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Championship MatchDay 37 review

last updated Tuesday 10th March 2020, 5:57 PM


Match Day 37 in the Championship saw Fulham slip in their pursuit of automatic promotion. Tom Cairney scored a late trademark goal from distance to ensure Fulham rescued a point against fellow promotion-chasers Bristol City at Ashton Gate. The result does not particularly suit either side as Fulham are seven points adrift of leaders Leeds, while Bristol City sit just outside the play-off places.

Championship table - 9th March 2020
    HOME   AWAY  
  Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD Pts
1 Leeds 37 11 4 3 26 13 10 4 5 30 17 26 71
2 West Brom 37 8 7 3 36 23 11 6 2 28 14 27 70
3 Fulham 37 12 2 5 32 21 6 8 4 20 17 14 64
4 Brentford 37 10 5 3 36 15 7 4 8 28 18 31 60
5 N Forest 37 8 4 6 20 19 8 8 3 28 19 10 60
6 Preston 37 11 3 5 35 24 5 5 8 15 21 5 56
7 Bristol C 37 7 5 6 25 27 8 5 6 26 26 -2 55
8 Millwall 37 8 7 3 25 18 5 8 6 19 22 4 54
9 Cardiff 37 8 8 2 26 17 5 7 7 26 33 2 54
10 Blackburn 37 8 8 3 24 16 6 3 9 28 29 7 53
11 Swansea 37 8 5 6 24 20 5 9 4 22 25 1 53
12 Derby 37 10 7 2 28 13 3 5 10 21 36 0 51
13 QPR 37 8 5 6 37 33 6 3 9 21 29 -4 50
14 Reading 37 7 2 9 23 24 6 7 6 23 18 4 48
15 Sheff Wed 37 7 5 6 16 21 6 4 9 30 28 -3 48
16 Birmingham 37 6 5 7 27 29 6 6 7 21 28 -9 47
17 Stoke 37 8 3 8 29 24 4 3 11 20 31 -6 42
18 Huddersfield 37 7 5 7 24 25 4 4 10 21 33 -13 42
19 Middlesbrough 37 6 8 5 18 19 3 6 9 19 28 -10 41
20 Wigan 37 6 6 6 18 22 4 5 10 20 28 -12 41
21 Hull 37 6 3 10 27 33 5 5 8 22 30 -14 41
22 Charlton 37 7 5 7 25 23 3 4 11 19 31 -10 39
23 Luton 37 7 4 7 27 27 3 1 15 16 44 -28 35
24 Barnsley 37 5 7 7 26 33 3 3 12 16 29 -20 34
Results Table Fixtures
Leeds moved to the top of the table with a Yorkshire derby victory over Huddersfield. Luke Ayling’s stunning volley put them into a third-minute lead and Patrick Bamford’s first goal in eight games removed doubt in the second half as Marcelo Bielsa’s side made the most of West Brom’s goalless draw at Swansea.

West Brom surrendered top spot in the Sky Bet Championship after being held to a 0-0 draw at Swansea. Slaven Bilic's side failed to find a first-half breakthrough before being put on the back foot for large spells of the second period to allow Leeds to steal a march at the league summit.

Brentford strengthened their Championship promotion push with an emphatic 5-0 win over troubled Sheffield Wednesday. A Josh Dasilva brace and goals from Tariqe Fosu, Emiliano Marcondes and Bryan Mbeumo ended the hosts’ five-game winless run in some style.

Matt Smith destroyed Nottingham Forest with a 13-minute first-half hat-trick to boost Millwall’s hopes of reaching the Championship play-offs with a rousing 3-0 triumph at the City Ground. Forest went into the game with a chance of moving up to third place in the table and five points behind Leeds.

There was a third consecutive defeat for stuttering Preston, who just held on to the final play-off spot, as 10-man QPR won at Deepdale. Daniel Johnson put the hosts into the lead from the spot but Grant Hall levelled. Geoff Cameron was then dismissed for a second bookable offence but it seemed to spur QPR on as Ryan Manning curled in his side’s second and Eberechi Eze settled the result.

Championship MatchDay 37 ~ Results
Friday 6th March 2020
K.OHomeResAwayAtt
19:45N Forest 0-3Millwall 27307
Saturday 7th March 2020
HomeRes AwayAtt
12:30Bristol City1-1Fulham n/k
15:00Barnsley 0-2Cardiff 12751
15:00Birmingham 1-3Reading 19525
15:00Brentford 5-0Sheff Wed12273
15:00Charlton 0-1Middlesbrough 18080
15:00Leeds 2-0Huddersfield 35614
15:00Preston 1-3QPR 12376
15:00Stoke 5-1Hull 23126
15:00Swansea 0-0West Brom16788
15:00Wigan 0-0Luton 10292
Sunday 8th March 2020
K.OHomeResAwayAtt
15:00Derby 3-0Blackburn 10292
Results Table Fixtures
Louie Sibley celebrated his full league debut with a memorable goal as a Derby side missing Wayne Rooney beat Blackburn 3-0 to dent Rovers' Championship play-off hopes.

Reading produced a stunning comeback to end Birmingham's 10-match unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship with a 3-1 win at St Andrew's.

Hull City look set to spend the rest of the season looking over their shoulder after being thrashed at Stoke. Nick Powell started and ended the scoring for the hosts, while Sam Clucas got a double of his own and Tyrese Campbell converted a penalty. Leo Da Silva Lopes hit a consolation for the Tigers, who have failed to win their last 12 games.

Middlesbrough gained a vital three points as they won the battle at the bottom of the Sky Bet Championship with a 1-0 win over Charlton at the Valley. The defeat was the third in succession for 00Charlton, who find themselves two points off safety while Boro pull two clear of the relegation zone.

Relegation-threatened Wigan and Luton played out a lacklustre 0-0 Sky Bet Championship draw at the DW Stadium. Despite coming into the game as the form team in the Championship over the last eight matches, Wigan looked uncharacteristically shaky.

Two goals in as many minutes set Cardiff on their way at Barnsley. First Will Vaulks found the back of the net and then Callum Paterson doubled the lead. Reading recovered from going behind early at Birmingham to win 3-1.

Championship MatchDay 37 Wrap-up
Friday 6th March 2020



19:45N Forest 0-3Millwall 27307



Matt Smith scored a hat-trick as Millwall boosted their Championship play-off hopes and delivered a blow to Nottingham Forest's promotion challenge with a convincing win at the City Ground.

Forest had hoped to move to within five points of the top two with victory over the Lions, but instead found themselves 3-0 down inside 33 minutes.

Smith put the visitors in front in the 20th minute with a brave diving header before deflecting in Jayson Molumby's shot to double the lead.

And the powerful striker completed a 13-minute hat-trick when he climbed above Joe Worrall to head in Shane Ferguson's corner from close range.

Victory lifts Gary Rowett's side up to seventh in the table and within two points of the play-off places, while Forest remain fourth, eight points adrift of second-placed Leeds.




Championship MatchDay 37 Wrap-up
Saturday 7th March 2020





12:30Bristol City1-1Fulham n/k



Tom Cairney scored a late equaliser for third-placed Fulham as they came from behind to earn a draw at Bristol City.

Championship MatchDay 38 ~ Fixtures
Friday 13th March 2020
K.OHomeAwayTV
19:45Fulham Brentford Sky
Saturday 14th March 2020
K.OHomeAwayTV
12:30West BromBirmingham Sky
15:00Blackburn Bristol City 
15:00Huddersfield Wigan 
15:00Hull Charlton  
15:00Luton Preston  
15:00Middlesbrough Swansea  
15:00Millwall Derby  
15:00QPR Barnsley  
15:00Reading Stoke  
15:00Sheff WedN Forest 
Sunday 15th March 2020
K.OHomeAwayTV
13:00Cardiff Leeds Sky
Results Table Fixtures
Fulham forward Bobby Decordova-Reid almost scored on his return to Ashton Gate midway through the first half but nodded Ivan Cavaleiro's cross wide following a counter-attack.

With just over 20 minutes remaining, Nahki Wells worked his way on to Pedro Pereira's headed delivery to nod home as the Robins sought to end a four-game run without a league win.

However, Fulham captain Cairney hit the target with a left-footed strike from outside the box to ensure the visitors took home a point and avoid losing ground on the automatic promotion places.

The draw meant Bristol City missed the chance to move into the final Championship-play off place, although it lifted them above Millwall to seventh.

Fulham were certain to stay in third position regardless of the result after Nottingham Forest's defeat by Millwall on Friday, and Scott Parker's side now lie six points off second place following Leeds' win against Huddersfield and West Brom's draw with Swansea.


15:00Barnsley 0-2Cardiff 12751



Cardiff City kept up their fine recent record over Barnsley with a 2-0 win.

Two goals in sixty seconds at Oakwell from Will Vaulks and Callum Paterson proved the difference for a Cardiff side who have lost just one of their last 13 games against the Tykes.

It was a first win in five for Cardiff who will hope to reignite their faltering bid for a play-off berth.

Cardiff rise to ninth, just two points off the play-offs, while Barnsley return to the foot of the Championship.


15:00Birmingham 1-3Reading 19525



Reading's brilliant comeback overturned a first-half deficit to beat Birmingham 3-1 at St Andrew's.

Blues made the perfect start just six minutes in when in-form Scott Hogan lobbed onrushing Reading goalkeeper Rafael.

But the visitors came out firing on all cylinders after the break, with goals in quick succession from Matt Miazga and Yakou Meite putting them in front.

Reading added a third through Pele to record just their third win in 12 league games.

The result lifts Reading up three places into 13th place in the table while Birmingham, who have won one home game since October, slip one place to 16th.


15:00Brentford 5-0Sheff Wed12273



Brentford manager Thomas Frank described his side as "scary" after they thrashed Sheffield Wednesday 5-0 in the Championship.

Goals from Josh Dasilva, Emiliano Marcondes and Bryan Mbeumo put Brentford 3-0 up at the end of an opening period that saw them have over 80% of possession.

They were equally stunning in the second half, sealing a first league win since beating Middlesbrough on 8 February through Dasilva's second and Tariqe Fosu's late strike.

"We know when we are bang on it, that we are a really, really big threat. What we've got right this season is that our defending's even better." Frank told BBC Radio London.

Brentford are now fourth in the Championship on 60 points, with Garry Monk's Wednesday 15th on 48 points.

The defeat means Sheffield Wednesday have won just once in the Championship since beating Leeds 2-0 at Elland Road on 11 January.


15:00Charlton 0-1Middlesbrough



Middlesbrough won for the first time in 11 Championship games as Paddy McNair's goal was enough to beat Charlton at The Valley.

McNair sidefooted his fifth goal of the season from Rudy Gestede's square pass after the home side gave the ball away in their own half to boost Boro's hopes of avoiding relegation.

Goalkeeper Dejan Stojanovic beat away an Andre Green shot as Lee Bowyer's Addicks strove for an equaliser.

The debutant also denied Deji Oshilaja and Macaulay Bonne after the break as Charlton suffered a costly defeat which dropped them into the bottom three.

The win lifted Middlesbrough up three places to 19th in the table, to put them two points clear of their opponents in 22nd.

Charlton had Darren Pratley back in midfield after a month out with a back problem, but went into the game with a poor record against Boro of nine defeats and only one win the last 12 meetings between the teams.


15:00Leeds 2-0Huddersfield 35614



Premier League promotion hopefuls Leeds United went top of the Championship and moved seven points clear of third-placed Fulham with a comfortable win over local rivals Huddersfield.

The hosts raced into a third-minute lead when full-back Luke Ayling smashed home a superb volley from Jack Harrison's deep cross.

Patrick Bamford wrapped up the win with a close-range finish after Town goalkeeper Jonas Lossl could only tip Ben White's header into his path, while Harrison also hit the woodwork for the hosts.

Leeds, who have now won their past five games without conceding a goal, made the most of West Bromwich Albion's 0-0 draw at Swansea to go back to the top of the table for the first time since 14 December.

Added to Fulham's draw at Bristol City and Nottingham Forest's home defeat by Millwall, Leeds were the only one of the Championship's top four to win this weekend.


15:00Preston 1-3QPR 12376



QPR came from behind to win at Deepdale as Preston's Championship play-off prospects suffered a setback.

Alex Neil's side took the lead in the 19th minute through a Daniel Johnson penalty, but QPR were level shortly after the hour mark when Rangers captain Grant Hall volleyed home Eberechi Eze's free-kick.

Rangers were reduced to 10 men with 25 minutes remaining when Geoff Cameron received a second yellow, as Preston looked to find a second goal.

But it was the visitors who went ahead in the 79th minute through Ryan Manning's curling effort past Declan Rudd, and Eberechi Eze put the result beyond doubt with a classy finish on the break.

Preston could have gone four points clear of seventh in the Championship with a victory following Bristol City's draw with Fulham in Saturday's early fixture.


15:00Stoke 5-1Hull 23126



Stoke City took another step towards Championship safety as they hammered fellow strugglers Hull City.

Tigers old boys Nick Powell and Sam Clucas led the way with two goals each as Michael O'Neill's Potters leapfrogged above Hull to climb to 17th in the Championship table, three points clear of safety.

But victory came at a big cost with the loss of Wales international midfielder Joe Allen, who was carried off on a stretcher off at half-time - and now seems sure to miss this summer's Euro 2020 with a ruptured Achilles.

By the break, the Potters had the game almost wrapped up, having scored three times inside the first 18 minutes with goals from Powell, Tyrese Campbell and Clucas.

Powell, on loan at Hull four years ago, opened the scoring after 11 minutes, with only his third goal of the season, heading in full-back Tommy Smith's pin-point right-wing cross.

Campbell then made it seven for the campaign when he tucked away a 16th-minute penalty after Sean McLoughlin unlawfully handled.

Grant McCann's Tigers, who have not won in 11 games since New Year's Day when they were up in eighth, are now 21st, just two points above the relegation zone.


15:00Swansea 0-0West Brom16788



West Bromwich Albion were knocked off the top of the Championship after a goalless draw at Swansea City.

Slaven Bilic's team were leapfrogged by Leeds United as play-off hopefuls Swansea deservedly claimed a share of the spoils.

Albion had hoped to respond after suffering a first defeat in seven league games against Wigan Athletic.

But they struggled to break down a Swansea side who created the game's clearest opportunities.

Albion remain six points clear of third-placed Fulham with nine games to play this season, while the draw sees Steve Cooper's Swansea close the gap on the top six to three points even though they slip to 11th in the table.


15:00Wigan 0-0Luton 10292



Wigan and Luton shared the points in a largely uneventful Championship fixture at the DW Stadium.

Paul Cook's Wigan dominated proceedings but both sides created very few clear-cut openings - with only three shots on target across the 90 minutes.

Joe Garner had a chance to win it for the Latics late on, but headed Kal Naismith's cross straight at Hatters keeper Simon Sluga.

Sluga was called into action in injury time again, denying Michael Jacobs with a diving save to his left.

The Latics came into the game on the back of three successive wins, including victory at league leaders West Bromwich Albion last time out.


Championship MatchDay 37 Wrap-up
Sunday 8th March 2020



15:00Derby 3-0Blackburn 10292



Derby County moved within five points of a Championship play-off place with victory over fellow hopefuls Blackburn.

Louie Sibley marked his full league debut with a stunning left-foot strike from 25 yards to put the Rams in front.

Chris Martin then slid in to double the lead after Blackburn keeper Christian Walton could only parry Graeme Shinnie's long-range effort.

Martin added a third from the spot after Jason Knight was fouled, before Rovers had John Buckley sent off.

The substitute was shown a straight red card in stoppage time for a crude lunge on Derby defender Curtis Davies.

Victory lifts Derby, who were without January signing Wayne Rooney because of what boss Phillip Cocu described after the game as a "minor muscle problem", up to 12th in the table.

But with fixtures against fellow top-half sides Millwall, Preston, Nottingham Forest, West Brom, Brentford, Cardiff and Leeds still to come in their final nine games, their play-off hopes remain in their own hands.



















Source Will Unwin at The Guardian/BBCSports
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