Roundup of New Year’s Day action in 2025-26 Sky Bet Championship as the battle for the second automatic promotion spot saw a change of hands.
League leaders, Coventry were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw away at Charlton after Ellis Simms’ third-minute finish was cancelled out by Joe Rankin-Costello’s 69th-minute equaliser.
Bobby Clark’s strike saw Derby snatch a 1-0 home victory over Middlesbrough who had began the New Year sat second in the table.
Ipswich consequently took advantage of Middlesbrough’s defeat to climb to second with a 2-1 victory at home against Oxford United, with Chuba Akpom having netted a 40th-minute winner after Jaden Philogene’s opener was cancelled out by Will Lankshear’s equaliser.
Tom Ince’s hat-trick saw Watford thrash Birmingham City 3-0 at Vicarage Road to climb to fourth.
Hull slipped to fifth with a 1-0 loss at home to Stoke through Robert Bozenik’s 39th-minute winner.
Preston rounded out the top six with a dominant 3-0 victory over rock-bottom Sheffield Wednesday, in which Ali McCann opened the scoring before Milutin Osmajic and Lewis Dobbin wrapped up the result.
Down in the relegation zone, Norwich moved above Oxford United into third-bottom with a 2-1 win at QPR through second-half goals from Josh Sargent and Jovon Makama, before Amadou Mbengue netted a 99th-minute consolatory goal for the Hoops.
Portsmouth sit a point above the bottom three after they fell to a 5-0 loss at Bristol City in which Adam Randell opened the scoring, before Anis Mehmeti and Scott Twine added further goals prior to Sinclair Armstrong’s second-half brace.
Blackburn sat three points above the drop after they suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Wrexham, through first-half goals from Sam Smith and Ollie Rathbone.
Elsewhere, Japhet Tanganga, Tom Cannon and Callum O’Hare found the net as Sheffield United thrashed Leicester 3-1 at Bramall Lane, despite Jordan James’ injury-time consolatory strike for the Foxes.
Jay Fulton’s strike gifted Swansea a 74th-minute victory at home to West Bromwich Albion.
Southampton held Millwall to a goalless draw at St Mary’s Stadium.
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