Championship speaking factors: Are Middlesbrough now promotion favourites as Coventry slip once more?

Are Middlesbrough now Championship favourites?

Middlesbrough 1-0 Norwich

The day could not have gone a lot better for Middlesbrough. With Coventry and Ipswich dropping very important factors, Boro drew stage on the summit with this hard-fought win over Norwich.

The 2 groups went into the sport as the shape sides within the Championship and it confirmed – this was a high-level recreation. Hayden Hackney’s Seventeenth-minute stunner was all that separated the edges as Norwich pushed Kim Hellberg’s facet all the way in which.

The obvious query post-match was why Norwich discover themselves the place they’re within the desk given the power of this efficiency, allied to latest shows. They could actually have a probability of a play-off spot in the event that they preserve this up.

For Hellberg, it was an important win. 5 wins on the spin now makes them favourites for the title.

I had the temerity to ask, if like some other supervisor, he ignores the league desk at this stage of the season. “Of course I look at it”, he smiled. “I just looked at it before I came in to speak to you. It looks good, huh?”

He is aware of precisely the place his facet are, and the remainder of the Championship now know Boro are the crew to beat. The signing of a striker between now and the switch deadline would possibly simply given them the final piece of the jigsaw.
Keith Downie

Extra away day distress costing Coventry

QPR 2-1 Coventry

It’s seven with out a win now for Coventry Metropolis away from house, the most recent a defeat at QPR after taking the lead.

In reality, they did not actually do a lot to deserve the benefit in west London, however they nonetheless took it by Josh Eccles early within the second half.

However from there, it fell aside. Richard Kone levelled, Nicolas Madsen fired within the winner. It has merely not been adequate on the street, and it’s derailing their promotion push.

Fortunately for Frank Lampard and Co, Ipswich have additionally slipped within the final week, shedding at Sheffield United after which drawing at house to Preston. So the injury is restricted.

However for the primary time since early September, Coventry are most likely not favourites for promotion.
Simeon Gholam

Smit struggles for misfiring Stoke on debut

Stoke 0-2 Southampton

Stoke Metropolis will hope there’s a lot extra to come back from Milan Smit after the striker’s disappointing debut of their house defeat to Southampton.

Mark Robins’ facet have struggled for targets from their strikers this season and Smit’s arrival on mortgage from Go Forward Eagles, with an obligation to purchase in the summertime, was believed to assist clear up their issues in assault.

The 22-year-old had hardly lit up the Eredivisie with 9 targets in 41 league appearances for Go Forward Eagles since becoming a member of from fellow Dutch facet Cambuur in 2024 and he struggled in opposition to Southampton.

Smit was remoted and starved of service, touching the ball simply 15 occasions in your complete recreation, twice within the opposition field, and failing to have a shot.

Stoke, now winless in 4, face struggling West Brom subsequent, which is a must-win to maintain their play-off hopes alive and Smit might do with firing them to a few factors.
David Richardson

Cifuentes departure would not halt distress for Leicester

Leicester 0-2 Charlton

Marti Cifuentes’ time at Leicester got here to an finish after defeat at house to Oxford final week, however any hopes of a brand new supervisor bounce had been dropped at an abrupt finish after quarter-hour on Saturday.

Struggling Charlton had been the guests to the King Energy Stadium, with Leicester legend Andy King within the dugout on a caretaker foundation. A recipe for optimism.

Then, the pink card for Memeh Okoli. Adopted by targets earlier than the break from Sonny Carey and Lyndon Dykes.

Charlton had not received away from house since mid-October. They’d received solely certainly one of their final 10 at Leicester. Jordan Ayew’s penalty miss at 2-0 down summed up one other depressing day for the Foxes.

A decade in the past on the finish of January that they had simply gone prime of the Premier League, and would not be knocked from the summit once more that season. How issues can change. League One feels nearer proper now.
Simeon Gholam

The wheels are falling off for Watford

Watford 0-2 Swansea

The wheels are falling off Watford’s play-off push. The Hornets are winless in 4 having received 4 in a row over the festive interval to enter the promotion dialog.

Defeat to a Swansea facet who had misplaced seven of their earlier eight away matches raises main questions as as to if this squad are adequate to complete inside the highest six.

A cryptic post-match interview with Javi Gracia raises additional questions as as to if the Spaniard and the membership’s hierarchy are on the identical web page. Historical past would recommend a change within the dugout can’t be dominated out.

Watford’s season seemed to be rising steadily beneath Gracia in his second spell in cost. But the house supporters might be left considering one other season within the second tier following a run of 1 level from their final three house matches.

They failed to put a glove on Swansea and by no means regarded like getting again on stage phrases regardless of boasting the very best comeback file within the EFL this season – choosing up 24 factors from shedding positions.

On paper they continue to be within the hunt for the play-offs. However the proof at Vicarage Street would recommend in any other case.
James Savundra

Delight for Jakirovic as Hull climb to 3rd

Blackburn 0-1 Hull

Hull began the brighter, making loads of darting runs ahead and looking out threatening, however then Blackburn took the initiative 10 minutes in as Todd Cantwell and Ryoya Morishita got here to the fore with out actually creating clear-cut openings.

Ryan Alebiosu’s mazy run and shot introduced a sensible save from Ivor Pandur earlier than Cantwell received tousled with Oli McBurnie in direction of the top of the first-half and had a nibble on the Hull striker. He was maybe fortunate to solely obtain a yellow card.

Rovers went shut with two headers after half-time and loved extra of the possession however lacked a leading edge and Hull punished them when Lewis Koumas struck on debut, simply 5 minutes after approaching after a neat Tigers transfer.

Sergej Jakirovic was unimpressed along with his facet’s efficiency once I spoke to him afterwards, however was delighted to win and be as much as third within the Championship.
David Stowell

Derby have the firepower for a severe play-off push

Bristol Metropolis 0-5 Derby

There was loads of discuss concerning the struggles swirling round Bristol Metropolis after their 5-0 house mauling by the hands of Derby County on Friday evening, however take nothing away from the Rams.

It was a scintillating show. The attacking weapons they’ve at their disposal are spectacular to say the least, and that’s making an allowance for they’re nonetheless lacking prime goalscorer Carlton Morris.

Patrick Agyemang, a US worldwide, began slowly this season however has actually stepped up in scoring seven occasions since Morris received injured in mid-November.

Whereas because the flip of the yr Ben Brereton Diaz has rediscovered a number of the type and confidence he confirmed in direction of the top of his time at Blackburn.

Add Rhian Brewster to that, in addition to having choices from the bench equivalent to Lars-Jorgen Salvesen and Andi Weimann, and you’re feeling that John Eustace actually does have the firepower at his disposal to mount a severe play-off push.

All Championship weekend outcomes

Friday

Saturday