second.

Notable mentions: Coventry stun Leicester; Leeds on fire; Boro build from Chelsea win with victory at Millwall

Player of the weekend

Coventry kept up their promotion charge this weekend with not just one of their best, but one of the best, victories from anyone in the Championship this term.

Cov played host to their east Midlands rivals, and table-toppers, Leicester and inflicted the Foxes first defeat since November.

Callum O’Hare was the stand out man for the Sky Blues as he netted two smart goals in their 3-1 win.

Notable mentions: Brandon Thomas-Asante (West Brom); Jake Livermore (Watford); Ryan Fraser (Southampton)

League One

Moment of the weekend

It was this past weekend that Reading fans finally had enough.

After almost seven years of woeful mismanagement at board level, supporters at the Select Car Leasing Stadium decided Saturday’s match with Port Vale was when they would take affirmative action.

Royals fans entered the pitch on the 16th minute and refused to leave, forcing the game to be abandoned.

It was a reaction to a series of points deductions since 2021 for unpaid wages and going over the Football League’s financial fair play ruling for total expenditure.

Reading are currently fourth from bottom in League One with 23 points having had four deducted back in August.

Notable mentions: Orient stun Pompey with Fratton Park win; Derby leave it late for Burton win; Cambridge win at last

Player of the weekend

For the first time this season, Pompey have lost two games on the bounce.

After their defeat to Cheltenham on January 6, the League One leaders were humbled at home this weekend to Leyton Orient.

Orient have been the patchiest team in the third tier this season, losing four straight at the start of the campaign, going unbeaten in seven between October and November and then failing to win in eight games after that.

The east London side have won three from their last four matches though with Daniel Agyei leading the line with elan.

The 26-year-old netted his second of the campaign with a smart header to put a cap on their 3-0 win.

Notable mentions: Mark Harris (Oxford); Conor Hourihane (Derby); Sam Vokes (Wycombe)

League Two

Moment of the weekend

Blundell Park played host to not just the best game of this weekend but one of the greatest in Football League history.

Grimsby, 19th in League Two, played host to high-flying Notts County with the league’s leakiest defence taking on its leading goalscorers.

And madness ensued.

The game finished 5-5 with County thinking they had won with a 93rd minute strike from David McGoldrick only for Harry Wood to equalise for the hosts in the 96th minute.

Notable mentions: Troy Deeney goes ape at his Forest Green players; Karl Robinson gets first Salford win; Wrexham up to second

Player of the weekend

Abraham Odoh was the star of the show as Harrogate won again to see the Yorkshire go to within two points of the play-offs.

The Spa town side beat Troy Deeney’s Forest Green Rovers 2-0 with Odoh adding gloss to the final score with a lovely finish in the second half.

Harrogate have now won five from their last seven games whilst Deeney’s men are firmly rooted to the bottom of League Two with the former Watford man ripping into his players after the final whistle.

Notable mentions: David McGoldrick (Notts County); Abo Eisa (Grimsby); Harry Beautyman (Sutton)