Sam Vokes had a debut to forget for Stoke having arrived on transfer deadline day
On a weekend that saw a number of matches called off because of snowy weather, things certainly heated up in the English Football League on Saturday.
Norwich City won the battle at the top of the Championship as they overcame Leeds United at Elland Road to move to the second-tier summit.
Elsewhere, though, there were contrasting returns and an ever-worsening penalty record among the things you might have missed in the EFL.
A return to forget
MK Dons have lost four of their past five League Two games under Paul Tisdale
It was a day to forget for MK Dons manager Paul Tisdale as he marked his first visit back at St James Park with defeat by his former club Exeter City.
The 46-year-old ended his 12-year tenure as City boss in the summer to move to Stadium MK and, on his return to Devon, the Grecians inflicted a fourth league defeat on Tisdale's side in their past five games.
Exeter, whose fans voted to serve notice on Tisdale's contract in November 2016, moved level on points with their opponents but remain a place below in seventh on goal difference following the victory.
"I'm not quite sure what our lads expected to be honest but they obviously didn't expect what they got in the first 20 minutes," Tisdale told BBC Three Counties Radio.
"It's winter football, there's a low sun, there's very little opportunity to play football. They have to get a lot more streetwise."
A happier return
Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis has now won six games as the away manager at The Hawthorns
Fourteen months after his sacking by West Bromwich Albion, Tony Pulis was back at The Hawthorns for the first time as manager of Middlesbrough.
Following Pulis' departure and four months under Alan Pardew, the Baggies were relegated to the Championship, and Darren Moore is now at the helm.
It's fair to say Pulis had a happier return to the West Midlands than the last time he was there - when Albion were defeated 4-0 by Chelsea in November 2017 - as his Middlesbrough side came from behind to beat the Baggies.
Second-half substitute Britt Assombalonga scored twice within eight minutes to give Boro a 3-2 victory and move them level on points with their opponents, and only a place below in fifth on goal difference.
"I enjoyed parts of it but not all of it," admitted Pulis in his post-match interview with BBC Tees. "It meant a little bit extra because there's been a negative feeling around the place with us not bringing in players.
"It's the fans' football club. I'm just a custodian."
Stoke's penalty misery continues
Sam Vokes' dream debut for Stoke City was not to be as his spot-kick was saved
Two days after signing for Stoke City from Burnley on a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee, things might have looked quite bright for Sam Vokes going into their match against Hull City.
Less than two minutes after Jarrod Bowen had put the Tigers in front with a fine free-kick, the Potters won a penalty after Vokes was brought down.
Up stepped the Wales international, primed to make the headlines for a great debut surely capped off with an equaliser from the spot.
However, Hull City goalkeeper David Marshall saved, compounding the misery Stoke have had from the penalty spot in recent times.
Vokes' miss means Stoke have failed to score five of their seven penalties taken in the Championship this season, with four different players missing - including Benik Afobe twice, Sam Clucas and Saido Berahino.
"We've had an opportunity [to equalise] from a penalty and you can't keep missing them," Stoke boss Nathan Jones told BBC Radio Stoke.
"We've changed the penalty takers so it's not the same one missing. It's put us on the back foot."
Weimann finally scores
A third of Andreas Weimann's goals this season have come against Swansea City
When Andreas Weimann scored Bristol City's winner against Swansea City back in August, Robins fans were lauding him as the perfect replacement for former striker Bobby Reid.
Reid's 21 goals last season earned him a summer move to Premier League newcomers Cardiff City, and Weimann was brought in from Derby County to fill the void.
The 27-year-old's strike at the Liberty Stadium was his fifth goal in five games and head coach Lee Johnson's plan seemed to be coming together perfectly. And then... Weimann just stopped scoring.
Four months passed, during which time goals were disallowed and woodwork was struck, but still no sixth goal of the season.
On Saturday, however, his 24-game, 160-day wait came to an end at last. The opponents? Swansea City.
"Everyone knows I haven't scored in a while and things have gone against me," said the Austrian, whose goal helped the Robins to a 2-0 win at Ashton Gate. "I don't think they can take that one off me."
Seeing Red in blue
Lee Tomlin sees red in Peterborough's 1-0 defeat by Plymouth on Saturday
Lee Tomlin's red card during Peterborough United's 1-0 defeat by Plymouth Argyle on Saturday might, on the face of it, not seem particularly notable.
However, the 30-year-old has now been sent off four times in his past 21 appearances for the Posh across two spells with the club. And the stats are pretty remarkable...
Since joining Peterborough for his first stint in 2010, Tomlin has been sent off seven times in 135 league appearances for the club.
Between his two spells at Posh he made 146 league appearances for five other clubs - Middlesbrough, Bournemouth, Bristol City, Cardiff and Nottingham Forest - during which time he wasn't sent off at all.
In addition to the four red cards - two of which were for second bookable offences - he's received five further yellow cards for the club during that spell.
It's fair to say Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson wasn't happy with the forward for his most recent dismissal.
"Don't give a referee a choice on whether to make a decision, it's as simple as that," he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
