EFL Team of the Week: Coventry City trio shine in QPR rout

The EFL TOTW is back!

What a whirlwind weekend of football it’s been. Coventry City celebrated the long-awaited news of finally owning their stadium in the best possible way, dismantling QPR 7-1 in a performance full of freedom and joy.

Wrexham, by contrast, are still searching for their first win of the season; a two-goal lead slipped away in front of a frustrated home crowd as strugglers Sheffield Wednesday fought back for a 2-2 draw.

And in League Two, Crewe Alexandra showed that setbacks don’t always shift the bigger picture, staying top of the table despite defeat to Gillingham.

Here’s Charlie Elliott’s Team of the Week to showcase the individual players who impressed the most.

Nathan Trott (Cardiff City)

A second man-of-the-match performance in five days saw Nathan Trott help his Cardiff City side secure another 1-0 win on their travels last week, this time over Luton Town.

The Bermudan shot-stopper made six saves and kept City in a game that they found themselves under a lot of pressure for large portions.

No win can ever be attributed to just one person, but it is certainly hard to imagine Cardiff winning this one without their goalkeeper on top form.

After five games played in League One, the Bluebirds sit top.

Habib Ogunneye (Newport County)

Young Newport County right back Habib Ogunneye is still learning the ropes of senior football, with Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to MK Dons marking only his fifth in the professional game, since his loan from Manchester United this summer.

He has adapted well to the demands of League Two and scored his first senior goal this weekend.

Yet questions remain over his effort – was it an incredible piece of skill that caught the Dons‘ keeper out at the near post, or simply a mishit cross that somehow found its way into the net?

Either way, they all count and he was also solid defensively, winning three tackles.

Jack Sanders (MK Dons)

In the same game, MK Dons defender Jack Sanders put in an outstanding performance at the back and reminded us all why he is so highly rated at League Two level and why the Dons could well be favourites for promotion this season.

He was an absolute rock and did exactly what he needed to do to keep out the Newport attack, barring Ogunneye’s goal, which cannot be considered to be a defensive error.

Everything that was thrown Sanders’ way, he won.

Sam Gale (Gillingham)

In the 89th minute, Sam Gale bagged himself a winner for the Gills against Crewe, which propels him into this team.

The centre back volleyed from close range after the ball bounced around in the box for a bit, sending Priestfield into raptures and putting them only a point off top spot, albeit with only five games played.

Gareth Ainsworth has built a strong defence and it seems that the 20-year-old is a big part of that.

Ethan Laird (Birmingham City)

Birmingham City’s unbeaten start continued with a 1-0 win over Oxford United, demonstrating that the Blues are able to see out games and have a real winning streak about them, despite not being at their absolute best.

A big part of that was Ethan Laird, playing at left back.

The 24-year-old assisted the only goal of the game with a strong run down the left, and then a cut back to Seung-Ho Paik on the edge of the box, who finished it off.

Outside of the assist, Laird won the most duels in the match and completed the most dribbles, showing why is is so well-rounded in the position.

Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry City)

Given that Coventry won 7-1 against QPR, it is unsurprising that they are well represented in this team, with Brandon Thomas-Asante being the first of three inclusions from the Sky Blues.

A goal and two assists for the Ghanaian meant that he couldn’t miss out.

His strike was a rifled finish into the near post, following a defence mishap that played him through.

In truth, neither assist was particularly special, but the fact that he got three goal involvements in just the first half of the match is extremely impressive.

Jack Rudoni (Coventry City)

Another Sky Blues inclusion, Jack Rudoni also contributed with three goal involvements; however, the midfielder ended up with two goals and an assist.

His strikes came thanks to a deflected effort from just inside the box, and his second was a neatly curled effort right into the corner, from just outside the 18-yard area.

It is not easy to get three goal involvements in one match, and Rudoni makes this team due to that.

Lewis Wing (Reading)

Reading may have been forced to settle for a point against local rivals Wycombe Wanderers, with the match ending in a 2-2 draw, but Lewis Wing managed to net himself a goal and get an assist from central midfield.

His assist was a beautifully floated cross that landed right on the head of Mamadi Camara, before scoring an absolute screamer to give the Royals the lead at the time.

The ball fell to him kindly, and he unleashed an extremely powerful effort with his right foot, which nestled in the far corner and was virtually unstoppable.

Omari Patrick (Tranmere Rovers)

Long the creative heart of this Tranmere Rovers team, Omari Patrick proved his influence once again with a goal and an assist in their 2-0 away win over Crawley Town.

He only scores screamers and continued that tradition with his 80th-minute strike to double the lead and put the game beyond doubt.

The winger closed down a long ball that was headed up by a defender, and volleyed it from about 25 yards out to produce some impressive limbs in the away end.

Tranmere struggled last year, but with a strong core and the creativity of Patrick, they could be onto something this season.

Kieffer Moore (Wrexham AFC)

The frustration continued for Wrexham, as they let a 2-0 lead slip against Sheffield Wednesday to draw 2-2, securing their first point since being back in the Championship in the process.

Former Sheffield United striker Kieffer Moore grabbed an early brace to put his new side in pole position against his old rivals, but it wasn’t enough in the end.

“Both finishes were trademark Moore, showcasing his ‘fox in the box’ instinct, as he was perfectly positioned in the right place at the right time.

Haji Wright (Coventry City)

What a striker. A first-half brace gets Haji Wright in as the third Coventry player to round off this team, and it is well deserved for the American.

He is a proper forward, and both goals reflected that, as he read the play extremely well, positioned himself perfectly to receive the ball just inside the box and finished with a proper poacher’s instinct.

Now with four goal involvements in four games, this looks like it could be a memorable season for Frank Lampard’s side.

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