Derby jump to sixth, Argyle at it again, MK and Cambridge are the big winners in L2 as the FA Cup delivers “a mood”: Live, Laugh, Clough...
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Championship
Huw Davies
The second tier took a back seat to the FA Cup and lower leagues, but if you think that means it was dull, you’re a narrative device created so that I can contradict you.
Sheffield Wednesday gave Millwall a scare. Winless since September, goalless since Boxing Day and pointless since 2025, Henrik Pedersen’s Owls resisted for an hour thanks to Murphy Cooper’s saves and then led when Jamal Lowe pounced on Max Crocombe’s error. Anthony Patterson, prepare thyself. The celebrations? Heartwarming. But it felt temporary and Millwall soon won with two goals in three minutes, including a weird and wonderful improvised finish by Macaulay Langstaff.
Two new bosses made their bows. Ed Still’s Watford took 20 shots, mostly from bad positions, in a 2-2 draw at Preston that hurt both teams’ play-off hopes. Michael O’Neill was in the dugout for the 3-1 win at QPR that took Blackburn out of the relegation zone (and put Leicester in it), though he was at pains to give all of the credit to erstwhile caretaker Damien Johnson. The first half of Mathias Jørgensen’s brace came from a frankly unbelievable pass by Ryoya Morishita, who also headed home Blackburn’s third goal with only their fourth attempt of the match.
It’s Derby’s turn to occupy 6th, following a 2-0 victory at Pride Park. Swansea had most of the ball but Derby made the most of their corners, with Rhian Brewster and Patrick Agyemang on hand to convert. Swans would’ve drawn level with their opponents if they’d won, but instead 10 places separate them, which is COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS. Does that mean Sheffield United, in 15th, are still in the play-off conversation due to their last-minute winner at a profligate Portsmouth? Maybe! They, and Swansea, sit six points off 6th.
League One
Huw Davies
Reduced slate = reduced jeopardy? Not a bit of it. A League One schedule that was only two-thirds full nonetheless threw up a playoffs-for-the-playoffs bonanza, as virtually all of the top half played each other.
It made for quite the game of musical chairs, with a hell of a lot of movement by the end.
So, what happened?
At lunchtime, Stevenage delivered Liam Manning his first league defeat with Huddersfield. No League One team averages lower than 63% pass completion and these two managed 60% and 62%, so that should give you some idea of the match as a spectacle, but Carl Piergianni’s 85th-minute winner rewarded a firm defensive display. Whereas debutant Matt Phillips forced a good save in the first half and Stevenage had further chances in the second, Huddersfield didn’t test Filip Marschall even once. As questionable as recent performances have been, Alex Revell’s side have lost just once at home in the league this season, and that was 1-0 to a late scorcher from Cardiff’s Callum Robinson.
Reading leapfrogged Wycombe with a 3-2 home win, having been pegged back from 2-0. Jack Marriott’s hat-trick ensured he was once again, or thrice again, the difference-maker; with 15 goals and three assists in 1,611 minutes since his arrival from Wrexham, he’s averaging a goal contribution every 89.5 mins, i.e. once per game. His finishes here were, in turn, predatory, powerful (plus helped by poor goalkeeping) and ruthless. Just look at his movement for the first goal, catching Wycombe’s defenders cold:
Wycombe will be frustrated to have conceded from kick-off after equalising, as Charlie Savage came on to set up Marriott with his first touch. Still, they had 20 shots from inside the box, and 10 on target, while Reading had seven efforts in total – Mike Duff shouldn’t worry too much.
Can we say the same about Luke Williams? His Peterborough defence gave up 55 shots and 6.15 expected goals across two away games last week. Mansfield couldn’t punish them but Bradford did, creating eight big chances and winning 2-0. Only some superb stops by Alex Bass, who had been at fault for Bobby Pointon’s opener, saved Posh from a Bantams battering.
Sam Dalby scored the biggest goal of the weekend. Lincoln, already ahead via Jack Moylan’s impish one-two and finish, had dominated Bolton in the second half, and with 10 minutes remaining they led their automatic promotion rivals by a goal to nil and nine points in the table, with a game in hand. Dalby’s headed equaliser reduced that gap to six, letting some air out of Lincoln’s cushion. Moylan scored, hit the bar and had 10 shots in the game, which was more than Bolton… and also more than Luton, Northampton, Posh, Blackpool, Huddersfield, Reading, Stevenage and Wimbledon.
That 1-1 draw allowed Cardiff to increase their lead over 3rd to 10 points. They were scintillating in a 3-1 win over Luton, whose only shot after Jordan Clark’s 20th-minute penalty was an effort from their own half. Perry Ng scored a belter, Alex Robertson controlled the midfield, Joel Colwill impressed again and brother Rubin replaced him for his first appearance since November – everything’s coming up Bluebirds.
Away from the promotion race – very far away – Blackpool took their first shot against Plymouth Argyle at 4-0 down midway through the second half. They were at home. Ian Evatt’s touchline ban gave him a fan’s-eye view of the four-goal defeat, as well as the boos when his players went off for half-time and as they came back on again. To cap a crap day, James Husband was sent off near the end for lashing out. Argyle, though, were magnificent: they won every battle, created opportunities at will and had the game won by half-time, all without Lorent Tolaj. They’re into the top half for the first time since relegation.
Finally, while Exeter and Northampton were drawing 0-0, Barnsley and Wimbledon had a lovely back-and-forth goalfest: 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 3-3, full-time and home for tea and biscuits. Reyes Cleary registered two fine assists for the hosts; Omar Bugiel scored two brilliant headers for the visitors.
League Two
Matt Watts
At the top, Bromley drew 1-1 with Notts County. Then 3rd-placed Swindon were well beaten 3-1 by a Shrewsbury side who have now won back-to-back games and have grown a 7-point gap to the relegation zone. Those results meant the big winners at the top of League Two were Cambridge and MK Dons.
The U’s dispelled any Manager of the Month or Player of the Month curse by beating Bristol Rovers 3-1 with Ben Knight scoring twice. Kell Watts also got on the scoresheet as Steve Evans’ side struggled to deal with Cambridge’s set-piece threat. After their shock defeat to Harrogate last weekend, back-to-back wins have taken Neil Harris’ side up to 2nd and four points behind Bromley.
MK Dons made it 16 points from the last 18 available by beating Newport 1-0. MK’s Newport-born striker, Aaron Collins, gave the promotion-chasers the lead inside a minute thanks to Jordan Wright’s mistake. It was an eventful afternoon for the County keeper, who gave away a penalty in the second half but managed to save Callum Paterson’s rather tame spot-kick.
Have we been sleeping on Crewe? Quite possibly. The Railwaymen moved into the top seven with a 1-0 win at home to Gillingham. This game was dominated by the visitors, but Adrien Thibaut’s second-half strike gave Lee Bell’s side a third 1-0 win in four games, and a two-points-per-game record since the turn of the year.
Guess who’s back? Dino’s back! After Paul Gallagher’s fateful five games in charge of Barrow yielded a grand total of zero points, Dino Maamria began his reign with a 1-0 victory over Colchester. Big Niall Canavan’s 85th-minute winner (and first league goal for more than two years) was a huge relief for everyone associated with Barrow, who hadn’t picked up a single point since 29th December. It was, believe it or not, their first home league win since 20th September.
Finally, roses are red… but so are match-ending, suspension-inducing cards from a referee. Three players in the fourth tier received the worst type of card on Valentine’s Day. While Notts County’s Scott Robertson and Cheltenham’s Arkell Jude-Boyd may reflect upon their second yellows with some disappointment, the most avoidable second yellow came at Chesterfield, as striker Lee Bonis went from hero to villain in a 1-1 draw with lowly Harrogate.
The Northern Irishman’s flying finish had given Chesterfield the lead, but he received two yellow cards in two minutes during the second half. The second was for nonchalantly kicking the ball away while waiting to come back on the pitch – and, therefore, delaying the restart. Wigan loanee Tobias Brennan finished a well-worked move to equalise for Harrogate in the 84th minute. The point takes Simon Weaver’s side off the bottom, but victories for Shrewsbury and Barrow have only made the Sulphurites’ task tougher.
FA Cup
Sam Parry
Let’s start with EFL-on-EFL.
Southampton beat Leicester for the second time in a week, 2-1 this time. Wrexham edged past a misfiring Ipswich to enter the Fifth Round draw for the first time in almost 30 years. And West Brom looked a little less baggy against Norwich, with Josh Maja putting the ball in the net twice from offside positions before equalising early in the second half.
Whether it’s sustainable or not, the Canaries have wind in their wings. Ben Chrisene drove home a deeply satisfying angled strike for 2-1, and then came the highlight of the weekend. Anis Ben Slimane, in a vein of form so rich it could give you a coronary, produced his ninth goal contribution in eight games with one absurd sequence of ball control: chest, foot, head, all without the ball bouncing, cushioning it perfectly into Mo Touré’s path for 3-1 (that’s five in three for him). Mo. Men. Tum.
Any near misses for the Davids vs the Goliaths?
Hull were not-so-nearly, but for a moment the “teams-misfire-against-Hull narrative” sparked. It did not catch. Chelsea hit four unanswered goals to reverse the London 0 Hull 4 album artwork released by The Housemartins almost exactly 40 years ago.
A late deflected effort from Patrick Roberts brought Birmingham level against top-flight Leeds. It was everything they deserved. But in the inexorable penalty shootout that followed, Roberts missed and Birmingham missed out.
Burton Albion’s moment came and went. They took West Ham to extra time, but Crysensio Summerville put them to bed. Salford produced one of the round’s more impressive efforts by keeping Manchester City down to 2-0 (six goals fewer than when they met a year ago), with the giants scoring early and late. Sunderland needed a penalty to beat Oxford 1-0, Stoke couldn’t hang on to a lead against Fulham and lost 2-1, and though Grimsby went down 1-0 to Wolves, they made a real ball-game of it.
And then to Burnley, where League One Mansfield found themselves 1-0 down, away from home, to top-flight opposition. No giant-killings then? Pfft.
Nigel Clough’s ‘special relationship’ with cup competitions is enough to make you blush. It didn’t really feel like the game was going to turn. When it did, the protagonists, as in all good dramas, were more thrilling for their predictability.
It began with a deep cross, snow-on-it height, dropping into the box. Who was there? Jumbo Oates, eating the Burnley defender for breakfast to nod home the equaliser. The Stags were calm between the leveller on 53’ and the game’s big moment on 80’ (Burnley managed just one shot on target in that spell), but what a moment it was.
After 157 appearances for Nigel Clough, the loyal technician stepped up. A free kick was given. This diminutive playmaker – a few inches too short to trouble the second tier, never mind the top flight – produced an inch-perfect strike.
Louis Effing Reid. No Stag Party puns required. We’re beyond the wedding now. Framed on the wall are three little words: Live. Laugh. Clough.
🎦 Our Top 5 clips from the EFL weekend
A freekick on the wild side – Lou Reid acts as Mansfield’s transformer.
Liam Delap tranquillises the Tigers and then himself.
This is the assist you’re looking for: Obi Ben Slimane uses the force for Norwich.
Perry Ng stops, looks, listens, thinks… and then smashes home for Cardiff.
Jack Moylan produces something a bit different – and special.
📊 Your Monday morning cheat sheet
💤 Don’t sleep on Marriott — Jack Marriott has scored in 13 of his 18 League One starts for Reading this season (72%). For context:
Erling Haaland has scored in 15/25 (60%)
Aaron Drinan 14/25 (56%)
Žan Vipotnik 11/22 (50%)
Dom Ballard 10/24 (~41%)
Kyle Wootton 12/29 (~41%)
Marriott also became the first player to score a hat-trick on Valentine’s Day in the top four tiers since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Arsenal in 2021. Love that.
🔟 Perfect 10 for Imps’ #10 — Jack Moylan is the first player to attempt 10 shots in an EFL match since David McGoldrick for Notts County against Swindon in January 2025; the last player to have more (11) was Morgan Whittaker for Plymouth Argyle against Watford in January 2024.
🎯 I can see Cleary now DKD’s gone — Reyes Cleary has 10 assists for Barnsley this season, more than any other League One player, and is the first Tykes player to reach double figures in a league campaign since Conor Hourihane in 2016/17.
🪄 Ben Slimane supplying — Anis Ben Slimane has more assists (4) than any other player in this season’s FA Cup since the first round proper, and the most by a Norwich City player in the competition in the last 30 years.
🛣️ On Road relief — Blackburn Rovers ended a seven-game winless away run in the Championship with victory at Preston North End – it was their longest barren stretch on the road since a 10-game streak between December 2023 and March 2024.
📈 Dobbin double take — Lewis Dobbin has scored 7 Championship goals this season for Preston, more than across his previous four EPL/EFL campaigns combined (6 in 85 appearances).
🕺 Funky Brewster — Rhian Brewster has scored in three successive league games for the first time; five Championship goals for Derby represents his best tally in the top four tiers since his 2019/20 campaign with Swansea.
🐦⬛ Ravens plucked — Notts County are the first League Two side this season not to concede multiple goals away at Bromley, while the Ravens’ single shot on target was their fewest in a league game this term.
📉 Quiet County — Newport County recorded just four touches in the opposition box and three shots (none on target) in defeat to MK Dons – both are the lowest totals in a League Two match this season.
🌕 MidKnight rising — Cambridge United’s Ben Knight has scored seven goals in eight League Two games in 2026; no player has more in any league this calendar year.
SkyBet Championship
Derby 2-0 Swansea
Portsmouth 0-1 Sheffield United
Preston 2-2 Watford
QPR 1-3 Blackburn
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Millwall
Sky Bet League One
Barnsley 3-3 AFC Wimbledon
Blackpool 0-4 Plymouth
Bradford 2-0 Peterborough
Cardiff 3-1 Luton
Exeter 0-0 Northampton
Lincoln 1-1 Bolton
Reading 3-2 Wycombe
Stevenage 1-0 Huddersfield
Sky Bet League Two
Barnet 0-0 Cheltenham
Barrow 1-0 Colchester
Bromley 1-1 Notts County
Cambridge 3-1 Bristol Rovers
Chesterfield 1-1 Harrogate
Crewe 1-0 Gillingham
MK Dons 1-0 Newport
Oldham 1-1 Fleetwood
Shrewsbury 3-1 Swindon
Tranmere 2-0 Crawley
FA Cup
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
Aston Villa 1-3 Newcastle
Birmingham 1-1p Leeds
Burnley 1-2 Mansfield
Burton Albion 0-1 West Ham
Grimsby 0-1 Wolves
Hull 0-4 Chelsea
Liverpool 3-0 Brighton
Manchester City 2-0 Salford
Norwich 3-1 West Brom
Oxford 0-1 Sunderland
Southampton 2-1 Leicester
Stoke 1-2 Fulham
Wrexham 1-0 Ipswich
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