There may have been limited Irish involvement in the Premier League over the last few days, but a number of our player put in cracking performances in the Championship.
None more so than Ryan Manning, who showed once again why Premier League clubs continue to show an interest in him.
Elsewhere, there were first goals of the season for two Irish players, and an assist for Michael Obafemi to keep his strong form going.
Irish Player Ratings
There were only a couple of Premier League fixtures involving Irish players over the weekend, with much on Monday.
Adam Idah came off the bench late on in Norwich City's 2-0 home loss to Burnley, with the Cork native inexplicably left out of the starting lineup once again despite his team having nothing to play for. The Pink Un have been calling for the young striker to be given a starting role for some time now, but he wasn't on long enough to rate on this occasion.
Kevin Long started for the away side, while Robbie Brady was given a 30-minute cameo off the Burnley bench, somewhat of a rarity this season. Long was rated at 8/10 by Lancs Live after yet another very solid performance since coming into the side in recent weeks, while Brady 'showed signs of what he can bring to the team when fully fit' in a 7/10 showing.
Southampton continued their impressive form with a 2-0 win at Bournemouth, with Shane Long starting up front. He was given a 6/10 by Saints Marching. Michael Obafemi came off the bench late on, providing the assist for Che Adams' stoppage time strike.
Signed and 𝓈𝑒𝒶𝓁𝑒𝒹 📩
THAT late @CheAdams_ strike which ensured #SaintsFC maximum points: pic.twitter.com/nmqFtK6plX— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) July 19, 2020
In the Championship, Dara O'Shea started for West Brom in their 2-1 loss At Huddersfield, a result which saw Leeds United promoted. The defender was West Brom's best performer on the day according to the Birmingham Mail, earning a 6/10 rating. Callum Robinson came off the bench for the last 15 minutes.
That result did not prove as costly as initially feared for West Brom after Brentford fell to a 1-0 defeat at Stoke City. James McClean played an important role in that one, earning a 7/10 grade from the Stoke Sentinel for a great shift down the left flank.
Charlton earned an important late point in a 2-2 draw with Wigan, a result which keeps them out of the relegation zone on goal difference. Josh Cullen started in midfield, while Aiden McGeady came off the bench for the last ten minutes.
It was raining Irish goals at Loftus Road on Saturday, with Conor Masterson, Ryan Manning, and Jayson Molumby all finding the back of the net in QPR's 4-3 win over Millwall. Olamide Shodipo also started for the home side.
Masterson netted his first goal for the club, turning home from close range to open the scoring.
Conor Masterson's first #QPR goal ✅#QPRMIL pic.twitter.com/w5JE8Qg3uj
— QPR FC (@QPR) July 19, 2020
Manning grabbed his goal in the second half, producing an impressive long-range strike.
🎯 @ryanmanning4#QPRMIL pic.twitter.com/JggAyD89nH
— QPR FC (@QPR) July 19, 2020
Manning was named in the Championship Team of the Week after this showing, being was rated at 9/10 by West London Sport for an 'inspired' performance. Having only 12 months remaining on his contract and drawing interest from a number of teams, many felt this would be his last game at Loftus Road.
Really, really impressed by Ryan Manning at left-back for QPR today. There’s a Premier League full-back in there.
— Dan O'Hagan (@danohagan) July 18, 2020
Ryan Manning today bloody hell hes premier
— Paul Finney (@paulfinney1969) July 18, 2020
Ryan manning I’ll miss you#QPRMIL
— RyanQPR (@strictbusiness0) July 18, 2020
Masterson was given 7/10 for his performance, while Shodipo was handed 6/10.
Jayson Molumby came off the bench for Millwall with 30 minutes to go, getting his first goal for the club late on with the help of a deflection. This result ended Millwall's play-off hopes.
Luton Town kept their hopes of staying in the division alive with a 1-0 win over Hull City, with James Collins starting up front. Dublin native Peter Kioso also being introduced late on to make his debut for the club.
Fulham still have a slim chance of achieving automatic promotion after their 5-3 win over Sheffield Wednesday, with Cyrus Christie and Harry Arter both starting for the hosts.
Preston's play-off aspirations despite a 2-0 win over Birmingham City, with Sean Maguire coming on for the final ten minutes. Scott Hogan started for the away side, getting a really poor 4.5/10 from the Birmingham Mail after being 'withdrawn again without making an impact'.
Darragh Lenihan played the full 90 minutes in Blackburn's 4-3 win over Reading. It was not one of his better showings after some excellent recent form, getting a 5/10 mark from Lancs Live.
Jason Knight was introduced seven minutes into Derby's 3-1 loss to Leeds, getting a 6/10 from the Derby Telegraph.
