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March 9, 2024

Championship Roundup: Saints Shine as Leicester and Ipswich Drop Crucial Points – EFL CHAMPIONSHIP

Southampton reignited their promotion bid with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Sunderland, powered by Adam Armstrong’s heroics. Armstrong, a Newcastle-born striker, converted a penalty after Stuart Armstrong gave Saints the lead. Sunderland fought back to 2-2 with goals from Romaine Mundle and Jobe Bellingham, but two late strikes from substitute Joe Rothwell, set up by Adam Armstrong, sealed the win. This leaves interim Sunderland manager Mike Dodds still searching for his first victory.

Meanwhile, Leicester had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Hull in a tense battle. Fabio Carvalho missed a penalty but made amends by opening the scoring for Hull. Jamie Vardy leveled the match with a controversial penalty, only for Annas Zaroury to restore Hull’s lead. However, Vardy returned with his second goal, rescuing a point for the Foxes. The hard-earned draw has slowed Leicester’s momentum at the top.

Ipswich also dropped points, making it a pivotal weekend in the Championship promotion race.

Ipswich missed the chance to regain second place as Cardiff stunned them with two stoppage-time goals, securing a dramatic 2-1 win. Kieffer Moore had put Ipswich ahead 11 minutes from time, seemingly giving his side three crucial points. However, Ryan Wintle equalized in the fifth minute of added time after Ipswich failed to clear a cross from Rubin Colwill. Five minutes later, Perry Ng’s cross found Callum O’Dowda, who volleyed home to complete a sensational comeback.

Norwich returned from a midweek loss with a 5-0 thrashing of bottom-club Rotherham at Carrow Road. Gabriel Sara led the charge with two goals, while Jacob Sorensen, Borja Sainz, and Josh Sargent added to Rotherham’s misery. It marked Rotherham’s ninth straight defeat and their second consecutive 5-0 loss, leaving them on the brink of relegation.

Coventry came from behind to defeat Watford 2-1, with Haji Wright scoring both goals for the visitors. After Ryan Porteous opened the scoring for Watford, Wright equalized with a penalty before netting the winner in the 72nd minute. The loss cost Watford manager Valérien Ismaël his job, with the club now only a single victory in their previous ten league contests hovering near the relegation zone.

Luke McNally’s late deflected goal earned Stoke a crucial win at Preston, lifting them out of the relegation zone. The Burnley loanee’s strike settled a tense match that seemed headed for a 1-1 draw after Andrew Hughes’ own goal was quickly canceled out by Preston substitute Milutin Osmajic’s equalizer.

Middlesbrough secured a 2-0 victory at Loftus Road with second-half goals from Emmanuel Latte Lath and Marcus Forss, halting QPR’s recent momentum. Latte Lath scored 64 minutes after Rangers failed to clear a free-kick. Forss added a second 12 minutes later on the break, despite Rangers’ appeals for a foul on Chris Willock. QPR, unbeaten in four prior matches, now sits just a point above the drop zone.

Morgan Whittaker’s 19th goal of the season earned Plymouth a crucial 1-1 draw at 10-man Blackburn. Both sides entered the match knowing they could be in the relegation zone by day’s end. Blackburn initially took the lead with Sammie Szmodics’ 27th-season goal. Still, Plymouth’s chances improved when Kyle McFadzean saw red early in the second half. Whittaker capitalized, firing the equalizer at the far post in the 74th minute, rescuing a well-deserved point for the visitors.

Japhet Tanganga headed home the 90th minute as Millwall secured a crucial 1-0 triumph over fellow  strugglers Birmingham. Neil Harris’ return to the club has sparked a revival, with the Lions winning three of their last four games. However, Millwall had to fend off significant second-half pressure from Birmingham at The Den. The win keeps Millwall just above the relegation zone as they fight for survival.

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