Thomas-Asante's double display secured the Sky Blues a 5th consecutive victory, extending their lead at the summit of the league table with a 2-1 win over Portsmouth. Thomas-Asante netted his 7th and 8th strikes of the season, pushing the undefeated side 4 points clear, before Middlesbrough upcoming fixture at Wednesday.
Historic Keeping Feat
The home goalkeeper Rushworth surpassed Horace Pearson's longstanding club record of 608 minutes without letting in a goal—a record that had stood since the 1930s—before his goal was finally beaten by Makenzie Kirk's delightful chip in stoppage time.
The Lions Keep Climbing Despite Fitness WoES
The manager hailed his "amazing" Millwall side after they moved up to 3rd despite a ongoing fitness problem. The makeshift team earned a third straight win, two-nil against fellow high-flyers Stoke at the Den.
Flying winger Femi Azeez grabbed his third goal in 3 matches, while France defender Crama hit his maiden for the team in a sweet win for Neil against his old club. But the fitness issues are continuing piling up. Smallbone became the newest victim when the Saints borrowed player went down holding his hamstring in the first half.
"We almost had a complete squad a few days ago but since then about 5 players have succumbed to injury," said the manager. "It’s an amazing performance from the players to be where we are considering how many injuries we have had. Smallbone's injured his hamstring which is a blow. I am unsure how bad it is yet. We beat a good side tonight. They were third prior to tonight and we earned to win."
The Robins Climb to Fourth with Fightback Win
Twine netted a second-half brace as City came from behind to move fourth with a three-one win over Southampton at Ashton Gate. Southampton grabbed the advantage on the 30-minute mark when Armstrong broke clear onto a accurate through ball from Shea Charles and deftly chipped the advancing keeper Radek Vitek. But it needed City just 3 minutes to level, Anis Mehmeti finishing a comparable chance from Dickie's deflected pass, this time with an deadly right-footed shot from twelve yards when faced with only McCarthy to beat.
Twine shot the hosts in front on fifty-seven minutes, arriving unmarked to score from close in after Vyner's shot from the edge of the box had bounced off a Saints player and spun back off a post. Twine was on goal again 7 minutes later as wretched defending gave him ample space to race away and chip past McCarthy. It was a special night for Zak Vyner, completing his 219th Championship appearance for City, a team record.
Charlton Stun Ipswich in Impressive Display
Jones stated he was "very proud" of his Charlton side outstanding display following their 3-0 win over Ipswich at away, while the home side's McKenna reflected on the game being a "terrible result" for the team as they were beaten at their own ground for the 1st time this season.
The Addicks scored twice through Carey and Macaulay Gillesphey in a thrilling 3-minute second period spell, with Leaburn scoring a 3rd as they climbed to fifth. The manager said: "They have got a strong squad, some side and the first twenty-five minutes we had to adjust to it … Then we started to get a bit more assertive and started to get on the offensive a little more and felt we had the best chances.
"I think we had four really great chances and at half-time we spoke to the players and we went after the game. The goals were superb goals and that was some performance."
The Tigers Edge Foxes in Tense Encounter
Millar celebrated a maiden start for club or country in over a 12 months with the Tigers' opening goal in a tense two-one victory over Leicester. The Canada international, available again after an ACL injury, was also involved in the build-up to Gelhardt's 31st-minute decisive goal. The replacement Ramsey pulled a goal back after 67 minutes but Leicester dropped out of the playoff picture after losing for the first time in nine Championship outings.
Blues Grab Welcome Win
Neumann's opening period header secured Birmingham their first win in 5 matches, with a one-nil victory at Deepdale. The twenty-eight-year-old directed home Alexander Cochrane’s set-piece in the 33rd minute and the visitors held on against a Preston team with only 1 defeat in their past eight games. It represented Preston's first home defeat in the league this campaign but they had sufficient chances to get a point more out of a hard-fought contest.
Sheffield United Mount Second Period Fightback
Sheffield United scored 3 second-half goals to come from behind and beat other strugglers Blackburn 3-1 to secure back-to-back league victories. In a game of little skill, the signs did not look good for Wilder's visitors when they conceded just prior to the interval through Ohashi's second goal of the season. But, the Blades fought back in impressive fashion after the half-time.
Following being awarded a helping hand through Henriksson's fifty-fourth-minute own strike, the Blades carved Blackburn apart two times more. Harrison Burrows converted Callum O’Hare’s expertly placed pass in the 70th minute before his fellow substitute Tyrese Campbell scored a third from close range in added time.
United climb out of the relegation zone for the first time this season but the second half was bad for Blackburn and their fans, who made their feelings clear at the final whistle after a result which sends them a position to 23rd.
Derby Defeat Norwich to Raise Tension
Ozoh's maiden goal of the season gave Derby a 1-0 win over Norwich to increase the pressure on Liam Manning. The loaned Crystal Palace player struck soon in the second half to claim Derby's 1st home win of the campaign and send the visitors to a defeat which pushed them into the league's bottom three. It should have been a different story after the Canaries completely controlled the opening half but they failed to take a number of good chances.
