Derby County secured a 3-0 victory away at Leyton Orient on Saturday afternoon and Conor Hourihane has been showered with praise following his performance in that win.
Derby continued to demonstrate their credentials as promotion candidates as goals from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Louie Sibley and Tom Barkhuizen extended the Rams winning run to five matches.
Paul Warne’s side are on a roll at the moment and look so dangerous in the final third.
They registered a whopping nine shots on target as Orient struggled to live with their explosive front three, however, it was the performance of midfield maestro, Conor Hourihane, who allowed the attackers to strut their stuff.
Conor Hourihane’s statistics against Leyton Orient
An anchor in Warne’s midfield, who boasts a wealth of top-level experience, Hourihane sprinkled that and his abundance of quality at Brisbane Road.
He assisted Mendez-Laing for his goal and ran the show in the engine room all afternoon.
Aside from supplying quality in the final third with an assist, the £12k-a-week playmaker was also a defensive screen in front of Ram’s back line and a creator from deep.
He utilised his energy and tenacity to win the ball back for his team, winning three of his five ground duels, as per Sofascore, while making two key passes and accurately placing one of his attempted long balls.
Orient struggled to get close to the former Aston Villa star who used all of his experience to dominate proceedings in midfield.
It was this performance as a single pivot that allowed the two advanced playmakers, Max Bird and Louie Sibley, to run riot.
And it was no surprise to see the Republic of Ireland international get showered with praise.
Leigh Curtis drops ‘classy’ praise for Hourihane
Dubbed by journalist Leigh Curtis as “classy”, Hourihane rolled back the years with his “best performance of the season” as Derby moved within three points of second place Bolton Wanderers.
The Rams are reaching an important part of the campaign that could determine whether they can challenge for the automatic places.
And it appears that Warne’s troops are hitting form just at the right time following five straight victories in League One.
Hourihane, who has captained the side in each of those wins, has led by example on and off the pitch.
The 32-year-old is a crucial cog in their system and his ability to progress the ball from deep is an attribute that is irreplaceable.
If Derby continue to take the third tier by storm, Hourihane’s contributions in their push for promotion will be vital.