Championship Roundup: Thomas-asante Double Stretches Coventry’s Lead

Brandon Thomas-Asante’s double secured Coventry a 5th consecutive triumph arsenic Frank Lampard’s broadside extended their lead astatine nan apical of nan Championship array by beating Portsmouth 2-1. Thomas-Asante converted his seventh and eighth goals of nan play to move nan unbeaten Sky Blues 4 points clear, earlier Middlesbrough sojourn Sheffield Wednesday connected Wednesday.

The Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth surpassed Horace Pearson’s club-record streak of 608 minutes without conceding – a people that had stood since 1934 – earlier his extremity was yet breached by Makenzie Kirk’s delightful lob successful stoppage time.

Alex Neil hailed his “incredible” Millwall broadside aft they moved up to 3rd contempt a relentless wounded crisis. The patched-up Lions secured a 3rd consecutive win, 2-0 against chap high-flyers Stoke astatine nan Den.

The flying winger Femi Azeez grabbed his 3rd extremity successful 3 matches earlier French defender Tristan Crama deed his first for nan nine successful a saccharine triumph for leader Neil against his erstwhile club. But nan injuries are still piling up. Will Smallbone became nan latest unfortunate erstwhile nan Southampton loanee pulled up clutching his hamstring successful nan first half.

“We astir had a afloat squad a fewer days agone but since past astir 5 players person fallen over,” said Neil. “It’s an unthinkable effort from nan players to beryllium wherever we are considering really galore injuries we person had. Will’s wounded his hamstring which is simply a blow. I don’t cognize really superior it is yet. We hit a bully broadside tonight. They were 3rd earlier coming and we deserved to win.”

Scott Twine netted a second-half double arsenic Bristol City came from down to spell 4th pinch a 3-1 triumph complete Southampton astatine Ashton Gate. The Saints took nan lead connected nan half hr erstwhile Adam Armstrong collapsed clear onto a precise done shot from Shea Charles and deftly chipped advancing goalkeeper Radek Vitek. But it took City conscionable 3 minutes to level, Anis Mehmeti converting a akin chance from Rob Dickie’s deflected pass, this clip pinch an unerring right-footed changeable from 12 yards erstwhile near pinch only Alex McCarthy to beat.

Twine changeable nan hosts up connected 57 minutes arriving unchallenged to nett from adjacent scope aft Zak Vyner’s changeable from nan separator of nan container had deflected disconnected a Saints subordinate and spun backmost disconnected a post. Twine was connected target again 7 minutes later arsenic wretched Saints defending allowed him plentifulness of abstraction to title distant and spot past nan unprotected McCarthy. It was a typical nighttime for Vyner, making his 219th Championship quality for City, a nine record.

Nathan Jones said he was “very proud” of his Charlton side’s outstanding capacity pursuing their 3-0 triumph complete Ipswich astatine Portman Road, while Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna reflected connected nan crippled being a “terrible result” for nan nine arsenic they mislaid astatine location for nan first clip this season.

Nathan Jones said ‘that was immoderate performance’ aft Charlton won 3-0 astatine Ipswich Photograph: Keeran Marquis/SPP/Shutterstock

The Addicks scored doubly done Sonny Carey and Macaulay Gillesphey successful a pulsating three-minute 2nd half spell, pinch Miles Leaburn adding a 3rd arsenic they climbed to fifth. Jones said: “They person sewage immoderate squad, immoderate squad and nan first 25 minutes we had to get to grips pinch it … Then we started to get a spot much fierce and started to get connected nan beforehand ft a spot much and felt we had nan champion chances.

“I deliberation we had 4 existent bully chances and astatine half-time we sewage into nan players and we went aft nan game. Second half we really went aft nan crippled and nan goals were fantabulous goals and that was immoderate performance.”

Liam Millar celebrated a first commencement for nine aliases state successful much than twelvemonth pinch Hull’s opening extremity successful a nervy 2-1 triumph complete Leicester. The Canada international, fresh again aft an anterior cruciate ligament injury, was besides progressive successful nan buildup to what proved Joe Gelhardt’s 31st-minute winner. The substitute Aaron Ramsey pulled a extremity backmost aft 67 minutes but Leicester slipped retired of nan play-off image aft losing for nan first clip successful 9 convention outings.

Phil Neumann’s first-half header earned Birmingham their first triumph successful 5 matches, pinch a 1-0 triumph astatine Preston. The 28-year-old planted location Alexander Cochrane’s dead-ball successful nan 33rd infinitesimal and nan visitors held connected against a Preston squad pinch only 1 conclusion successful their past 8 games. It marked North End’s first location conclusion successful nan convention this play but they had capable chances to get thing much retired of a hard-fought encounter.

Sheffield United scored 3 second-half goals to travel from down and conclusion chap strugglers Blackburn 3-1 to registry back-to-back convention victories. In a crippled of small quality, nan signs did not look bully for Chris Wilder’s visitors erstwhile they fell down conscionable earlier nan break done Yuki Ohashi’s 2nd extremity of nan season. However, nan Blades fought backmost successful style aft nan break.

After being fixed a helping manus done Axel Henriksson’s 54th-minute ain goal, United carved Rovers unfastened doubly more. Harrison Burrows converted Callum O’Hare’s perfectly weighted walk successful nan 70th-minute earlier his chap substitute Tyrese Campbell slotted a 3rd from adjacent scope successful added time.

United move retired of nan bottommost 3 for nan first clip this play but nan 2nd half was bad for Blackburn and their fans, who made their feelings clear astatine full-time aft a consequence which drops them a spot to 23rd.

David Ozoh’s first extremity of nan play gave Derby a 1-0 triumph complete Norwich to summation nan unit connected Liam Manning. The on-loan Crystal Palace midfielder struck early successful nan 2nd half to unafraid County’s first location triumph of nan play and condemn Norwich to a conclusion which sent them into nan Championship’s bottommost three. It should person been a different communicative aft Norwich wholly dominated nan first half but they grounded to return respective fantabulous chances.