Player Ratings

18/4/22

Championship

Jack Taylor 6

His use of the ball was poor in the first-half, but he came on strong after the break, mostly in a defensive sense. One superb tackle as Barnsley looked set to equalise.

Sammie Szmodics 7

An assist for the opening goal, but otherwise not great in possession with a poor first touch ruining a scoring chance in the second-half. But my goodness what workrate and energy he delivered again. Never stopped running and causing opponents to hurry. Spent 20 minutes at wingback without alarm.

Jack Bonham 8

Dealt with Brereton-Diaz chance, good save from Gallagher header. Superb late stop from Hedges to secure clean sheet and win.

Richard Keogh 8

Solid days work from Keogh who progressed the ball forward consistently.

CJ Hamilton 9

Quality in the final third was there today and got the better of his marker throughout.

Joel Bagan 6

Sent in a couple of lovely crosses to dangerous areas. Found Colwill with one but the ball flew over the bar.

Mark Travers 8

The protagonist of the side's time-wasting tactics, frequently hauling himself to the floor and taking an eternity to get up. Unsurprisingly, he became the lightning rod of Coventry's frustrations, also due to two excellent saves in the first half which should have seen them have the success on the scoreline their play deserved.

Continues to stand up in big moments and commanded his box well as Coventry's pressure began to tell in the second half.

Sean McLoughlin 6

Another classic McLoughlin showing in the first period, the second half became a struggle for him and City as they came under greater pressure.

Kieren Westwood 7

One first-half fumble aside, the veteran keeper had a very decent game and a late save to deny Nathan Byrne proved to be vital.

Jimmy Dunne 7

Captaining the side, Dunne was solid at the heart of the defence, winning several important challenges.

Eiran Cashin 7

Solid and strong defensively throughout the opening 45 minutes. Battled away second half.

Jason Knight 6

Busy, high work rate but affects the game more when in a central-midfield role.

Cyrus Christie 7

The Fulham loanee saw so much of the ball in the Reading half. He offered a real threat until Reading got their second. So many important defensive interventions but clearly got dragged deeper at times when Paul Ince's side improved.

Michael Obafemi 8

Worked his socks off throughout and won his side a penalty in the first-half. Composed to rifle home his 10th goal of the season which made it 4-1 before Swansea blew their huge advantage.

Ryan Manning (for Piroe) N/R

Helped to eat up the clock, but Swansea didn't quite do enough.

John Egan 6 

Marshalled his back line well. Apart from a few brief moments in the second half, Foderingham had little to do. Another commanding display.

Enda Stevens 6 

Much improved. Wing-back got forward well and it was his effort that was blocked in the build-up to Gibbs-White's equaliser.

Dara O'Shea 5

Switched from the centre to the right due to the return of Bartley and then moved even wider to right-back after Furlong was dismissed. Had the best view in the ground of Colback's stunner but could hardly be asked to do anymore from that position.

Jayson Molumby (for Mowatt 54') 5

Replaced the tiring Mowatt in the middle. Perhaps unlucky to drop out after impressing against Blackpool but had a thankless task for the final half-hour or so.

League 1

Kieran Sadlier 7

Went to the right flank after coming on and looked bright off the bench after scoring winner on Good Friday against Doncaster Rovers.

Anthony Scully 7.5 

Was on hand to force home the rebound for the second goal. Worked incredibly hard, even if his final ball was lacking sometimes.

Gavin Bazunu 8

His handling was excellent and he enhanced his reputation further with several superb saves. He got a fingertip to Arthur Gnahoua's drive from outside the box to tip it onto the post, before making an incredible double save to deny the League One top scorer Cole Stockton. He was, however, a little fortunate to avoid conceding when his attempted clearance ricocheted off Gnahoua and went just wide. He got away with another charged down clearance after dwelling on the ball. He felt aggrieved for the Morecambe equaliser as he felt he had been impeded as he failed to gather the ball, but referee Bobby Madley waved away the protests.

Sean Raggett 8

Another solid display from the central defender, who popped up with his sixth goal of the season, finishing like a centre forward as he turned and shot in the box, with his strike going in off the woodwork. Had a couple of moments defensively where he could have perhaps done better, but it was largely another strong display.

Shaun Williams 5

Brought back into the side as Danny Cowley made changes in midfield, but it did not work for the Blues, with Morecambe having the better of the play as Williams and Tunnicliffe were overrun in the first half. He did, however, on the odd occasion, show his experience with his positioning and ability to break up play.

Marcus Harness 6

Looked to drive at the Morecambe defence when he had the chance but didn't have too many chances to do so, as Pompey struggled to control the game in the first 45. He battled well before being substituted with 17 minutes to go.

Ronan Curtis 6

Started after scoring the winner against Lincoln on Friday and got the assist for Raggett's goal with a header into the defender's path. He pressed well and worked hard in forward areas, but didn't have too many chances to impact the game offensively.

Aiden O'Brien (for Jacobs, 64) 5

Given 26 minutes from the bench, but didn't really impact the game, with the Irish international overplaying a pass to Curtis when well placed.

Mipo Odubeko 7

Covered plenty of ground and got the comeback underway with a very well-taken goal. That's two in two now and he looks much more confident.

23/4/22

Championship

Richard Keogh 9

Won everything asked of him and stepped out with confidence on the ball when required too.

CJ Hamilton 7

Good work to win the penalty but too many occasions where the quality lacked. He causes problems through his sheer direct running power but ultimately doesn't offer the quality required in important moments on a consistent basis.

Mark Travers 7

Desperately unlucky not to have kept Aleksandar Mitrovic's header out after initially appearing to have pulled off an excellent save. Travers was composed in his distribution and generally solid all round.

Louie Watson 6

First start in the League since the opening fixture of the season. Showed flashes of his ability and produced a couple of clever flicks in the final third.

Sean McLoughlin 7

Neat and tidy when he needed to be, little fuss. Another fine display for a player rightly being talked about as a Player of the Season contender.

Jack Taylor 7

Outstanding workrate, running tirelessly all game. His passing wasn't great though.

Sammie Szmodics 6

Didn't leave anything on the pitch, but never threatened to contribute to an attacking breakthrough.

John Egan 6 

Skinned far too easily on six minutes when Watters raced clean through on goal but luckily he produced a really weak effort that was comfortable for Foderingham. Did little wrong after that.

Enda Stevens 6

Was helped out by Robinson when Drameh left him standing. Steady if unspectacular.

Joel Bagan 5

Some really positive moments going forward but still some shaky ones at the other end of the pitch.

Mark McGuinness (for Drameh 45) 5

Booked for a rash challenge.

Kieren Westwood 8 (Star Man)

By far Rangers’ best player. Produced a number of saves, the pick of the bunch being when he kept out a deflected strike from Romaine Sawyers in the first half.

Jimmy Dunne 6

Fully committed as always. Won several challenges.

Cyrus Christie 6

Made a few timely defensive interventions and helped his side carry more of a threat when he did get forward. Good cross for Hannes Wolf's chance.

Ryan Manning 6

Operating at left wing-back, Manning didn't cause many problems in attack in the first-half but was solid defensively. Made a couple of reckless challenges and was duly subbed.

Michael Obafemi 7

On the periphery of proceedings for long spells in the first-half but took his goal - his 11th of the campaign - superbly well. Far more involved in the second-half.

Aaron Connolly (For Watmore, 65') 5

Added some spark against tired legs but missed a glorious late chance.

Dara O'Shea 5

Dug out a delightful ball out of nowhere to send Grant racing through one on one only for the centre-forward to inexplicably fail to stretch the opposition's keeper at all. Booked for a needlessly forceful lunge in the first half that had the visiting supporters calling for stronger punishment.

Jayson Molumby 6

Played off Carroll well as the most advanced midfielder when the centre-forward was provided with service to bring others into play. Zipped about in midfield looking to pick up loose balls and enliven teammates to little avail. Eventually replaced by Diangana as Albion sought to become more attack-orientated.

Robinson (for Townsend 90') 5

Had the final few minutes of added time to have an effect on affairs. Lofted one cross into the box but sailed out before finding a head from either team. Won the last-minute penalty after being felled from behind.

League 1

Anthony Scully (for House 55) 5.5

Ran into a lot of dead ends. Stanley contained him well.

Kieran Sadlier 7

Came into the team for Xavier Amaechi on the right flank. Squanderered great chance midway through first half with blazing effort over the bar, but made up for it with tidy finish to put hosts ahead.

Gavin Bazunu 7

Barely challenged and enjoyed a very comfortable afternoon in the south-coast sunshine.

Sean Raggett 7

Claimed an assist from a cross on the day he was announced as The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season.

Marcus Harness 7

One of his good days and created opener for Ronan Curtis.

Ronan Curtis 8

Back in his favoured left-wing role and marked welcome return to the position with two goals.

Chiedozie Ogbene 7

Came to the fore well in the second half and was much more assertive. Won penalty.

Olamide Shodipo 5

Thrown on up front but got little change out of the defence.

Scottish Premiership

Jake Doyle-Hayes 6

Passed the ball about with his usual composure when he had the time but didn’t make a huge impact on the match.

23/4/22

League 1

Warren O'Hora 7

A typically reliable outing from the Irishman, barely breaking a sweat.

Conor Coventry 7.5

Solid as ever, ran the show in the midfield without much glitz or glamour.

Troy Parrott 6.5

Led the line again but didn't get much of a sniff of goal. Worked hard as ever.

Luke McNally 5.5

His misjudgement and then the foul for the winning penalty ultimately cost United. Had a tough task against Smith, although he made some good tackles and interceptions.

Mark Sykes 6

Started positively before Rotherham nullified this threat, although that may have been due to injury. Grew frustrated when a couple of decisions went against him.

24/4/22

Premier League

Shane Long 6

Handed a rare start, the 35-year-old worked hard up top and forced a good save from Sanchez early in the second half.

Nathan Collins 9 (Star Man)

A masterclass in defending from the Republic of Ireland international. Performing way beyond his years alongside Tarkowski as he helped the Clarets to a second clean sheet on the bounce at Turf Moor. Didn't give Silva or Jimenez an inch and made a darting recovery run back towards his own penalty to stall a promising break from the latter. Very, very impressive.

Kevin Long 6

Brought on to add extra defensive stability and did just that.

Seamus Coleman 6

Was at the centre of the nitty-gritty with his clashes against Diogo Jota. In a defensive sense he was combative and energetic as ever, but he couldn't inspire his side to a result on this occasion.

I saw a bit of that game, Preston were sh*te. He was the only player to get higher than a 4.

30/4/22

League 1

Warren O'Hora 7.5

Barely in trouble after riding out Plymouth's early threats.

Conor Coventry 8.5

Brilliant throughout. Excellent passing, controlled on the ball, barely gave Plymouth a sniff.

Troy Parrott 7.5

Didn't get as many chances as he would have liked but came close with an excellently taken volley in the first half. Tripped at the key moment when one-on-one in the second.

Luke McNally 6.5

Dominant in the air as usual, drove forward occasionally without worrying Doncaster too much. A couple of shaky moments after the break, but generally tidy.

1/5/22

Premier League

Seamus Coleman 8

He was right up for the battle of this game. Playing as a third centre-back he produced a number of very important tackles especially in the first half and even went on a couple of lung-busting runs down the flank to set the tone for his teammates.

2/4/22

Championship

Peter Kioso 3

Had dropped to the bench, but was needed after just half an hour as Onyedinma picked up an injury which ended his evening. Came on as Fulham had that all-important first goal, allowing the hosts to play with the swagger of champions.

3/4/22

Championship

Mark Travers 8

Didn't have a lot of saves to make but was calm, assured and always offered an angle if teammates were in trouble. Very few are more deserving than reaching the Premier League.

5/4/22

League 1 Playoffs

Warren O'Hora 6

Misjudged an early ball which Vokes swiped and missed at. Was kept on his toes throughout as Wycombe pressed high.

Conor Coventry 6.5 (Star Man)

Fought and scrapped for every ball but was just overrun by the sheer number of bodies Wycombe packed in the middle of the park.

Troy Parrott 5.5

An early shot aside, which didn't bend enough to trouble Stockdale in goal, had a tough night with no reward.

7/5/22

Premier League

Nathan Collins 5

Played Ings onside for first and was given perhaps his toughest examination yet in a Burnley shirt.

Kevin Long 5

Thrust into action after Tarkowski injury with Burnley on back foot.

Championship

James Brown 7

Performed well against a tricky customer in Onel Hernandez. The Cuban rarely got the better of him. An impressive debut.

Mark Travers 8

Clean in his handling, brave in claiming aerial balls and composed on the ball - his 20th clean sheet of the season gives Travers the Championship's golden glove.

Gavin Kilkenny 7

Kilkenny was mostly diligent in his play and had more onus to get forward than he previously had, due to Cook's inclusion. Made a couple of misplaced passes but on the whole, given it was his first Championship start since December, Kilkenny did well to round off a breakthrough campaign.

Robbie Brady 7

Delivered a couple of inviting crosses into the box but perhaps doesn't offer the dynamism or change of speed required to play a traditional winger under Parker. With Bournemouth retaining an option for another year, he may be a useful option to have off the bench, given the Premier League will introduce five substitutions next season.

Jason Knight 6

The midfielder played at right back, got in a tangle with Cardiff striker Hugill when the visitors wanted a penalty. Stuck at his task.

Eiran Cashin 7

Calm, composed and strong in his work at the heart of the defence. The youngster has been hugely impressive since breaking into the team.

Festy Ebosele (for Forsyth, 65) 6

Joel Bagan 6

A microcosm of his season, really. Did well defending the dangerous Malcolm Ebiowei but just needed to add that bit more zip going forward.

Sean McLoughlin 7

Important block late in the first half to deny Mighten, and battled hard all afternoon.

Jack Taylor 8.5

His passing was excellent and sharp throughout. He played with great commitment and finished the match with a brilliant goal which probably surpassed the strike at Hull which won him the club's goal of the season prize. Keep him fit and he'll be an exceptional League One player.

Sammie Szmodics 8.5

A livewire display from kick-off which included plenty of aggressive running and fine passing even before he claimed two goals in nine second-half minutes. He's clearly been inspired by the change of manager. Sponsors' man-of-the-match which was understandable.

Richard Keogh 6

Generally solid performance from Keogh before he went off injured for Marvin Ekpiteta - hopefully not his final game in a Blackpool shirt.

CJ Hamilton 4

Gets himself into good areas but so indecisive when it matters, a consistent theme of his play.

Alan Browne 8

Started with great energy and his passing improved as the half went on. Took his goal fantastically and helped win the battle in the middle of the park.

Aaron Connolly (For Dijksteel, 66') 5

Couldn't get into a game that was already gone.

John Egan 7

Unlucky not to get on the scoresheet with a bullet header from a Norwood corner that brought a fine reaction stop from Paulo Gazzaniga. A second game in succession where Mitrovic has failed to find the net.

Enda Stevens 7

Took his goal well, his first league goal of the season and just reward for the wing-back, who has had a mixed season because of injury.

Hourihane (for Fleck, 75) 5

Ryan Manning 6

As with others, Manning was good on the ball and wasn't overly troubled defensively. Made some important clearances.

Cyrus Christie 7

Always offered himself in attack and defended well too. Swansea's most threatening moments involved the Fulham loanee.

Michael Obafemi 6

Fed off scraps in the first-half but was slick on the ball. Not too much in the way of clear cut openings but a solid shift.

Dara O'Shea 6

Showing the signs of forming a promising partnership with Ajayi in a two. Perhaps should have done better with an unmarked first-half header while the scores were still level but won't be left ruing it over the summer after what followed.

Jayson Molumby 7

Sprayed passes with some regularity from deep to dictate the tempo of Albion's attacks. Broke well from midfield which led to Albion winning their first-half penalty to cap a fine first half.

Callum Robinson (for Livermore 71') 6

A smattering of boos met the attacking midfielder after striding onto the pitch as the club captain's replacement. Lively going forwards for the final 20 minutes as Albion toyed with Barnsley to an extent.