Coventry staged a stunning comeback to beat Derby 5-3 at Pride Park. The visitors, coached by the former Derby manager Frank Lampard, scored three times in the space of eight minutes for a remarkable victory.
The teams traded goals in the first half with Derby twice coming from behind to go in level at the break before their captain, Ebou Adams, put them in front. But after Brandon Thomas-Asante equalised, Ephron Mason-Clark and Victor Torp settled a pulsating match.
Coventry’s first goal was tinged with good fortune as Jacob Widell Zetterström punched Matt Grimes’s low free-kick against Bobby Thomas and the ball bounced into the net in the seventh minute. There was nothing remotely lucky about the equaliser five minutes later. David Ozoh won a free-kick on the left side of the penalty area and Callum Elder bent his shot at pace into the top-right corner.
Haji Wright made no mistake when Coventry won a penalty in the 25th minute, but the home side levelled in first-half added time after Thomas handled a cross and Carlton Morris coolly rolled in the penalty.
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League One roundup: Stevenage maintain 100% record
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Stevenage went top of League One after extending their 100% start to the season with a 2-0 home win over Northampton. Dan Kemp headed Stevenage into a second-half lead and Gassan Ahadme, signed on loan from Charlton on Thursday, fired home a late second.
Cardiff moved up to second as goals from Yousef Salech, Cian Ashford and Rubin Colwill secured a comfortable 3-0 home win against Rotherham.
Stockport missed the chance to go top as they let slip a 2-0 half-time lead with goals from Nathan Lowe and Joseph Olowu at Leyton Orient to draw 2-2. Aaron Connolly reduced the deficit early in the second half and Ollie O’Neill fired a stoppage-time equaliser.
Barnsley‘s 10 men were denied a third straight win by John McAtee’s late equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Bolton at Oakwell. David McGoldrick struck for the home side early in the second half and after Vimal Yoganathan was dismissed for two yellow cards McAtee struck in the closing stages.
Blackpool‘s Niall Ennis struck twice before being sent off as his side beat Huddersfield 3-2 at home. The goals sandwiched Lee Evans’s effort for the Seasiders after Ben Wiles had given Huddersfield an early lead. Although Lynden Gooch struck the visitors’ second and Ennis was sent off soon after, the home side held on.
The veteran striker Billy Sharp, 39, was on target for Doncaster in their 1-1 home draw against Wycombewho levelled through Junior Quitirna, while goals from Stephen Humphrys and Bobby Pointon sealed a 2-1 home win from Bradford against Luton.
First-half goals from Christian Saydee and Jason Kerr earned Wigan a 2-0 home win against Peterborough and Reading slumped to a third straight league defeat, 2-1 at home to AFC Wimbledon.
Plymouth also remain winless and had midfielder Brendan Wiredu sent off in a 3-2 defeat at Lincolnfor whom James Collins scored twice, once from the penalty spot.
Port Vale had their captain, George Byers, sent off in a 0-0 draw at Burtonwhile Mansfield notched their first league win of the season after Will Evans’s late goal clinched a 2-1 victory at Exeter. Pa Media
Five minutes into the second half Derby were ahead. A long throw dropped to Adams who placed a low shot into the bottom corner from 10 yards, but the game changed again as Coventry scored twice in the space of four minutes. Another long throw in the 72nd minute was headed by Thomas against a post and Thomas-Asante bundled the ball over the line.
Derby were caught cold three minutes later when Milan van Ewijk got in on the right and crossed for Mason-Clark to head in at the back post. Four minutes later Coventry had a fifth with Torp given space just inside the area to fire a low shot in off the left post to seal their first win at Derby in 11 matches.
The substitute Lyndon Dykes scored the winner eight minutes into second-half stoppage time as Birmingham completed a remarkable turnaround to defeat Blackburn 2-1. After controlling the first half, Birmingham found themselves a goal down early in the second when Todd Cantwell stroked home a sumptuous volley. Despite being outplayed in the second half, Birmingham snatched victory in dramatic fashion as Jay Stansfield restored parity in the 90th minute with a clinical penalty and Dykes slid in the winner eight minutes later.
Ronald condemned Sheffield United to a third successive defeat as Swansea claimed a 1-0 win. He struck in the 66th minute to give the home side a deserved victory against opponents who lacked any threat. The new Blades boss, Rubén Sellés, has started his reign with a 4-1 home thrashing by Bristol City, a Carabao Cup exit to Birmingham and now a toothless display in south Wales.
“We need to find our platform, but it’s the nature of football,” said Sellés when asked if he feared supporters would turn on him. “We know how it works and I can ask them to be calm. But they are going to tell me, probably: ‘Fuck off.’ Something like that, no?”
Stoke added to the problems for troubled Sheffield Wednesday with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Hillsborough. Million Manhoef got the visitors off to a flying start and later added a second goal, with Divin Mubama also getting his name on the scoresheet.
There were protests from Wednesday supporters in the buildup to the game with a coffin carried through nearby Hillsborough Park to signify the “death of the club”, amid continuing financial problems under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri. Supporters were also encouraged to blow whistles during the first five minutes of the match. Many did so despite messages over the PA system asking them to stop.
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League Two roundup: Three of out three for Crewe and Chesterfield
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Crewe sit top of League Two as they made it three wins from three thanks to Tommi O’Reilly’s first-half effort in a 1-0 win against Crawley at Gresty Road. Chesterfield also extended their 100% start as late goals from Kyle McFadzean and Armando Dobra secured a 3-1 home win against Bristol Roverswho slipped to a third straight league defeat.
MK Dons thumped Cheltenham 5-0 at home to climb to third, with Jack Sanders, Alex Gilby, Callum Paterson, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Aaron Nemane on target.
Kieran Green’s stoppage-time goal earned Grimsby a 2-1 home win against Newport to lift them up to fourth and James Norwood’s effort in added time earned Fleetwood a 2-2 draw at Bromley.
Promoted Oldham are still waiting for their first league win after losing 2-1 at home to Swindonwhile Barnet, Accrington and Notts County all remain winless.
Barnet lost 2-1 at home to Walsall, Accrington went down 2-1 at Salford and Barrow beat Notts County at home by the same score.
Colchester registered their first league win of the season, 2-0 at Shrewsburywhile Cambridge and Tranmere were held to 1-1 draws at home by Harrogate and Gillingham respectively. Pa Media
Alfie Jones struck his first goal for Middlesbrough in a 3-0 victory at Millwall that secured back-to-back wins to start the season. Not since 1994 – the club’s last season at Ayresome Park – have Boro started a league campaign by winning their opening two fixtures. Jones added to Hayden Hackney’s opener, with Delano Burgzorg notching a late third as Middlesbrough put their embarrassing Carabao Cup loss against Doncaster in midweek behind them.
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Jeremy Monga became the second tier’s youngest-ever goalscorer but could not prevent Leicester losing 2-1 to Preston. The substitute, aged 16 years and 37 days, beat the record held by Jude Bellingham when cancelled out Alfie Devine’s early opener. However, Milutin Osmajic struck five minutes from full-time to secure the points for home side.
Martí Cifuentes criticised the effort of Leicester’s in-demand midfielder Bilal El Khannouss. The 21-year-old, linked with Crystal Palace, West Ham and Leeds, was replaced by Patson Daka at half-time after a subdued display in the opening 45 minutes. The Leicester manager said: “I was not very happy with Bilal’s performance. I always expect a lot with players of this quality … I was obviously not happy with the performance of the whole team in the first half, it was not just about Bilal. But I am more demanding with the best players and I think Bilal is a fantastic player.”
Norwich won at Portsmouth thanks to first-half goals from Harry Darling and Josh Sargent. Adrian Segecic scored a late consolation for Pompey, who also missed a penalty through Colby Bishop.
Norwich had to survive 10 minutes of added time, during which they appealed for another penalty when Connor Ogilvie went down under Jacob Wright’s challenge. Instead, the referee booked Ogilvie for simulation. Norwich survived a final scare when John Swift hit the bar with a controlled volley.
Luca Kjerrumgaard struck twice in four first-half minutes on his home league debut as Watford by beat QPR 2-1. The victory was marred when midfielder Imran Louza, on his 100th appearance for Watford, was given a straight red card three minutes into added time for a high tackle on Jonathan Varane. Kjerrumgaard’s headed double came during a superb first-half display by the home side, but QPR set up a nervy second half when Kieran Morgan scored seconds before the break.
Defences were on top at Ashton Gate where Bristol City and Charlton played out a goalless draw.
In an early kick-off, West Brom beat Wrexham 3-2 for their second win of the season.
