Championship
• Wolves got themselves into a commanding position against in-form Preston but nearly squandered it and were grateful to Alan Browne’s late red card for quelling the visitors. Ivan Cavaleiro and a Léo Bonatini a double, the second from the spot, had put the Championship leaders 3-0 up. Jordan Hugill started the fightback before Conor Coady’s own goal set up an intriguing finale but Browne’s second yellow in the 89th minute allowed Wolves to go two points clear of Cardiff.
• The Bluebirds needed a late penalty to beat Middlesbrough at the Riverside. Adama Traoré brought down Nathaniel Mendez-Laing in the box with less than 10 minutes on the clock, allowing Joe Ralls’ conversion to ensure Cardiff stayed second. Goals from Billy Sharp and Paul Coutts saw Sheffield United beat Reading 2-1 and keep the Blades third. Roy Beerens scored in the 85th minute but there was to be no more late drama.
• The same could not be said at Griffin Park where Brentford fought back from 3-1 down to deny Sunderland victory. Nico Yennaris had put the Bees in front only for the home fans to watch on as two goals from Lewis Grabban and a Daniel Bentley mistake put Sunderland on course for just their third win of the season. Florian Jozefzoon hit a stunner to give the hosts hope and allowed Neal Maupay’s scruffy effort 12 minutes from time deny the Black Cats victory.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton | 13 | 10 | 27 |
| 2 | Sheff Utd | 13 | 8 | 27 |
| 3 | Cardiff | 13 | 7 | 25 |
| 4 | Leeds | 13 | 8 | 23 |
| 5 | Preston North End | 13 | 7 | 22 |
Results: Aston Villa 2-1 Fulham, Barnsley 0-1 Hull, Bolton 1-1 QPR, Brentford 3-3 Sunderland, Bristol City 0-3 Leeds, Derby 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough 0-1 Cardiff, Nottingham Forest 2-0 Burton Albion, Sheffield United 2-1 Reading, Wolves 3-2 Preston.
League One
• The wonderfully named Aristote Nsiala came forward from centre-half in the 89th minute to head home his second goal of the season and keep Shrewsbury on top of League One with victory over Fleetwood. With Manchester United losing, the only remaining unbeaten league teams in England are now the Shrews and Manchester City.
• The win also denied Wigan top spot in League One after the Latics ended Blackpool’s own long unbeaten run, albeit a stand made in front of the Tangerines’ sparse home support. Chey Dunkley struck twice either side of the break, with David Perkins sealing the points at Bloomfield Road eight minutes from time.
• Below the top two, Charlton gained ground on Bradford with a 1-0 win at Valley Parade that brought them level on points but left both eight behind Wigan. Jake Forster-Caskey scored the only goal of a game where Ben Amos was the star man for the visitors.
• Between MK Dons, Oldham, Oxford and Rotherham there were 14 goals but no winners. Ed Upson got his second of the game in the 89th minute to secure a 4-4 draw for MK at home against the Latics. Rotherham battled back from 3-1 down at Oxford to take a share of the points, with Kieffer Moore scoring 12 minutes out to complete the comeback.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shrewsbury | 15 | 14 | 35 |
| 2 | Wigan | 15 | 17 | 32 |
| 3 | Bradford | 15 | 7 | 28 |
| 4 | Oxford Utd | 15 | 10 | 25 |
| 5 | Charlton | 14 | 5 | 25 |
Results: Blackburn 3-0 Portsmouth, Blackpool 1-3 Wigan, Bradford City 0-1 Charlton, Doncaster 0-3 Walsall, Gillingham 1-2 Northampton, MK Dons 4-4 Oldham, Oxford 3-3 Rotherham, Rochdale 1-0 Bristol Rovers, Scunthorpe 2-1 Peterborough, Shrewsbury 1-0 Fleetwood, Southend 1-0 Bury, Wimbledon 0-1 Plymouth.
League Two
• On a day when only one of the sides starting in League Two’s top seven won, the best drama was at Cambridge where goals from Jevani Brown (70) and Uche Ikpeazu (78) saw the U’s turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory late in the second half.
• Stevenage fell out of the play-off spots after surrendering a 1-0 lead at home to Forest Green Rovers. Eventually losing 2-1 with second-half goals from Reece Brown and Christian Doidge earning Mark Cooper’s side their third win of the season.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luton | 15 | 22 | 31 |
| 2 | Accrington Stanley | 15 | 8 | 29 |
| 3 | Notts County | 15 | 8 | 29 |
| 4 | Exeter | 15 | 5 | 29 |
| 5 | Wycombe | 15 | 6 | 26 |
Results: Barnet 1-1 Yeovil, Cambridge 2-1 Chesterfield, Carlisle 1-1 Notts County, Cheltenham 1-0 Lincoln, Coventry 0-0 Colchester, Crawley 0-0 Luton, Crewe 0-2 Accrington, Exeter 0-1 Port Vale, Morecambe 0-0 Grimsby, Newport 1-1 Mansfield, Steveage 1-2 Forest Green, Swindon 1-0 Wycombe.
