Championship Matchday 42 Review

Fulham climbed into the automatic promotion places at the expense of Cardiff thanks to a goal from Stefan Johansen. The Norwegian midfielder's 25th-minute strike was enough to beat Reading 1-0 and stretch Fulham's unbeaten run to 20 matches. Leandro Bacuna was sent off in stoppage time for the Royals.

Cardiff, the long-time occupiers of second spot, lost 1-0 at Aston Villa thanks to a stunning 25-yard volley by Jack Grealish five minutes from time to slip out of the top two.

Millwall made it 16 games unbeaten to leap into the play-off zone with a 2-0 win over Bolton at the Macron Stadium. Ben Marshall set up the first for Tom Elliott to head home and then rifled in the second after a lightning counter-attack.

Middlesbrough were the team to slip out of the top six after they were beaten 2-1 at Sheffield United. Lee Evans grabbed both Blades goals before Daniel Ayala pulled one back for Boro, who played for 65 minutes with 10 men after Grant Leadbitter was sent off.

Bristol City kept their top-six hopes alive with a 3-1 win over struggling Birmingham. Marlon Pack, Bobby Reid and Matt Taylor were on target with Lukas Jutkiewicz replying for the Blues.

Henrik Dalsgaard's goal nine minutes from time gave Brentford a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest

Preston kept their slim play-off chances alive after coming from behind to secure a 3-1 victory at home to Leeds thanks to three second-half goals. Leeds have now won just two of their last 18 league matches. Kemar Roofe fired Leeds ahead but Paul Gallagher's penalty and strikes from Sean Maguire and Alan Browne secured the three points for the hosts.

Two goals from Kamil Grosicki, one from Harry Wilson, a David Meyler penalty and Will Keane's tap-in secured a 5-0 win for Hull to all but banish their relegation fears and shove Burton closer to League One.

Jonas Knudsen's header denied Barnsley the chance to climb out of the relegation zone as Ipswich ran out 1-0 winners at Portman Road,

While Ivo Pinto's 89th minute equaliser secured a 1-1 draw for Norwich at second-bottom Sunderland. Aiden McGeady missed a penalty for Sunderland but the Black Cats hadled through George Honeyman.

QPR scored three in the opening 15 minutes through Paul Smyth, Jake Bidwell and Idrissa Sylla on their way to a 4-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday. Sylla added a fourth from the spot before Fernando Forestieri and Atdhe Nuhiu hit consolations for the Owls.

Completing MatchDay 42 on Wednesday evening Wolves maintained their march to the Premiership with a 2-0 victory over Derby which included Ruben Neves scoring the goal of a lifetime when he hammered a stunning 30-yard volley into the top corner. Wolves need just four points from their next four games to take the Championship title.



Aston Villa boosted their hopes of promotion from the Championship with a narrow win as Cardiff City dropped out of the top two.

Villa dominated a hotly-contested encounter, but it was Neil Warnock's side who squandered the best chances.

Cardiff lived to regret their wastefulness as Jack Grealish's second-half volley from 20 yards secured a massive win for Steve Bruce's side.

Aston Villa stay fourth while Cardiff drop to third following Fulham's win.


Bristol City maintained their Championship play-off hopes and kept Birmingham City in relegation trouble with victory over Blues at Ashton Gate.

Marlon Pack's wonderful curling free-kick put the hosts ahead, before Bobby Reid fired in his 20th goal of the season to double the lead. Birmingham striker Lukas Jutkiewicz powered in his third goal in three games to make it 2-1 before half-time.

But Matt Taylor slid in a third late on to seal the win for Bristol City.

The victory was only Bristol City's fourth in 2018, a run which has seen them drop outside the top six.

Out of their four remaining matches, the Robins face pivotal fixtures against play-off rivals Middlesbrough on Saturday at the Riverside and finish the season at home against Sheffield United.


Bottom-of-the-table Burton Albion were left on the brink of Championship relegation as Hull City romped to victory at the Pirelli Stadium.

Harry Wilson's curling effort put the Tigers ahead and Kamil Grosicki smashed home the second before the break.

Grosicki hit the post before David Meyler's penalty made it 3-0 as Hull extended their unbeaten run to four and all but ended any relegation fears.

Grosicki strolled through for the fourth and Will Keane sealed victory.

An impressive Hull victory, which means the Brewers are seven points from safety with just four games remaining, was as good as certain from the moment Meyler converted from the spot after Tom Flanagan felled Wilson.


Fulham climbed up to second in the Championship as Stefan Johansen's strike saw them beat relegation-threatened Reading.

The Norway international's eighth league goal of the season came against the run of play in the first half as he finished a low Matt Targett cross.

Reading midfielder Leandro Bacuna was shown a late red card for a rash challenge on full-back Ryan Sessegnon.

Fulham are now unbeaten in 20 league games after a fourth straight win.

Slavisa Jokanovic's side move into the automatic promotion places with four games to play after Cardiff were beaten 1-0 at Aston Villa.

Fulham are a point ahead of the Bluebirds, but have played a game more than Cardiff.

Defeat for Reading still leaves them in danger of being drawn into the relegation zone. They remain five points above the bottom three in 19th, but third-from-bottom Barnsley have a game in hand on Paul Clement's side.


Barnsley's Championship relegation fears deepened as they were beaten at Ipswich who parted company with manager Mick McCarthy at full-time.

Tykes' Kieffer Moore hit the bar and Lloyd Isgrove had a goal disallowed before Jonas Knudsen scored for Town.

The Denmark defender glanced in Mustapha Carayol's corner at the near post early in the second half.

Moore was denied late on when he had a shot cleared off the line as Barnsley searched for a late equaliser.

McCarthy had planned to leave Portman Road at the end of the season, but the club announced the 59-year-old's departure at the end of the game.

Barnsley remain third from bottom and two points adrift of safety with five games to play after fellow strugglers Bolton, Birmingham and Reading all lost.

Jose Morais' side do still have a game in hand on all the teams around them.

Ipswich move up a couple of places to 12th after a first win in eight games.


Henrik Dalsgaard's late winner kept Brentford in the hunt for a play-off place as Nottingham Forest's goal drought stretched to six games.

The Danish right-back dived to head in Josh McEachran's 81st-minute corner as the Bees moved to within four points of the Championship play-off places.

Forest had the better of the first half with Ben Brereton going closest with a strike that crashed back off the bar.

But the visitors improved and claimed a third 1-0 win in a row.

The victory sees them close to within four points of Millwall, who are sixth after beating Bolton with just four games to play.


Preston came from a goal behind to beat Leeds and maintain their slim play-off chances.

The visitors took the lead when Kemar Roofe converted a low Kalvin Phillips cross at the back post.

Paul Gallagher levelled from the penalty spot after Billy Bodin was fouled in the area by Vurnon Anita before Sean Maguire put Preston in front from a Gallagher cross.

Alan Browne wrapped up the win with a header from Callum Robinson's cross.

Defeat at Deepdale extended Leeds' poor run to just two wins in 19 games.

Alex Neil's side, who are now five points off sixth-placed Millwall, visit QPR on Saturday, while Leeds travel to Aston Villa on Friday.


A three-goal burst in eight minutes helped QPR to victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Loftus Road.

Goals from Paul Smyth, Jake Bidwell and Idrissa Sylla in the opening 15 minutes put the game beyond Wednesday.

Sylla scored QPR's fourth from the penalty spot before the visitors threatened to make a dramatic comeback.

A smart finish from Fernando Forestieri and an Atdhe Nuhiu header reduced the deficit to two but Wednesday dropped to 17th in the Championship table.

QPR stay in 15th in the table, 16 points clear of the relegation zone.


Sheffield United boosted their Championship play-off hopes with victory over 10-man Middlesbrough.

Lee Evans fired home a wonderfully struck volley from outside the area to give the hosts an early lead.

Top-six rivals Boro had Grant Leadbitter sent off for a second bookable offence before Evans scored his second with another fine volley.

Daniel Ayala pulled a goal back for the visitors after the break but they could not find an equaliser.

Defeat, coupled with Millwall's win at Bolton, meant Boro drop out of the


Sunderland's Championship survival hopes suffered a huge blow as they drew with mid-table Norwich City at the Stadium of Light.

George Honeyman put the Black Cats ahead, tapping in after Aiden McGeady's shot bounced off the post.

But Ivo Pinto slotted in an 89th-minute equaliser to leave Sunderland facing back-to-back relegations.

Winger McGeady should have put the Black Cats 1-0 up before the break, but struck a penalty against the upright.

The Black Cats, who are second bottom of the table - six points adrift of safety with four games left - face pivotal games against their relegation rivals over the next two weeks.

They visit Reading on Saturday before hosting bottom side Burton on 21 April.

But unless they win at least one of those games, a second successive relegation may already be confirmed by the time they face the top two sides - Fulham and leaders Wolves - in their final two fixtures.



Millwall moved into the play-off places and extended their unbeaten run to 16 matches with victory at struggling Bolton Wanderers.

Tom Elliott's first goal since January opened the scoring for the visitors in the first half, after a cagey start at the Macron Stadium.

Ben Marshall wrapped up the points in the second period, finishing smartly after a 70-yard run from Mahlon Romeo.

The defeat leaves Bolton one point above the Championship relegation zone.



Ruben Neves scored the goal of a lifetime as Wolves comfortably beat Derby County to move within two points of promotion to the Premier League.

Fellow Portuguese star Diogo Jota also scored as the Championship leaders damaged Derby's hopes of securing a play-off place.

Jota's neat early lob set Wolves on the way to a 15th home win of the season.

Neves then hammered a stunning 30-yard volley into the top corner shortly after the break to seal the win.

Wolves will secure a return to the Premier League if they beat local rivals Birmingham City on Sunday, but it could happen even sooner if second-placed Fulham fail to beat Brentford at home on Saturday.

Derby remain in fifth place on 68 points, within reach of a clutch of chasing clubs, but still with a game in hand - last month's controversial postponement against Cardiff City.

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