Teemu Pukki's prowess may be enough to save Norwich

1 Pukki prowess may save Norwich

Norwich are long odds-on in the relegation betting but their performance in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Leicester would suggest that Daniel Farke's side are far from resigned to their supposed fate.

City played with confidence from the start and were well worth a share of the points against a Leicester side perched 27 points above the Canaries and highly motivated by the desire to register a ninth successive league victory and keep up the pressure on Liverpool.

Leicester were probably below the standards they have set in recent weeks and struggled to cope with Norwich's intelligent football and the movement and quality of Teemu Pukki.

The flying Finn produced a turn of pace and fine finish to sweep Norwich into the lead and was a threat in the second half despite being hampered by a broken toe.

Norwich must be keeping their fingers crossed that Pukki can play on through the pain barrier because his goals and quality will be needed over the next few weeks.

2 Saints may not survive

One of the teams Norwich will be looking to overtake are third-bottom Southampton, who can be backed at 2-1 for relegation despite spending the majority of the last six weeks in the drop zone.

The Saints recently registered narrow 2-1 victories at home to relegation rivals Norwich and Watford, which is just as well because otherwise they would be in a massive hole.

They are often favoured by the markets and were odds-on with most firms to defeat West Ham on Saturday.

However, Southampton performed poorly and could have no complaints with the 1-0 loss to a Hammers side who had taken just five points from the previous ten matches.

3 Rovers revival may continue

Sky Bet Championship top two Leeds and West Brom have been outstanding since the November international break, taking 16 points from six games, but their recent exploits have been matched by Blackburn, who are closing in on the playoff places.

Rovers were 18th going into the November international break but Saturday's 2-0 victory at Bristol City lifted them to ninth – just one point outside the top six and three adrift of third-placed Preston.

Their victory at Ashton Gate was well-deserved and achieved without star midfielder Bradley Dack, who served a one-match ban.

Tony Mowbray freshened up his side with six changes and was rewarded with a superb performance.

4 Rhodes return boosts Wednesday

Natural goalscorers are a rare commodity but Jordan Rhodes has the knack of coming alive in the penalty box and his return to prominence could have massive impact on Sheffield Wednesday's Championship promotion push.

Rhodes made his first start of the season and came up with a perfect first-half hat-trick to help the Owls secure a stunning 4-0 victory at Nottingham Forest.

Wednesday boss Garry Monk said he has been urging Rhodes to train hard and stay patient and, after seeing what the 29-year-old can do, he will surely give him a run in the side.

Given the right service Rhodes might add another 15 goals by the end of the season and that could be crucial in such a tight division.

5 Hodges showing value of inside knowledge

Whenever a manager is dismissed, clubs often search far and wide for a replacement when the answer may be under their noses.

But AFC Wimbledon promoted from within – asking Glyn Hodges to step up from his assistant manager role – and appear to have made the right choice.

Hodges was a stylish player and took the brave decision to implement a more possession-based approach at Wimbledon, despite inheriting a team which had taken just three points from ten games.

And his methods have worked a treat with the Wombles, who beat Doncaster 2-1, collecting 17 points in his opening ten matches.

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