Coventrythe leaders, recorded their sixth win in a row with a 3-1 victory over 10-man Watfordwhich proved enough to extend their lead at the top to three points.
Frank Lampard’s side got off to a flying start when Brandon Thomas-Asante and Jamie Allen scored within the first seven minutes. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto made it 3-0 on 42 minutes before James Abankwah was sent off for the visitors. Imran Louza’s second-half penalty proved nothing more than a consolation for Javi Gracia’s side.
It could have been a very different start to the afternoon but for Carl Rushworth in Coventry’s goal, who denied Rocco Vata when the Watford winger was put through one-on-one a minute before Thomas-Asante’s opener. Abankwah’s red card was for hacking down Haji Wright as the American bore down on goal.
Lampard said: “It was a challenging game today because Watford are a good team, and pound for pound that squad’s a strong team in this league. There’s no doubt they’ve got a really good coach there and I think they’ll move up the league. It was a tricky game for us and I thought we did the job and we did it well.”
Hayden Hackney’s first goal since mid-August preserved Middlesbrough’s unbeaten home record by securing a 1-1 draw with Wrexham on their first visit to the Riverside Stadium, but Boro, sitting second, thereby let Coventry pull clear of them. The hosts were forced to battle all the way to deliver a positive result and were thankful to the head of Hackney for finding the net with 10 minutes remaining.
That goal cancelled out Josh Windass’s deflected fourth goal of the season in the seventh minute as Wrexham looked like making it back-to-back wins.
Sheffield Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat by Oxford did little to spoil the atmosphere at Hillsborough despite the home side slipping further adrift at the foot of the table after receiving a 12-point deduction as a result of going into administration this week. Goals from Will Lankshear and Cameron Brannagan gave Oxford a two-goal lead at the break before Sean Fusire pulled one back for Wednesday early in the second half.
The game was played amid a backdrop of renewed optimism among the home supporters following the news that the appointment of administrators had seen the controversial owner, Dejphon Chansiri, relinquish control of the club.
Millwall have now their last four league games after beating Leicester 1-0 and Femi Azeez has scored in all of those after his well-taken goal just before half-time decided the contest at the Den. The win could have been more comfortable had Mihailo Ivanovic not had a penalty saved.
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League One roundup: Cardiff stay top despite defeat
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Stevenage and Bradford cancelled each other out with a 1-1 draw to leave Cardiff still top of the table despite a 1-0 lunchtime defeat at Bolton.
Cardiff had seen their promotion push checked when the on-loan Brighton winger Antonio Cozier-Duberry struck in stoppage time to keep Wanderers within striking distance of the top six.
Stevenage and Bradford then had the opportunity to move clear at the summit, but a draw at the Lamex Stadium meant the top three ended the afternoon all on 26 points. Bradford had taken the lead through Neill Byrne after only three minutes, but Boro were soon back on level terms when Harvey White equalised.
Ian Evatt got off to the perfect start as Blackpool manager with a 2-1 win at fellow strugglers Peterboroughwho responded to this defeat by later dismissing their manager, Darren Ferguson. Evatt, who has replaced Steve Bruce after he was sacked earlier in October, saw his side go ahead after an own goal from Peter Kioso. Although Posh were back on level terms just before the break through Matthew Garbett, Scott Banks struck with five minutes left to secure a much-needed win, with Peterborough replacing Blackpool at the bottom.
A late goal from Lamine Fanne gave Luton a 1-0 win at Northampton for a first victory under Jack Wilshere. Wimbledon lost ground after Omar Bugiel saw his first-half penalty saved in a 1-0 defeat by strugglers Burton while Lincoln also slipped to 1-0 loss at Leyton Orient.
Wycombe beat 10-man Huddersfield 3-0 after Terriers striker Alfie May was shown a red card and Rotherham won 1-0 at Barnsley. Ollie Cooper, on-loan from Swansea, scored his first Wigan goal to earn a 1-1 draw at Mansfieldwhile it also finished 1-1 between Reading and Doncaster. PA Media
Sinclair Armstrong’s first-half strike proved enough for Bristol City to consolidate their position in the playoff places, sealing a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Birmingham at Ashton Gate. The decisive moment came in the 42nd minute when the powerful striker raced on to a Rob Atkinson through ball and outpaced the defence before a slotting a cool right-footed finish beyond the reach of James Beadle.
Carlton Morris grabbed his fifth goal of the season to give Derby a 1-0 victory over QPR. It was his first goal in eight games but it was enough to send QPR to their first away defeat since they were thrashed at Coventry in August.
Jack Clarke came off the bench to net the only goal as Ipswich got back to winning ways against West Brom at Portman Road.
Ipswich were the dominant side throughout but could not make their supremacy pay until Clarke’s fifth goal of the season seven minutes from time. It was a welcome result after back-to-back Championship defeats and lifted Ipswich to a point behind their opponents.
Clarke pounced on a defensive lapse from West Brom with help from two fellow Ipswich substitutes. Alex Mowatt, the West Brom captain, was robbed by Jens Cajuste, who found Iván Azón and his effort was parried to Clarke who fired high into the net.
Mikey Johnston had the ball in the net for West Brom in added time but it was ruled out for a foul in the penalty area. Ryan Mason cut a frustrated figure afterwards. The West Brom manager said: “I think to concede in the nature that we did is extremely disappointing.”
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The Portsmouth defender Hayden Matthews scored a second-half own goal to hand Stoke a much-needed 1-0 win at Fratton Park. Mark Robins’ side had to work hard to claim only their second win in seven league games.
The goal came 20 minutes from time, when Matthews headed a cross from the Wales winger Sorba Thomas beyond his own goalkeeper, Josef Bursik. After a promising start to the season, Portsmouth have now won just one game since the end of August.
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League Two roundup: Tom Lockyer makes return after cardiac arrest
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It was not the biggest game in League Two, between the sides 23rd and 16th at the start of the day, but Bristol Rovers‘ 4-0 defeat at struggling Crawley constituted a major step forward for one man on the losing side. Tom Lockyer was making his first competitive appearance since 16 December 2023, when the then captain of Luton suffered a cardiac arrest in his side’s Premier League match at Bournemouth. He had to have a cardioverter-defibrillator fitted.
Lockyer had been on the point of a comeback last December but sustained ankle ligament damage in training and needed surgery. He left Luton in the summer and moved back to the club where he made his professional debut in 2013. His return (pictured) ended in defeat after Jack Sparkes was sent off for handball in the 34th minute when the game was still goalless. The 30-year-old defender managed almost an hour before being substituted by which time Crawley led through goals from Alfie Kilgour and Harry Forster. Further efforts from Scott Malone and Louis Flower wrapped up the win for Crawley.
Walsall remain top of the table despite losing 1-0 at Cheltenham through a stoppage-time own goal from Aden Flint, which was a second straight defeat. Swindon were left frustrated after a goalless draw against Colchester meant they ended the day level on points with the leaders.
Salford did make the most of their opportunity with a 2-1 win at Gillinghamwhich leaves them a point off the top. After Daniel Udoh gave the visitors an early lead, the Gillingham midfielder Bradley Dack saw his penalty saved and Kallum Cesay soon added Salford’s second.
MK Dons dropped to fourth after their winning run came to an end with a 2-1 defeat at Bromley. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy gave MK Dons an early lead, but Bromley hit back through late goals from Deji Elerewe and Omar Sowunmi to turn the match around.
Connor Jennings struck in stoppage time to give Tranmere a 1-1 draw with Chesterfield and Emre Tezgel’s hat-trick secured Crewe a 3-2 win over Grimsby.
Newportthe bottom side, won 3-0 at out-of-form Harrogate.
Notts County beat Cambridge 2-0, Alassana Jatta scoring twice, Fleetwood came from behind to see off Accrington Stanley 2-1 and 10-man Barrow battled to a 2-2 draw against Barnet.
Oldham salvaged a 2-2 draw at home against Shrewsbury with a stoppage-time header from Joe Garner, just after Tommy McDermott’s late goal looked to have given the visitors victory. PA Media
Mark Robins thought both sides were tired. The Stoke manager said: “It was one of the most important wins we’ve had this season. I think we’ve shown great character. You can see what happens in a three-game week when you’ve had the mileage and everything else and both teams are giving the ball away needlessly, cheaply.”
Blackburn came from behind to defeat 10-man Southampton 2-1. A run of five defeats in six home games in all competitions this season was in danger of being extended after Léo Scienza’s smart 23rd-minute finish. Rovers had struck the goal frame before going behind, spurned two one-on-one chances, and survived themselves when former striker Adam Armstrong was twice clean through, including hitting a post.
But the hosts eventually themselves back into the game when Ryan Alebiosu’s 76th-minute cross deceived everyone, and Andri Gudjohnsen slammed home from close range 10 minutes later – both their first strikes for the club. Welington’s senseless stoppage-time dismissal compounded Saints’ misery.
Swansea piled the pressure on the beleaguered Liam Manning as Zan Vipotnik’s double secured a 2-1 home win over Norwich. The Slovenia striker not scored in his six previous games for club and country but Vipotnik rediscovered his goal touch with two superb strikes, taking his season’s tally to eight and lifting the pressure off Alan Sheehan with a first win in four games.
Jovon Makama equalised from close range before half-time, but the Canaries are in freefall after five successive defeats with further question marks over whether Manning can turn around their fortunes.
The former Bristol City manager had to endure chants of “We want Manning out” and “Sacked in the morning” from fans making a 600-mile round trip from Norfolk as the contest drifted towards its conclusion.
The substitute Luke Berry secured Charlton a dramatic 1-1 draw at Hull. Berry’s stoppage-time header earned his side a share of the points after Joe Gelhardt’s early second-half strike had put the Tigers ahead.
