Charlton put on a show on Tuesday night as they produced a magnificent display against Crawley in the EFL Trophy, winning 6-1.
The Addicks have had a disappointing start to the 2021/22 campaign and this result could help lift the confidence heading into the rest of the season. Nigel Adkins' side lost four of their first five competitive fixtures and picked up one solitary point in a 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day.
Their first League One victory came last weekend with a 2-0 win over Crewe Alexandra, with Charlton following that up with an exceptional 6-1 win against Crawley. Josh Davison scored twice, with Corey Taylor, Elliot Lee and Mason Burstow also scoring, along with an own goal from Crawley's George Francomb.
Davison and the other goalscorers will take the acclaim for finding the back of the net, but there was a player in Charlton's midfield who was the unsung hero with his performance in the middle of the park - George Dobson.
The 23-year-old, who arrived from Sunderland in the summer, put on a superb display in midfield as he dominated the game. He recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.9 for his showing, the highest out of all the players who failed to get on the scoresheet - with goals, of course, boosting the ratings of the goalscorers.
Per SofaScore, Dobson won the majority of his duels on the pitch - winning seven of his 12 contests, six of 11 on the ground and one out of one in the air. His key defensive stats, however, are where the true excellence of his performance lay. He made three clearances, five tackles, two blocks and eight interceptions over the course of 90 minutes.
To put that into perspective, Ian Maatsen's average of 4.5 tackles and interceptions per game in League One was the highest in the Charlton squad last season. Dobson managed a combined 13 tackles and interceptions against Crawley, illustrating his dominance in midfield.
Whilst it is easy to be attracted to the players who scored the goals, Dobson was the one winning the ball back and initiating the attacks for Charlton. Without his incredible work in midfield, the rest of the team may not have had the opportunities to go on and score the goals they did, whilst the ex-Black Cats man also registered an assist for his troubles as well.
This is why he was the unsung hero for Adkins on Tuesday night. However, the Addicks boss will now be wanting to see a similar style of display more consistently from the beast in League One going forward.