An incredible weekend of football in the football league has now allowed us to see what each table might look like at the end of the season. Now three weeks in, the Championship is starting to take shape and it is certainly looking interesting. Our team of experts have played close attention to all of the matches in the English second tier and have decided that these are the players that stood out in Matchday 3.

GK - Freddie Woodman (Preston)

The English goalkeeper has finally found his place at Preston, after spending eight years at Newcastle in which he made just four league appearances. This weekend he helped Preston to a win and a clean sheet against Luton Town, who many had tipped to be one of the strongest sides in the Championship this season.

Despite having most of the opportunities, Luton were unable to find a way past Freddie Woodman, who made three crucial saves to earn his side all three points. The result means that Preston have now earned their first points of the season along with their first clean sheet in the league.

RB - George Tanner (Bristol City)

Bristol City’s draw against Coventry this weekend means that the Robins are still unbeaten in the league this season. This time around it was thanks to a fantastic strike from full-back George Tanner that earned them their point.

A George Tanner thunderbolt from the edge of the box pic.twitter.com/tVzhMCrhEf

— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) August 24, 2024

In added time at the end of the first half, a Bristol City corner wasn’t cleared properly, and on the edge of the box was Tanner to volley home his first goal since the 2021/22 season. He will be disappointed that his team couldn’t keep out Coventry for the whole 90 minutes, but he has definitely earned himself an inclusion here.

CBs - Liam Lindsay (Preston) and Sean McLoughin (Hull City)

Liam Lindsay was part of the Preston team that kept Luton out for 90 minutes at the weekend. He played as the central defender in a back three and made a number of crucial tackles and interceptions to keep a clean sheet for his side. Like Woodman he was a standout performer in the team and will be hoping that there are more clean sheets to come.

Sean McLoughin played out a 0-0 draw for Hull City against Millwall last weekend. The Lions tried to play counter attacking football but were stopped each time by McLoughin. The anticipated a lot of Millwall’s attacks and managed to break up play well, as well as being composed on the ball when asked to play out of the back.

LB - Junior Firpo (Leeds)

Friday’s game saw Leeds travel to Sheffield Wednesday and come away with a comfortable 2-0 win. The reason it was so comfortable for much of the game was down to the solidity that Leeds had in defence. Junior Firpo stood out in this respect as he managed the game well from full-back.

On top of this, he was able to push forward at times and help the attack. He didn’t register a goal or an assist, but he proved a capable asset on the left side of their attack and will be hoping to continue this good form into their next game. He has struggled since he left Barcelona in 2021, but his recent performances have shown that he is still a quality player.

RM - Tom Fellows (West Brom)

West Brom have started the season well, their win against Stoke City at the weekend was their second in the league this season. There were a number of top performers in their 2-1 victory, but Tom Fellows stood out as he registered the assists for both of West Brom’s goals.

Death, Taxes & Tom Fellows getting to the byeline pic.twitter.com/mw5kAvHE4D

— WBA Rainbow Stand 🅙 (@TheRainbowStand) August 24, 2024

A fast and creative winger, Fellows is just 21 years old and could be a future star in English football. Outside of his assists he performed really well and is clearly a firm favourite at the Hawthorns. The Baggies look like a really strong side this year and if they are to push for promotion, it will be down to players such as Fellows.

CMs - Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough) and Ollie Arblaster (Sheffield United)

In an incredible game at the Riverside Stadium, Finn Azaz stood out in midfield for Middlesbrough. He registered an assist from a corner and helped to control the middle of the park. The game ended in a 2-2 draw against Portsmouth, but Middlesbrough created the most chances and had the most possession by far, all down to the solidity in midfield created by Azaz.

Ollie Arblaster is a really good young talent for Sheffield United. Last season he came into the team and was clearly levels above his teammates as they got relegated, but this season he has stepped up another level. Last weekend he earned his team a point away at Norwich City with a well taken goal, his second in the league this season. The game was tight and neither side could find a winner, but Arblaster was certainly the standout performer from midfield.

LM - Romaine Mundle (Sunderland)

After three games, Sunderland are one of two sides to have maintained a 100% record in the league. Their latest and strongest test came at home to Scott Parker’s Burnley. The Black Cats won 1-0 with Romaine Mundle scoring the only goal of the game.

Romaine Mundle is currently playing for Sunderland at home to Burnley and has put the Black Cats ahead! He was always touted as having great potential but never got the opportunities at Spurs. Great to see him thriving at this level. #COYS #THFC #SAFC pic.twitter.com/6d48Vq63CT

— THFC Spotlight (@THFCSpotlight) August 24, 2024

It really should have been more convincing from Sunderland, who managed 14 shots to Burnley’s four, but the hosts only had around 40% possession. Mundle is a good player with plenty of years still ahead of him. With Jack Clarke’s move to Ipswich, it will give the 21-year-old a chance to show his worth to the Sunderland fans.

ST - Mateo Joseph (Leeds)

A striker’s role is usually to score goals, so to put one who didn’t find the back of the net this weekend into a team of the week is unusual. Mateo Joseph was crucial to Leeds’ win on Friday, with the Spanish youngster registering both assists in the 2-0 win.

While his first assist may have been completely accidental, there was nothing accidental about his second. He played a 40 yard through ball to Dan James who finished brilliantly to give Leeds the much needed win.

ST - Christian Saydee (Portsmouth)

I think there’ll be a lot of Portsmouth fans who are still unconvinced by Christian Saydee, who joined the club from Bournemouth in June of last year, but his performance last weekend against Middlesbrough has definitely earned him some plaudits.

💬 Christian Saydee: “Scoring goals means so much and so I was delighted to get two of them and hopefully I can now build on that.”#Pompey Portsmouth FC https://t.co/27xOhdlCMr pic.twitter.com/lKhbGSM1IV

— PompeyNewsNow🎙PO4cast (@PompeyNewsNow) August 24, 2024

Two well taken first half goals from the young striker were not enough to earn his team their first win of the season as Tommy Conway equalised from the spot for Middlesbrough late on. Portsmouth are still unbeaten in the league, having drawn all three games, and Saydee has certainly justified the faith that manager, John Mousinho, has shown in him.

Championship Player of the Week - Christian Saydee