Roundup of all the latest Sky Bet Championship action across a depleted matchweek 29 and hectic matchweek 30.
Due to FA Cup’s Fourth Round action, matchweek 29 was depleted with just seven fixtures played across a week, in which Leicester continued their march towards automatic promotion.
Matchweek 30 meanwhile saw the battle for the second automatic promotion spot begin to blow wide open, whilst the play-off and relegation races took different turns.
Matchweek 29
Goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Stephy Mavididi and Yunus Akgun saw Leicester move ten points clear at the summit with a 3-1 home win against Swansea, despite Joe Allen netting in stoppage time for the Swans.
Patrick Bamford’s 16th minute header saw Leeds move to within two points of automatic promotion places with a 1-0 home win over Norwich.
Ellis Simms rescued sixth-placed Coventry a 2-2 draw at home to Bristol City, having initially led through Tatsuhiro Sakamoto before Rob Dickie and Nakhi Wells looked to had won the game for the Robins.
Abdoullah Ba provided assists for Mason Burstow and Pierre Ekwah either side of his own 49th minute strike, as Sunderland beat Stoke 3-1 on Wearside to go seventh.
Brad Potts rescued 12th-placed Preston a 1-1 draw at Millwall after he cancelled out Zian Flemming’s early header at The Den.
Kenneth Paal’s scruffy injury-time equaliser saw third-bottom QPR snatch a 1-1 draw at home to Hudderfield, having fell behind to Jack Rudoni’s 86th minute effort for the Terriers.
Second-bottom Sheffield Wednesday held Watford to a goalless draw at Hillsborough as the Hornets’ Ben Hamer kept the Owls out with a series of excellent saves.
Week 30
Braces from Patson Daka and Jamie Vardy plus Kasey McAteer’s 30th minute goal saw league leaders, Leicester thrash Stoke 5-0 at the BET365 Stadium.
Kieffer Moore’s late brace couldn’t prevent Ipswich losing 3-2 at Preston who had led 3-0 at half-time through Will Keane’s brace and George Edmundson’s own-goal.
Southampton took advantage of Ipswich’s defeat as they beat rock-bottom Rotherham in a 2-0 away win to go second, through first half goals from Jan Bednarek and Adam Armstrong.
Wilfried Gnonto’s 47th minute winner saw Leeds scrape past Bristol City at Ashton Gate and up to third in the table, ahead of Ipswich who fell to fourth.
Andreas Weimann netted a 85th minute winner as fifth-placed West Brom edged past Birmingham City at The Hawthorns, in a clash marred by alleged racism towards the visitors’ Juninho Bacuna.
Jaden Philogene’s fifth minute rebound winner saw Hull beat Millwall with a 1-0 home win to move up into sixth.
Down in the relegation zone, second-bottom Sheffield Wednesday suffered a 4-0 defeat at Huddersfield, as Josh Koroma’s brace plus goals from Matty Pearson and Sorba Thomas saw the Terriers move eight points clear of the Owls.
QPR remain third-bottom but ended their 24-and-a-half year hoodoo at Blackburn Rovers with a 2-1 win at Blackburn, through Aynsley Pears’ own-goal and Joseph Hodge’s strike just past the hour mark before Sam Gallagher pulled one back for Rovers.
Swansea are now five points clear of the bottom three after they suffered a 1-0 home defeat against Plymouth Argyle, in which their ex player – Morgan Whittaker produced an 18th minute winner for the visitors.
Elsewhere, Coventry slipped out of the top six following a 2-1 defeat at Norwich after Callum O’Hare put them in front before Josh Sargent and Borja Sainz won the game for the Canaries, during which the visitors finished with ten men after Liam Kitching’s red card in the 71st minute.
Nazariy Rusyn cancelled out Marcus Forss’ goal as Sunderland came from behind to draw 1-1 at Middlesbrough in the Tees-Wear derby.
Finally, Josh Bowler’s 43rd minute strike saw Cardiff edge past Watford at Vicarage Road.
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