Blackburn are the dominant side in the WhoScored.com Championship Team of the Month for December after they won all four league games. Play-off chasing Stoke, Huddersfield and Middlesbrough are represented as we run through the final best XI of 2021...
Goalkeeper: Adam Davies (Stoke) - 7.45 rating
Match postponements meant Stoke only played three games in December, but Adam Davies was impressive for the Potters nonetheless. Only Joe Lumley (3) kept more clean sheets than Davies (2), with the latter also making the fourth most saves (12) to land a WhoScored.com rating of 7.45.
Centre-back: Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn) - 7.84 rating
With a rating of 7.84, Darragh Lenihan is WhoScored.com's Championship Player of the Month. No team conceded fewer goals than Blackburn (1) across their four games in December with Lenihan key in their defensively-sound showings. Indeed, he won more aerial duels (29) than any other player and provided his first assist of the season in December to feature.
Centre-back: Jan Paul van Hecke (Blackburn) - 7.61 rating
Jan Paul van Hecke joins Blackburn team-mate Lenihan in this three-man defence and is the second of three Rovers representatives to make the XI. The young Dutchman scored his first league goal of the season in December, which came in a man-of-the-match performance at title-contenders Bournemouth, while 18 clearances - the eighth highest - helped Van Hecke to a WhoScored.com rating of 7.61.
Centre-back: Tosin Adarabioyo (Fulham) - 7.58 rating
Rounding off the backline is Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo. The Cottagers failed to win a game in December as they lost ground in the title race, but Adarabioyo scored his first league goal of the season in their top-of-the-table meeting with Bournemouth at the start of the month, while 17 tackles and interceptions combined was a respectable return for the 24-year-old, who earned a WhoScored.com rating of 7.58.
Right wing-back: Isaiah Jones (Middlesbrough) - 7.79 rating
Middlesbrough picked up 13 points from their five games in December, with youngster Isaiah Jones key for Chris Wilder's side. Jones won more WhoScored.com man-of-the-match awards (3) than any other Championship player, having played a starring role in wins over Swansea, Bournemouth and Blackpool. One goal and two assists came from respective returns of five shots and nine key passes, while six clear-cut chances created was the most in the division, as the 22-year-old returned a fine WhoScored.com rating of 7.79.
Central midfield: Mario Vrancic (Stoke) - 7.51 rating
Mario Vrancic's stand-out display in December came in Stoke's 2-0 win at QPR at the start of the month, a match in which he had a direct hand in both goals. Despite only making three appearances in December, Vrancic still made 11 tackles - the 15th best return - to make the best XI with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.51.
Central midfield: Lewis O'Brien (Huddersfield) - 7.46 rating
Anchoring the midfield in the Championship Team of the Month is Huddersfield's Lewis O'Brien. Only a handful of players made more tackles than O'Brien (13) in England's second tier in December, while the 23-year-old got forward from midfield well when on the ball, completing 11 dribbles, the second most, to garner a WhoScored.com rating of 7.46.
Central midfield: Riley McGree (Birmingham) - 7.44 rating
Boasting a WhoScored.com rating of 7.44, Riley McGree joins Vrancic and O'Brien in the middle of the park of this XI. McGree completed nine dribbles in December, the fourth most in the Championship, and registered the fourth most assists (2) in the division, which came from eight key passes.
Left wing-back: Murray Wallace (Millwall) - 7.45 rating
Murray Wallace scored his second goal of the season in December and while two of his three starts came in a three-man defence, the 28-year-old operated on the left of that backline as he put in a number of solid shifts for Millwall. Six tackles and interceptions combined contributed to his inclusion with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.45.
Striker: Ben Brereton Diaz (Blackburn) - 7.78 rating
There were some happy punters last month as Ben Brereton Diaz hit the 20-goal mark. The Chilean scored more goals (4) than any other player as he fired Blackburn into the title race with aplomb. Those four goals came from 16 shots, the third most, to help the 22-year-old to a WhoScored.com rating of 7.78.
Striker: Tom Bradshaw (Millwall) - 7.55 rating
Partnering Diaz in the frontline is Millwall hitman Tom Bradshaw, with the Welshman earning a WhoScored.com rating of 7.55. Bradshaw directly contributed to a goal in all three of Millwall's league games in December, scoring three of the Lions' five goals to round off the best XI.