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EFL Essential stats: Aston Villa extend winning derby run

Alan Hutton

We take a look at the top stats and facts from the weekend's action in the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two.

Derby Day divide

Aston Villa continued their recent dominance over Birmingham, extending their unbeaten run to 13 against their rivals - the longest unbeaten sequence in this fixture's history.

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Highlights from the Second City derby as Aston Villa hosted rivals Birmingham at Villa Park in the Sky Bet Championship

Some of the passing stats in this match were particularly contrasting: Birmingham completed just 92 all match, fives-times fewer than the 457 completed by Aston Villa. This was also the fewest by any Championship side in a game this season - 13 fewer than the previous low (105, set by Bolton in their opening fixture).

It took Villa 19 minutes to complete as many passes as Birmingham did all game and, for further context, no Birmingham player completed more than 11 passes - the same as Ahmed El Mohamady made in his 13 minutes on as a substitute.

Middlesbrough march on

Middlesbrough extended their unbeaten run to six, with a 2-1 win over Brentford. Boro - who have more clean sheets than any other EFL side this season - weren't as defensively dominant as they've recently been.

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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Brentford and Middlesbrough

They conceded a ninth goal this season - still four fewer than any other EFL side - but relied on Darren Randolph to secure the three points. The Ireland international made eight saves - a total surpassed by just one Championship goalkeeper in a game all season (Reading's Anssi Jaakkola - 11).

Randolph also now has a save percentage of 85 per cent, the leading return of any Championship goalkeeper, with no other player above 80.4 per cent.

No stopping Norwich

Norwich continued their red-hot form, recording a sixth successive win, and scoring four goals for the third consecutive match.

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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Swansea and Norwich

This is Norwich's best run of wins for almost four years, and it's the best run of wins by any Championship side this season. This is also the first time Norwich have scored 4+ goals in three straight league games since March 1933 - over 85 years ago.

Ton-up for Rodriguez

Jay Rodriguez scored his 100th career goal on Friday night, and his ninth in the Championship this season. It was also his 20th in West Brom colours.

Jay Rodriguez celebrates his opening goal
Image: Jay Rodriguez celebrates his opening goal

Rodriguez has now recorded more league goals than in any of his previous four campaigns, since a joint-career best return of 15 goals in the 2013-14 PL season - a total he's currently on track to easily surpass.

Jay Rodriguez - Career goals breakdown

Burnley 41
Southampton 35
West Brom 20
Stirling Albion 3
Barnsley 1
TOTAL 100

League One

Despite a home defeat to Luton, Gillingham's Tom Eaves continued his clinical form of 2018.

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Highlights of the Sky Bet League One match between Gillingham and Luton

The forward notched his 12th League One goal of the season - more than any other player. He's also scored 21 in 2018, three more than any other player.

Eaves' 12 strikes this season cover 44 per cent of Gillingham's goals, the highest share by any League One player.

League Two

Mansfield's draw v Lincoln made it 12 games unbeaten, equalling the longest unbeaten run by a League 2 side this season (also Forest Green).

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Highlights of the Sky Bet League Two match between Lincoln and Mansfield

This is also their best run since also going 12-games unbeaten in 1991, 27 years ago.

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