Championship Roundup: Coventry Ease Past Preston To Stretch Lead To Eight Points

Coventry moved 8 points clear astatine nan apical of nan Championship pinch a 3-0 triumph complete struggling Preston. Goals from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Brandon Thomas-Asante successful nan first half were followed by Matt Grimes’s punishment aft half-time for their 23rd triumph of nan season.

Coventry’s sixth consecutive triumph opened up an eight-point spread to second-placed Middlesbrough, who mislaid 1-0 astatine location to Charlton, and returned them 9 points clear of third-placed Millwall.

Although Boro enjoyed plentifulness of chances, it was nan visitors who scored nan only extremity successful nan 59th infinitesimal erstwhile Conor Coady stabbed location from Harry Clarke’s agelong throw-in.

Jamie Donley’s first Oxford extremity ensured a 1-0 triumph complete Blackburn successful nan relegation conflict astatine nan Kassam Stadium. It was Oxford’s 3rd consecutive triumph for nan first clip since they returned to nan Championship successful 2024. Donley scored successful nan 34th minute, pursuing up aft nan Blackburn keeper, Balázs Tóth, could only parry Myles Peart-Harris’s header from a right-wing transverse by Stan Mills.

The triumph was not capable to assistance Oxford retired of nan bottommost three, but they moved to wrong a constituent of Blackburn.

Cyle Larin’s last-minute equaliser rescued Southampton a constituent successful a 1-1 tie astatine West Brom and denied nan relegation-threatened Baggies a first Championship triumph since beating QPR connected 28 December. The precocious leveller ensured their winless tally extended to 13 matches, keeping them successful nan relegation zone.

Amankwah Forson struck a precocious victor arsenic Norwich came from down to support their awesome shape pinch a hard-fought 2-1 triumph complete Sheffield United astatine Carrow Road. Trailing astatine half-time to Jairo Riedewald’s well-taken strike, nan location broadside deed backmost successful style, pinch an equaliser from Jack Stacey earlier substitute Forson guided them to an eighth triumph successful 10 convention games.

Birmingham breathed life backmost into their playoff push aft pinch a deserved 1-0 triumph complete QPR astatine St Andrew’s. Patrick Roberts scored successful nan sixth infinitesimal to move them to wrong 5 points of nan apical six.