Leeds see off Bristol City, Middlesbrough win at BrentfordPreston rout Blackburn in derby, Sunderland snatch drawSheffield United lost ground in the promotion race after a dramatic South Yorkshire derby at Rotherham. Chris Basham thought he had earned the Blades victory with his 85th-minute winner but Jamie Proctor struck in stoppage time to earn the hosts a deserved draw. Middlesbrough returned to the top two with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Brentford. Jordan Hugill and academy product Marcus Tavernier were on target for Tony Pulis’s side. Related: Swansea exposed after Emiliano Buendía sparks Norwich romp Leeds moved to third but were made to work for victory by Bristol City. Marcelo Bielsa’s side struggled to break the visitors down before Josh Brownhill’s red card, but the hosts turned up the pressure to win through goals from Kemar Roofe and Pablo Hernandez.Norwich tightened their grip on top spot, and extended their winning run to six league games, with an impressive 4-1 win at Swansea. Derby kept pace with the chasing pack after fighting back to win 2-1 at Hillsborough. Adam Reach gave Sheffield Wednesday an early lead but Harry Wilson and Jack Marriott scored in quick succession to turn the game around before half-time.Eight games unbeaten in a row for Preston, who emphatically won their Lancashire derby with Blackburn. Tom Barkhuizen and Callum Robinson put the hosts 2-0 up inside 10 minutes, before Lucas Moult scored one and set up another in a 4-1 win. QPR are another team going in the right direction; Angel Rangel’s two goals earned a point at Stoke as they climbed to eighth.Bolton ended their goal drought but had to settle for a point in a basement battle at Millwall as Jiri Skalak cancelled out Mark Beevers’ opener. The game saw the replacement referee replaced – Lee Swabey, who stepped in before kick-off, had to trade places with one of his assistants.That result leaves Hull in the bottom three after they lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest. Lewis Grabban and Joe Lolley got the goals in another match held up by an official, who arrived at the ground late. At the DW Stadium, struggling Wigan and Reading played out a dour goalless draw.Brentford E-E Middlesbrough, Hull 0-2 Nottingham Forest, Leeds United 2-0 Bristol City, Millwall 1-1 Bolton, Preston 4-1 Blackburn, Rotherham 2-2 Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Derby, Stoke City 2-2 QPR, Swansea 1-4 Norwich, Wigan Athletic 0-0 ReadingFriday: Ipswich 1-2 West BromSunday: Aston Villa v BirminghamSunderland looked set for a second league defeat of the season after Max Power’s red card (his third in six games) helped Walsall take a 2-0 lead. Aiden McGeady pulled one back, however, and Lynden Gooch grabbed a draw with a late leveller. Jack Ross’s side still slipped four points behind leaders Portsmouth, who won 2-1 at Scunthorpe.It was a very good day for the teams at the other end of the table, as the bottom three sides all won. Freddie Ladapo took his league tally to nine with two goals as Plymouth beat Fleetwood at Home Park, while Wimbledon came from behind to see off Southend. Bottom club Bradford dragged opponents Oxford into the mire with a 2-0 win, but Bristol Rovers couldn’t overturn the form book – they lost 3-1 at Charlton.Blackpool scored three in 11 minutes after half-time as they beat Burton at Bloomfield Road, while Luton boosted their hopes of a second successive promotion as they climbed to fourth with a 3-1 win at Gillingham. Alex Samuel got the winner in a five-goal thriller as Wycombe edged out Shrewsbury.Barnsley 1-1 Doncaster, Blackpool 3-0 Burton, Bradford 2-0 Oxford, Charlton 3-1 Bristol R, Gillingham 1-3 Luton, Plymouth 2-1 Fleetwood, Rochdale 1-0 Accrington, Scunthorpe 1-2 Portsmouth, Walsall 2-2 Sunderland, Wimbledon 2-1 Southend, Wycombe 3-2 ShrewsburyFriday: Coventry 1-1 PeterboroughThe leading duo, Lincoln and MK Dons, both dropped late points. In the early kick-off, Lincoln took an 85th-minute lead over Mansfield, only for Jacob Mellis to grab a stoppage-time equaliser. Things were even more dramatic at Stevenage, where Scott Cuthbert and Ben Kennedy scored late goals to overturn a 2-1 deficit and deny MK Dons top spot.The chasing pack failed to take advantage of those slips; Colchester and Exeter drew 1-1, while Newport slipped to defeat at Cheltenham. The two teams below the Robins also picked up points – Notts County drew at Morecambe, while Macclesfield defeated Yeovil for just their second win of the season.Grimsby twice fought back from a goal down in an entertaining draw at Keith Curle’s Northampton, while struggling Cambridge came from 2-0 behind to pick up a point against Bury.League Two results Continue readingreadfullarticle
