Championship: Rotherham stun Sheffield United as Watford reach top six | Championship


Sheffield United were denied the chance to go top of the Championship after South Yorkshire rivals Rotherham triumphed at Bramall Lane for the first time in 42 years.

Ben Wiles scored the decisive first-half goal after Chiedozie Ogbene drifted into the box and found the Millers captain unmarked to coolly turn the ball home.

Enda Stevens had the ball in the back of the net before the break as the Blades searched for a leveller, but the scrambled effort was ruled out for offside.

Viktor Johansson kept a fierce John Egan shot out early in the second half and dealt with a late Oli McBurnie effort, while substitute Billy Sharp also headed wide for a Blades side that failed to take anything from a game they dominated.

Josh Ruffels scored his first two goals for Huddersfield – including an audacious winner – as the Championship’s bottom side overcame high-flying QPR 2-1 at Loftus Road.

Lyndon Dykes had taken just 81 seconds to put the hosts ahead in his 100th appearance for the club, with the opener coming just moments after Seny Dieng kept Danny Ward out in a one-on-one at the other end.

The Terriers were quick to respond as the frenzied early pace of the game continued, with Ruffels levelling with a powerful finish into the top corner. The defender decisively beat Dieng again with a hooked overhead finish from the top of the box before the break.

Huddersfield’s Josh Ruffels celebrates after  beating QPR
Huddersfield’s Josh Ruffels celebrates after his two goals helped beat QPR Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA

Luton manager Nathan Jones says he will speak to Southampton about their managerial vacancy on Wednesday, but has insisted that a move to the Premier League club is “not a done deal”.

Speaking after Tuesday’s 2-0 loss at Stoke City, the Welshman said it was a “wonderful honour” to be approached and added: “I hope the fans understand why I’m going for the chat because it’s a different world in the Premier League. I want to be there one day, whether that’s with Luton or with someone else. It’s just an opportunity to go and chat and to find out if it is right for me.”

Jones’ side conceded twice inside the first 13 minutes, both goals coming from left-wing crosses by Morgan Fox. Nick Powell arrived late in the box to head in the opener before Tom Lockyer, under pressure from Liam Delap, diverted into his own net.

Joao Pedro’s double was enough for a victory over Reading that sent Watford into the Championship playoff places. The Brazilian forward scored a goal in each half to give the Hornets a sixth win in 10 games since Slaven Bilic took charge.

Pedro calmly converted from the spot after he had been fouled by Ovie Ejaria as Reading failed to clear a Watford corner. And he wrapped up a deserved victory with a controlled half-volley past substitute goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis late on.

Michael Carrick’s outstanding Middlesbrough dominated Blackpool to claim a 3-0 victory at Bloomfield Road and leap four places to 16th.

Rejuvenated Boro went ahead following Isaiah Jones’ 15th-minute strike and never relinquished control. Carrick’s team scored the second goal their superiority merited when Marcus Forss crashed in a penalty three minutes after half-time.

The excellent Chuba Akpom converted Ryan Giles’ low 65th-minute cross for his fourth goal in four games to end any lingering doubts over the outcome.

Boro, who were winless in their opening six away games this season, have now won three out of four on the road following this emphatic success. Carrick has taken seven points from four games since his appointment last month.

Liam Rosenior was impressed with what he saw from Hull in the 3-2 win at Cardiff despite only having three training sessions with his new team. The former defender took over the Tigers last week and has picked up four points from his first two games.

Having dominated the first half in the Welsh capital, Hull only had a fourth-minute goal from Dimitrios Pelkas to show for their efforts. The boos from the Cardiff fans as the team left the field for half-time showed what they thought of the performance.

Callum Robinson then scored 90 seconds into the second half before crossing for Gavin Whyte to head the home side ahead. But Regan Slater fired in two goals in as many minutes to steal the show to give Rosenior his first win at Hull.

Troy Deeney’s late goal saw Birmingham City claim a point from an entertaining 2-2 draw with Swansea City. Swansea had looked set for a comeback victory having fallen behind to Scott Hogan’s early header.

Olivier Ntcham’s fine 20-yard drive brought the visitors level at St Andrew’s before a rare goal from Swansea captain Matt Grimes. But veteran Blues skipper Deeney struck from point-blank range to salvage a point for John Eustace’s side.

Coventry continued their recent revival as they registered a third consecutive Championship win by beating out-of-form Wigan. The Sky Blues pressed for the opener and were rewarded as the game wore on as Gustavo Hamer fired home a deflected shot. Thelo Aasgaard headed Max Power’s delivery straight at Coventry keeper Ben Wilson as Wigan pushed for a leveller but Viktor Gyökeres pounced on Josh Eccles’ ball to wrap up the win late on.

Hull confirm Liam Rosenior as head coach on contract to 2025 | Hull City


Hull City have confirmed the appointment of Liam Rosenior as their head coach. The former Derby manager has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract at the club where he played from 2010 to 2015.

Rosenior joins with Hull 21st in the Championship after Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat by Middlesbrough, which he watched from the stands. The 38-year-old was removed as Derby manager in late September. He had been in interim charge for 12 games after Wayne Rooney left, having assisted the former England captain and been a coach under Phillip Cocu there.

Rosenior’s first match is at Millwall on Saturday and he has two more – at Cardiff and at home to Reading – before the Championship season breaks for the World Cup. He succeeds Shota Arveladze, who was sacked after eight months.

Rosenior was part of the Hull team that won promotion to the Premier League in 2013 and reached the 2014 FA Cup final. He coached at Brighton before joining Derby.

Andy Dawson, who has been in interim charge of Hull, will remain on the staff.

Championship roundup: Coventry stun Blackburn and West Brom edge to win | Championship


Jamie Allen dragged Coventry out of the Championship relegation zone as he denied Blackburn the chance to go top. Allen fired City in front four minutes before the break and Rovers’ hopes of a fightback were effectively dashed five minutes from time when the substitute Jake Garrett was dismissed for a foul on Callum Doyle.

Coventry climbed a point clear of the relegation zone as a result of their 1-0 win, while Blackburn could find themselves five points adrift of the leaders Burnley if they beat Rotherham on Wednesday evening.

Iliman Ndiaye’s header dragged Sheffield United to within a point of Rovers after a 1-0 victory at Bristol City. Ndiaye struck four minutes after the restart to hand the visitors the advantage, although the goalkeeper Wes Foderingham needed the help of an upright to preserve his clean sheet after George Tanner took aim from distance.

Tanner’s evening took a further turn for the worse deep into stoppage time when he was sent off for an ugly challenge on James McAtee which sparked something of a melee.

It proved a better night for the new managers Michael Carrick and Carlos Corberán as both tasted victory for the first time in their posts.

Carrick’s Middlesbrough won 3-1 at Hull, with a significant helping hand from their hosts. Chuba Akpom headed Boro into a 30th-minute lead from Tommy Smith’s cross, but Hull responded and, after Jean Michaël Seri had rattled a post, the Boro old boy Cyrus Christie levelled on the hour in front of the watching Liam Rosenior, who is expected to be named as Shota Arveladze’s replacement on Wednesday.

However, the visitors were back in front within three minutes when Tobias Figueiredo bundled into his own net under pressure from Dael Fry, and Christie was similarly unfortunate when he defected Ryan Giles’ cross past his own keeper with 10 minutes remaining.

West Brom’s need was even greater as Corberán guided them to a 1-0 victory against Blackpool in his second game at the helm even after furious fans turned on the owner Guochuan Lai. They left it late, however, with Okay Yokuslu making the decisive intervention with just five minutes remaining to end West Brom’s three-match losing streak and clinch a first home win since 20 August.

Albion fans mobilised against Lai in the 12th minute with the chairman, in charge since 2016, the target of their anger having borrowed £5m from the club during the Covid pandemic. The home supporters turned on their torches to ‘shine a light’ on the club’s problems, a move planned by group Action for Albion, and chanted for Lai to go.

A Brad Potts goal was enough to hand Preston victory against high-flying Swansea. Potts put the home side ahead on the half-hour mark when he followed up after Ched Evans’ attempt had been saved, in the process sending Preston level on points with sixth-placed Swansea.

Luton and Reading had to make do with a point apiece after a 0-0 draw at Kenilworth Road on a night when Jeff Hendrick and Andy Carroll both went close for the visitors after the break.

Championship roundup: Anass Zaroury strikes late to keep Burnley on top | Championship


Anass Zaroury headed a dramatic Burnley winner deep into added time as they came from behind to beat Reading 2-1 at Turf Moor.

The goal came after Manuel Benson’s equaliser had levelled Tom Ince’s opener, as the Clarets extended their unbeaten record to 15 in the league and stayed above neighbours Blackburn.

Ince’s goal had given Reading a second-half lead in a tight encounter, raising hopes that his father Paul’s team could build on last week’s victory over Bristol City that ended a run of three defeats. But the Clarets had the final word thanks to the Belgium U21 international Zaroury, who gave Reading problems throughout.

Blackburn sealed a hard-earned 1-0 victory at managerless Hull. Rovers have now won four games in a row and left East Yorkshire with three more deserved points thanks to a cool 15th-minute effort from Sammie Szmodics.

The hosts, who look set to announce Liam Rosenior as their new manager, had enjoyed a mini resurgence under interim head coach Andy Dawson, but lacked the imagination to land a blow on their well-organised opponents.

Carlos Corberan is convinced he can solve West Brom’s problems after starting his reign with a bruising 2-0 home defeat against Sheffield United. First-half goals from Iliman Ndiaye and Oli McBurnie gave Albion a mountain to climb, and they were booed off at full-time. They languish in the relegation zone after just one win in 12 games.

“I believe in the players we have and in the work we need to do to change this situation and this momentum,” said Corberan. “I will decide one way to work and we will go that way in any circumstance. We need to start with a high level of a strong mentality.”

Sheffield United players celebrate after their win at West Brom.
Sheffield United players celebrate after their win at West Brom. Photograph: Morgan Harlow/Getty Images

Norwich turned in an improved second-half performance to beat Stoke 3-1 and record their first win in seven league games. The Canaries were below par for long periods but stuck to their task and followed up a goal late in the first half with two in the second to get their promotion campaign back on track.

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League One roundup: Charlton and Ipswich share eight goals

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Ipswich missed out on the chance to move to the top after Charlton hit a last-gasp leveller in an eight-goal thriller at the Valley.

With league leaders Plymouth not in action until Monday, the Tractor Boys looked like taking full advantage having let a two-goal lead slip before four stoppage-time goals saw the sides draw 4-4.

It took until first-half injury time for the deadlock to be broken as George Edmundson’s header put Ipswich in front before Tyreece John-Jules nodded in to double the advantage.

Charlton hit back through Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Albie Morgan but when both Freddie Ladapo and Sam Morsy hit fine injury-time goals, the points looked to be heading back to Suffolk.

Instead there was still time for the hosts to wrestle back a share of the spoils as Terell Thomas pulled a goal back and George Dobson headed home in the ninth minute of added time.

Sheffield Wednesday moved to within three points of the top two as they put pay to a Burton comeback to beat the division’s new bottom side 4-2.

The Owls were four goals to the good after a decent Barry Bannan finish, a Michael Smith penalty, Mallik Wilks’ strike and a Fisayo Dele-Bashiru effort.

Sam Winnall and Tom Hamer halved the arrears but Wednesday could afford for Lee Gregory to miss from the spot in between the visitors’ goals and still take the points.

Things were much more straightforward for fourth-placed Peterborough, who beat Cambridge 1-0 courtesy of an early Lloyd Jones own goal.

Morecambe moved off the foot of the table as they earned a 1-1 draw at Wycombe, Adam Mayor’s effort direct from a corner cancelling out Chris Forino’s header for the hosts.

Forest Green are just a point off the bottom having lost 2-0 at Barnsley, Devante Cole and Josh Martin on target, while MK Dons complete the relegation zone after a 0-0 draw at Cheltenham.

David McGoldrick hit a hat-trick as Derby beat Bristol Rovers 4-2 with all six goals coming in a frenetic first half. James Collins scored County’s second with Bobby Thomas and Anthony Evans scoring for Rovers.

Djavan Anderson, Ciaron Brown and Steve Seddon scored as Oxford pulled themselves away from the drop zone with a fine 3-1 win at Bolton, whose reply came from Dion Charles.

Fleetwood eased to a 3-0 home win over Accrington with three goals in 10 minutes.

Daniel Butterworth’s goal saw Port Vale beat Lincoln 1-0 as Portsmouth and Shrewsbury drew 1-1.

Photograph: James Manning/PA

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Teenage midfielder Aaron Ramsey was the star, scoring twice to put Norwich 2-0 up in a match which could have gone either way, while substitute Gabriel Sara added a third before Nick Powell fired a late consolation for the visitors.

Nigel Pearson was proud of his illness-hit Bristol City side after they had the better of a 1-1 draw with high-flying Swansea. Tommy Conway fired the hosts in front in the midday kick-off with his eighth goal of the season on 24 minutes, a low drive from Nahki Wells’ perfectly-paced pass. But other chances went begging and the Swans levelled on 76 minutes, substitute Olivier Ntcham firing home with a deflected volley from 20 yards when a corner was cleared into his path.

Pearson was without four centre-backs, including Rob Atkinson, who pulled out shortly before the game with the bug that had affected several other players during the week. “We have had numerous players under medication,” Pearson said, “but we restricted a very good Swansea side to few chances. We’ll take a head count of fit players tomorrow. At the moment, I have no idea who will be available for Tuesday.”

João Pedro headed home the only goal with three minutes left at the DW Stadium to give improving Watford a 1-0 victory at strugglers Wigan. Pedro’s effort earned Slaven Bilic’s side a third win in four games, leaving them two points off the play-off places. Wigan, though, have lost six of their last seven and sit two points above the relegation zone.

Elliot Embleton came off the bench to score a second-half equaliser as Sunderland earned a 1-1 draw at Luton. Both sides were denied by the woodwork before Carlton Morris put the hosts in front on the stroke of half-time, but the impressive Jack Clarke set up Embleton for the leveller.

Huddersfield moved off the foot of the table with a dominant display in a 1-0 home win over Millwall. The visitors, who had won four on the trot heading into the fixture, could not recover from an early setback when Yuta Nakayama opened the scoring in freakish fashion with a miscued cross.

Michael Carrick had an immediate insight into the cold realities of full-time football management when Jordan Storey’s stoppage-time goal earned Preston a 2-1 comeback victory over Middlesbrough.

Carrick, who was appointed head coach on Teesside on Monday, enjoyed a promising start to his tenure when Chuba Akpom nodded Boro in front after eight minutes. But Emil Riis thrashed home his fifth goal of the campaign to equalise 10 minutes before the break, and Storey stole in to head home in the first of three added minutes.

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League Two roundup: Leyton Orient move three points clear

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Leyton Orient extended their lead at the top to three points after Paul Smyth scored the only goal against Salford.

Stevenage lost ground, but stay second, after they were held 1-1 at Colchester, who dropped to the foot of the table despite a second successive draw.

Sam Hoskins’ stoppage-time equaliser rescued Northampton a point in a 1-1 home draw against Newport and kept his side in the automatic promotion places. Newport appeared set for victory after Omar Bogle had given them an early lead, but Hoskins levelled in the third minute of added time.

Swindon climbed up to fourth after twice coming from behind to win 5-2 at 10-man promotion rivals Mansfield. Kellan Gordon gave Mansfield the lead inside the opening minute and Will Swan was also on target for the home side. Jonny Williams’ double cancelled out both goals before Luke Jephcott put the Robins in front for the first time early in the second half.

Mansfield’s Hiram Boateng was dismissed for two yellow cards with 31 minutes remaining, and after Ronan Darcy made it 4-2, Ben Gladwin’s late penalty completed the scoring.

Barrow striker Josh Gordon’s double helped lift his side up to fifth after a 3-0 home win against Crewe.

Bradford moved up one place to sixth despite being held 1-1 at home by Crawley, who equalised through James Tilley’s free-kick after Dion Pereira had given the hosts a second-half lead.

Carlisle jumped back into the top seven as Kristian Dennis scored twice, his second from the penalty spot, in a 2-0 win at Tranmere.

Walsall secured back-to-back wins thanks to Hayden White’s solitary goal at home against Rochdale and Harrison Biggins’ second-half header earned Doncaster a 1-0 home win against Gillingham.

Stockport registered their fourth straight win in all competitions by beating 10-man Sutton 3-0. Kyle Wootton headed Stockport into a half-time lead after Omar Bugiel’s straight red card for his challenge on Will Collar, before goals in the second period from Paddy Madden and Collar eased them to victory.

Harrogate slipped to back-to-back defeats, losing 3-2 at AFC Wimbledon.

Hartlepool clinched their second league win of the season, 2-1 at home against Grimsby, to climb off the bottom. Alex Lacey and Niall Maher’s own goal snapped Pools’ four-game losing run after their former midfielder Gavan Holohan had given Grimsby an early lead.

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Jerry Yates scored his seventh goal in five games as Blackpool came from behind to beat Coventry 2-1. Kasey Palmer’s first Coventry goal had put the hosts ahead before half-time but Gary Madine equalised after missing three fantastic first-half opportunities. Yates then headed Blackpool in front with 10 minutes to go to secure the Tangerines’ first away win in five.

Substitute Jaden Philogene’s second-half strike was enough to earn Cardiff a 1-0 home win over Rotherham. Philogene’s 65th-minute winner halted a run of three successive losses for Bluebirds’ interim manager Mark Hudson as they bounced back from last week’s derby defeat to Swansea.

Championship roundup: QPR stay top while Burnley roar back at Sunderland | Championship


QPR remain top of the Championship after a 2-1 win over Wigan at Loftus Road capped a perfect week for the west London club.

Sam Field put Rangers ahead on 12 minutes, and Leon Balogun quickly restored their lead after Nathan Broadhead’s equaliser. Rangers’ victory was their fifth in six matches and came 48 hours after manager Mick Beale delighted fans by turning down the chance to manage Wolves.

Burnley staged an incredible second-half comeback with three goals inside 19 minutes to beat Sunderland 4-2 at the Stadium of Light.

The hosts made an impressive start, securing a 2-0 lead through quickfire goals from Amad Diallo and Dan Neil inside the opening 20 minutes. But with Sunderland hoping for only their second win in seven games, Burnley showed their promotion credentials by turning things around after the break.

Nathan Tella pulled one back in the 50th minute before Vincent Kompany’s Belgian compatriots Manuel Benson and Anass Zaroury put the visitors on course for maximum points with goals in the 61st and 69th minutes. There was still time with three minutes left for captain Josh Brownhill to put the seal on another win for Burnley, who remain third, while Sunderland sit 13th.

Burnley celebrate Manuel Benson’s equaliser at the Stadium of Light.
Burnley celebrate Manuel Benson’s equaliser at the Stadium of Light. Photograph: Alex Dodd/CameraSport/Getty Images

Teenager Adam Wharton’s first senior goal helped high-flying Blackburn to a battling 2-1 win over Birmingham. The Rovers academy graduate fired in a fine low strike just before the break, adding to the hosts’ 17th-minute opener from former Birmingham loanee Sam Gallagher. Scott Hogan pulled one back with ten minutes to go.

Teemu Pukki spurned the chance to earn Norwich victory and complete his hat-trick as a poor penalty ensured Sheffield United took a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane. Goalkeeper Adam Davies made a comfortable save as goals from Ben Osborn and Ollie McBurnie earned the Blades a point following Pukki’s first-half double.

Substitute Tyler Burey struck a 90th-minute winner as Millwall made it four league wins in a row by coming from behind to defeat West Brom 2-1 at The Den. The hosts are now up to fifth in the table after making their pressure count against the Baggies, who had Kyle Bartley sent off with five minutes left, after Callum Styles had cancelled out John Swift’s opener.

Hull made it back-to-back wins under interim head coach Andy Dawson after a resounding 4-2 win at Rotherham. The Millers headed into the game full of confidence after recording two wins on the bounce under their new manager Matt Taylor, but they were swept aside by their neighbours from East Yorkshire, with goals from Jacob Greaves, Cyrus Christie, Ryan Longman and Ozan Tufan.

Reading ended a run of three successive league defeats with a hard-earned 2-0 victory over Bristol City at the SCL Stadium. Neither side offered much going forward in a drab first half, but Reading made the breakthrough in the 52nd minute, when loanee Mamadou Loum headed in from a Tom Ince corner. And, deep in stoppage time, Andy Carroll made the points safe for the hosts by clinically finishing a quick counter-attack.

Andy Carroll makes the three points safe for Reading.
Andy Carroll makes the three points safe for Reading. Photograph: Jasonpix/Shutterstock

Blackpool upset the division’s tightest defence with a four-goal display to beat Preston 4-2 in a pulsating Lancashire derby. CJ Hamilton sealed the win at Bloomfield Road with the last kick of the game, placing the ball into an open goal from 45 yards.

Jerry Yates had opened the scoring on 30 minutes but Preston hit back quickly when Ben Whiteman scored from the spot. Teenager Charlie Patino then fired the hosts back in front on 68 minutes, before teeing up Yates for his second. A Callum Connolly own goal on 89 minutes gave Preston hope, but Hamilton made it safe in added time, finding the empty net with Freddie Woodman out of his goal having gone forward for a corner.

Coventry’s revival continued as they secured a third successive victory with a 2-0 win at Stoke. The Potters, who slumped to a second home defeat in the space of five days, dominated but to no avail. Gustavo Hamer created the opener for Jamie Allen in the second half and added a second as the visitors closed the gap to safety to just one point.

Leo Percovich’s reign as Middlesbrough’s temporary manager continued with a goalless draw at home to Huddersfield. While Michael Carrick has been widely touted as Boro’s likely new manager, the former Manchester United midfielder was nowhere to be seen at the Riverside as the Teessiders were frustrated by a dogged Huddersfield side, who nevertheless remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

Championship roundup: Dykes sends QPR top, Middlesbrough thump Wigan | Championship


Lyndon Dykes scored twice as Queens Park Rangers moved to the top of the Championship with an easy 3-0 victory against 10-man Cardiff at Loftus Road. Dykes struck a 19th-minute penalty after Jack Simpson was shown a straight red card for bringing down Sinclair Armstrong, then doubled his side’s lead before the break.

Kenneth Paal added a third to make it four wins from five for QPR, whose manager Michael Beale is set to hold talks with Wolves over their vacancy this week.

The impending arrival of Michael Carrick as new manager inspired Middlesbrough to a thumping 4-1 win at Wigan, despite the hosts grabbing a 34th-minute lead through Will Keane. Isaiah Jones equalised just before the break and second-half strikes from Duncan Watmore, Hayden Hackney and a Chuba Akpom penalty left Middlesbrough in full control.

Burnley missed the chance to leapfrog local rivals Blackburn into top spot as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Birmingham. Johann Berg Gudmundsson belted the visitors in front in the 74th minute but they were denied a third straight win when Scott Hogan equalised six minutes later for the hosts.

Sheffield United also missed the chance to go back to the summit as they saw their winless streak extend to five games after a 1-0 defeat at Coventry. The home side pushed throughout and got their reward three minutes from time when Martyn Waghorn converted a penalty to lift Coventry off the bottom of the table.

Goals from Ryan Longman, Greg Docherty and Regan Slater saw Hull end a run of two straight losses with a 3-1 win at Blackpool, who had equalised through Kenny Dougall. Tom Bradshaw scored a first-half hat-trick as Millwall cruised to a 3-0 victory over Watford at the Den.