Can anyone stop Lampard’s Coventry?
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship game between Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion.
Well, Wrexham stopped Coventry a few weeks ago. But since then, the championship leader is back on the bounce with three wins.
None of it was easy. There was a come-from-behind win against Sheffield United and a late show against Stoke City before the international break. The third part of that run might have been the hardest of the lot.
They got off to a two-goal start against West Brom at CBS Arena on Saturday, but still ran out the winners 3-2. It also helped that Jason Molumby was given a red card when they were still 2-1 down.
But still, it looked inevitable from the moment Josh Eccles halved the deficit before the break. Frank Lampard described the comeback as “outstanding”, but the result was even more impressive considering the team were without their two top scorers from the start, Haji Wright, who was not in the squad, and Brandon Thomas-Asante, who did not enter the field until 3-2.
Coventry are now seven points behind second-placed Middlesbrough and 10 points behind third-placed Stoke, despite dropping points on Saturday. So far, no one seems willing to challenge them.
Simeon Gollum
Eckert further emphasizes qualifications for Southampton job
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Charlton Athletic and Southampton.
Southampton interim manager Tonda Eckert was in charge of three games and achieved three wins. Now it’s hard to see what they could really do other than give him a job.
Some may question the value of the first two wins before the break. The first win was against a hopelessly poor QPR side, and the second win was against an almost hopeless Sheffield Wednesday.
But there was no question about The Valley on Saturday. With a deadly first-half onslaught of finishing (four of which came within eight minutes), they crushed Charlton to pieces.
Eckert will lead the Saints in their home game against Leicester in midweek, but remains reluctant about the possibility of taking the job permanently.
“I want to have the team ready for Tuesday night,” he said. “It’s going to be a big challenge and we hope to keep this momentum going.
“If I make a big statement, you never know where it will take us. We have to see how we perform game by game. We have big games ahead of us and that’s the challenge.”
Simeon Gollum
Blades show strength with Wednesday’s derby win
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday vs Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Sheffield United
Sheffield United could not afford to lose the Steel City derby and boosted their survival hopes by defeating rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
Chris Wilder’s side have the foundations to stay within one point of safety after four games without a win. The pressure was on to beat Wednesday’s side, who are sitting at the bottom of the Championship, and they did that with ease.
He controlled his team and didn’t look like he was in trouble before soaking up the pressure with a Tyrese Campbell double. Tom Cannon’s late goal was a huge relief for him as he prepares to start his career at the club.
Wilder said his team had a lot of work to do and their next game would be another big game against relegation rivals Portsmouth.
david richardson
Mavididi provides magical moment to lead Leicester to victory
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Highlights of Leicester vs Stoke in the Sky Bet Championship.
The Foxes looked worth little for the three points until Steffy Mavididi scored Leicester’s impressive opener.
Before this individual brilliance, shots on target did not exist. But that’s exactly what King Power needed.
Suddenly, the groans of the fans disappeared and the atmosphere became positive. At that moment, it felt like Leicester’s home form had been ignited, having lost five games in the home league so far.
Hoping for a 2-1 victory, the Foxes moved closer to automatic qualification.
Regardless of what happens over the next week or so with PSR’s potential points deduction, Marti Cifuentes has put his team in a healthy position and if this is the start of an upturn in home form, they can still carve out a successful season.
lindsay hooper
Norwich’s struggle continues as a new era begins
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship game between Birmingham vs Norwich.
Two new eras have ushered in this week, with Birmingham City announcing plans to build a state-of-the-art stadium, while Norwich City have had a difficult start to the season under manager Philippe Clement.
Birmingham was in the race. They pressed high, were fast, strong and tried to win every ball. The result was an early goal in the first three minutes, reaching a three-goal lead at half-time and setting the standard for the match.
Norwich improved a bit in the second half and managed to get a goal back, but it was just a consolation.
Speaking to Birmingham manager Chris Davies after the game, it was clear that they aim to be a high-pressing, aggressive team. It was a very similar approach to the one we took when we won League One last season.
Clement worked with his new team for just three days, but after that he seemed optimistic. He is aware of the difficult task ahead of him, but he is enthusiastic about the task.
Kyle Walker
Watford is back!
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Highlights of the Derby vs Watford Sky Bet Championship game.
Now, who saw that coming? After five successive Championship wins, it looked like it was going to be another day at the Derby County office. Despite the early exit of Championship scorer Carlton Morris with a knee injury, two defenders stepped up to score their first goals for the club, putting John Eustace’s side firmly in the lead.
Until the 61st minute it seemed all but over for the visitors. Out of thin air, Jeremy Ngakia found space on the right flank, picked up Luka Kellamgaard’s run and slotted it past Zetterström to halve the difference.
From there, it was all Watford’s momentum. With seven minutes remaining, Nestly Ilankunda ran into the penalty area, but it proved to be too much for Joe Ward and brought him down. The referee pointed to the spot, but Ed Kayembe made no mistake.
Watford’s impressive record of comebacks meant that from that point on, picking up three points seemed the only option. Double Kayembe was convinced of this and converted Imran Rouza’s curling corner into the goal. Cue absolute limbs at the away end!
It certainly wasn’t an easy win for Watford, the only Championship team without an away win this season, but it was one that will live long in the memories of those who visited the Midlands.
A cautious Javi Gracia was delighted when I spoke to him after the match, praising the mentality and resilience his players showed to turn the game around.
Harriet Prior
Blackburn improvements to note
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Preston and Blackburn.
To say Blackburn have had a nightmare start to the season would be an understatement.
They scored just 8 points in their first 10 games, suffered 7 losses, and fell to 2nd place on October 21st. And Valerian Ismael was under intense pressure. But since then, something clicked.
They now have 4 wins in 5 games, 8 goals scored, and only 4 goals conceded. And the teams they beat weren’t just any teams. This includes promotion favorites such as Southampton, Leicester, Bristol City and now Preston.
Furthermore, Friday night’s win against Deepdale moved them into second place in the Championship’s away table. They have 15 points from eight away games this term, second only to Frank Lampard’s seemingly invincible Coventry, who have 17 points.
Of course it’s early in the season and of course it’s only been five games. But this could be the start of something special for Blackburn.
Dan Long
Full Championship Weekend Results
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
