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Championship MatchDay 32 Wrap-up
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Championship MatchDay 32 ended with Fulham now nine points clear at the top
of the Championship and 11 points clear of third placed QPR. The Cottagers
returned to winning ways with Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic record breaking
performance when he scored his 32nd and 33rd of the season.
The only change in the top six, from last week, was Sheffield United who jumped up to sixth from ninth. Second placed Bournemouth saw another game cancelled leaving them having played two games less than Fulham.
|
Championship table - 24th February 2022 |
|
Home |
Away |
|
| Pos |
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
Pts |
| 1 |
Fulham |
32 |
11 |
4 |
3 |
43 |
16 |
9 |
3 |
2 |
38 |
13 |
52 |
67 |
| 2 |
Bournemouth |
30 |
8 |
3 |
3 |
29 |
15 |
9 |
4 |
3 |
20 |
11 |
23 |
58 |
| 3 |
QPR |
33 |
9 |
6 |
3 |
26 |
15 |
7 |
2 |
6 |
23 |
23 |
11 |
56 |
| 4 |
Huddersfield |
34 |
9 |
5 |
3 |
24 |
17 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
20 |
19 |
8 |
56 |
| 5 |
Blackburn |
33 |
10 |
3 |
3 |
31 |
19 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
14 |
15 |
11 |
54 |
| 6 |
Sheff U |
32 |
8 |
3 |
4 |
24 |
11 |
7 |
5 |
5 |
20 |
22 |
11 |
53 |
| 7 |
Middlesbrough |
32 |
11 |
2 |
4 |
27 |
15 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
14 |
17 |
9 |
52 |
| 8 |
Luton |
32 |
8 |
5 |
3 |
26 |
17 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
19 |
20 |
8 |
51 |
| 9 |
Coventry |
32 |
9 |
3 |
4 |
24 |
14 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
18 |
23 |
5 |
50 |
| 10 |
N Forest |
32 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
21 |
20 |
7 |
5 |
4 |
22 |
13 |
10 |
48 |
| 11 |
West Brom |
33 |
8 |
6 |
1 |
21 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
10 |
14 |
22 |
5 |
46 |
| 12 |
Millwall |
32 |
8 |
5 |
3 |
20 |
13 |
4 |
5 |
7 |
15 |
21 |
1 |
46 |
| 13 |
Preston |
34 |
5 |
9 |
3 |
22 |
20 |
6 |
4 |
7 |
15 |
18 |
-1 |
46 |
| 14 |
Stoke |
32 |
7 |
4 |
6 |
25 |
20 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
16 |
16 |
5 |
44 |
| 15 |
Blackpool |
33 |
8 |
2 |
7 |
17 |
18 |
3 |
7 |
6 |
19 |
22 |
-4 |
42 |
| 16 |
Bristol C |
34 |
7 |
5 |
6 |
23 |
23 |
4 |
2 |
10 |
22 |
38 |
-16 |
40 |
| 17 |
Swansea |
31 |
7 |
4 |
4 |
19 |
14 |
3 |
4 |
9 |
13 |
29 |
-11 |
38 |
| 18 |
Birmingham |
34 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
21 |
21 |
3 |
6 |
9 |
19 |
32 |
-13 |
37 |
| 19 |
Cardiff |
33 |
5 |
2 |
9 |
18 |
21 |
5 |
4 |
8 |
22 |
32 |
-13 |
36 |
| 20 |
Hull |
34 |
5 |
3 |
9 |
15 |
20 |
4 |
4 |
9 |
12 |
19 |
-12 |
34 |
| 21 |
Reading ** |
33 |
5 |
4 |
8 |
25 |
35 |
5 |
1 |
10 |
16 |
28 |
-22 |
29 |
| 22 |
Derby * |
33 |
8 |
6 |
3 |
23 |
16 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
11 |
21 |
-3 |
21 |
| 23 |
Peterborough |
32 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
15 |
18 |
1 |
1 |
15 |
9 |
45 |
-39 |
21 |
| 24 |
Barnsley |
32 |
3 |
4 |
8 |
9 |
17 |
1 |
4 |
12 |
12 |
29 |
-25 |
20 |
Fulham 2 - 1 Peterborough United
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice to set a new Championship goalscoring record as leaders Fulham beat struggling Peterborough to go nine points clear.
The Serbian striker's double took him to 33 goals this season, eclipsing Ivan Toney's 31 for Brentford last campaign.
Mitrovic's first came via the penalty spot as he picked himself up after being fouled to send Steven Benda the wrong way.
The second was a beautifully-controlled volley with the side of his foot after a pinpoint cross from Neeskens Kebano, before Jack Marriott scored an 89th-minute consolation for second-bottom Posh.
Marriott's late strike made the game look closer than it was in a dominant Fulham display that extends their lead at the top of the table and leaves Posh eight points from safety.
Sheffield United 1 - 0 Blackburn Rovers
Ben Davies scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner for 10-man Sheffield United against fellow Championship play-off hopefuls Blackburn in a feisty encounter at Bramall Lane.
The Liverpool loanee had only been brought on as a late substitute moments before he tapped home after Rovers goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski had failed to deal with a corner.
It came after Charlie Goode was sent off for the Blades for a two-footed tackle on Reda Khadra on the halfway line midway through the second half. Minutes later Brighton loanee Khadra saw a penalty wonderfully saved by Wes Foderingham.
Foderingham also produced a brilliant reaction save when Oliver Norwood slashed at a Rovers free-kick and sent the ball towards his own goal before Davies' late intervention gave the home side an unlikely and potentially crucial win.
The win moves the Blades back into the top six while Blackburn slip to fifth after they failed to score in five successive league matches for the first time in their history.
Defeat was harsh on Tony Mowbray's men who will be left ruing Khadra's penalty miss, after John Egan had handled his cross, and an excellent display from Foderingham.
Queens Park Rangers 2 - 1 Blackpool
Luke Amos struck in the 89th minute to hand 10-man QPR a first Championship win in five games at the expense of Blackpool.
The hosts, who move up to third in the table, dominated the first half and went ahead when Jimmy Dunne headed in a corner.
But Dion Sanderson's dismissal before the break for an apparent headbutt on Reece James gave the Tangerines a way back into the game and they eventually equalised through Josh Bowler late on.
Gary Madine missed two chances to win it for the visitors before Amos got a boot on George Thomas' cross to poke home the winner.
| Championship MatchDay 32 ~ Results |
| Tuesday 22nd February 2022 |
| KO | Home | Res | Away | Att |
| 19:45 | Bristol City |
1-2 |
Coventry | 19192 |
| 19:45 | Hull |
0-2 |
Barnsley | 18421 |
| 19:45 | Middlesbrough |
2-1 |
West Brom | 21646 |
| 19:45 | Preston |
0-0 |
N. Forest | 12598 |
| 19:45 | Swansea |
PP |
Bournemouth | PP |
| 20.00 | Reading |
2-1 |
Birmingham | 12073 |
| Wednesday 23rd February 2022 |
| KO | Home |
Res |
Away | Att |
| 19:45 | Derby |
1-2 |
Millwall | 23943 |
| 19:45 | Fulham |
2-1 |
Peterborough | 17387 |
| 19:45 | Huddersfield |
2-1 |
Cardiff | 20167 |
| 19:45 | QPR |
2-1 |
Blackpool | - |
| 19:45 | Sheff Utd |
1-0 |
Blackburn | 26495 |
| 19:45 | Stoke |
1-2 |
Luton | 18270 |
|
|
Huddersfield Town 2 - 1 Cardiff City
Huddersfield staged a dramatic late comeback to beat Cardiff City and close the gap on the Championship's automatic promotion places to two points.
Defending compactly but threatening on the counter-attack, Cardiff led through Tommy Doyle's fine clipped finish.
But substitute Josh Koroma's powerful low drive brought Huddersfield level in the 88th minute.
Then six minutes into added time, Jon Russell struck the winner to spark ecstatic celebrations.
For much of the second half, it looked like Carlos Corberan's side were heading for a first defeat since November.
But their late revival means the Yorkshire club are now unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions and up to fourth place in the table, two points adrift of Bournemouth in second.
As for Cardiff, this was an agonising way to lose after a creditable performance looked set to secure a fifth win from seven.
Defeat, however, means the Bluebirds remain 19th, albeit still 15 points clear of the relegation zone.
Middlesbrough 2 - 1 West Bromwich Albion
Middlesbrough came from a goal down at half-time to beat West Bromwich Albion and record a seventh straight home win.
Match-winner Marcus Tavernier played a part in all three goals as Chris Wilder's Boro extended the punchless Baggies' run to six games without a win.
After almost eight hours without a goal, Steve Bruce's Albion took the lead on 28 minutes when Andy Carroll made a menace of himself, got to the by-line, his pull-back was half cleared to Jayson Molumby, whose left-footed shot deflected in off Tavernier.
But Boro were level on the hour when Riley McGree cut the Albion defence open with a superb ball, Tavernier pulled back and Paddy McNair arrived right on cue to steer home right-footed for his first goal in three months.
Tavernier then got on the scoresheet himself when Anfernee Dijksteel and Isaiah Jones combined and Jones crossed for the Boro midfielder to meet at the far post - and sentence travel-sick Albion to a sixth straight away defeat.
Stoke City 1 - 2 Luton Town
Danny Hylton and Cameron Jerome hit Luton Town's second-half goals to move the Hatters up to eighth in the Championship, two points off the play-off places.
On his second return to the Bet 365 Stadium since being sacked in November 2019, after just 10 months in charge, ex-Potters boss Nathan Jones had a much happier night.
But Luton still had to endure a fraught finale when Lewis Baker curled home a beauty to pull one back two minutes into injury time.
Luton had just gone close on the break when Harry Cornick got down the right and pulled back into the danger zone, only for Joe Allen to slide in and deny Allen Campbell with a superb cover tackle.
But when Cornick got into the same area three minutes later, Stoke had no answer as Hylton arrived at the near post to drill home as the 581 away fans celebrated wildly.
| Championship MatchDay 33 ~ Fixtures |
| Saturday 26th February 2022 |
| KO | Home |
Away | TV |
| 12:30 | Blackburn |
QPR | Sky |
| 15:00 | Bournemouth |
Stoke | |
| 15:00 | Barnsley |
Middlesbrough | |
| 15:00 | Birmingham |
Huddersfield | |
| 15:00 | Blackpool |
Reading | |
| 15:00 | Cardiff |
Fulham | |
| 15:00 | Coventry |
Preston | |
| 15:00 | Luton |
Derby | |
| 15:00 | Millwall |
Sheff Utd | |
| 15:00 | N. Forest |
Bristol City | |
| 15:00 | Peterborough |
Hull | |
| Monday 28th February 2022 |
| KO | Home |
Away | TV |
| 20:00 | West Brom |
Swansea | Sky |
|
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Bristol City 1 - 2 Coventry City
Coventry City moved to within two points of the Championship play-off places after Viktor Gyokeres struck a late winner to beat Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
Gustavo Hamer provided assists for both Sky Blues goals, starting with the opener for on-loan Chelsea midfielder Ian Maatsen on 25 minutes.
Shortly after Antoine Semenyo head headed against the bar, the hosts levelled on 62 minutes Chris Martin was left astonishingly unattended to head home from six yards.
But Sky Blues boss Mark Robins had the last word against the Robins when Gyokeresfired home a right-foot shot in the 89th-minute winnerto earn the visitors their fifth away win of the season.
This was the seventh league match this season where Bristol City have conceded a goal beyond the 89th minute that's cost them points. It's a habit that's seen them drop 12, a tally that would move them level on points with the play-off places as it stands.
Reading 2 - 1 Birmingham City
Interim boss Paul Ince capped his return to management with victory as Reading saw off Birmingham City in the Championship with two second-half goals.
Lucas Joao followed his brace against Preston by putting the Royals ahead midway through the second half with a neat sidefoot finish after combining with John Swift.
Moments later Swift made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after Onel Hernandez hauled down Andy Yiadom.
Blues had enjoyed the best of the opening hour, and went on to halve the deficit through Tom McIntyre's own goal, but Reading held on to give Ince a winning start.
More importantly it gave Reading back-to-back wins and took them eight points clear of the bottom three, while Blues remain 18th and without a league win on the road since 30 October.
Preston North End 0 - 0 Nottingham Forest
Preston failed to turn their dominance into victory as they were held to a goalless draw by fellow Championship play-off hopefuls Nottingham Forest.
The hosts were on top for much of the game, but Forest went closest with a rare first-half effort when James Garner slid a first-time shot straight at goalkeeper Daniel Iversen.
Cameron Archer missed a golden chance for Preston just before the hour when he slid a shot past the post when put clean through by Brad Potts.
Archer's cross then deflected off a Forest defender and dropped inches past the far post, but North End had to settle for a ninth home draw of the season at Deepdale.
Preston remain 12th after their sixth draw in their last 11 matches, while Forest stay ninth, four points off the play-off places.
Derby County 1 - 2 Millwall
Derby County's Championship survival hopes were hit by a home defeat by in-form Millwall.
The Lions took the lead in just the second minute when Jed Wallace's wide free-kick went past everyone and found the back of the net.
Tyler Burey, who had earlier missed a great chance, made it 2-0 to the visitors before the break with a powerful close range finish.
Derby made a game of it in the second half and Jake Cooper's late own goal gave them hope but Gary Rowett's men held out and they have now won three in a row.
The Rams remain eight points behind 21st-placed Reading, after the Royals secured back-to-back wins with a 2-1 success over Birmingham on Tuesday.
Hull City 0 - 2 Barnsley
Championship bottom side Barnsley stunned Hull City with two first-half goals to seal their first away win of the season.
They took the lead against the hosts early on when Carlton Morris crossed for Callum Styles to turn in from close range.
Morris doubled their lead with a tremendous volleyed effort just before the break after making a run into the box.
Poya Asbaghi's side had only managed a point in their past 12 away games but saw out their victory to pull off a second win in their past three Championship games.
Meanwhile, for Hull, their winless run stretches to six games, with boss Shota Arveladze winning just one game since his arrival in January.