Ipswich spank Frank's Cov, Hull's Hellberg Hell and Sheffield United smoke Stoke
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Championship
Matt Watts
The Championship weekend started with Kim Hellberg’s Middlesbrough giving Hull hell in a first half blitz at the MKM Stadium — 0-4 up at the break, zipping, swarming, scoring. A Joe Gelhardt penalty (which sent him joint-top of the Championship goalscoring charts) was Hull’s only consolation. It’s back-to-back wins for 2nd-place Boro under their new boss. Rob who?
Leicester responded to recent criticism but putting Derby to the sword at Pride Park. Wales youngster Jordan James (he’s still only 21) was fantastic as the Foxes went 3-0 up after 31 minutes: 3-1 the final score. Derby have now lost three of their last four games.
The standout fixture in the 3 o’clockers came at Portman Road as runaway league leaders Coventry travelled to the second-favourites for promotion, Ipswich. Frank Lampard’s side dominated the early exchanges with Kaine Kesler-Hayden missing a golden chance to open the scoring and Josh Eccles drawing an excellent save from Christian Walton. The home side could (and should) have been reduced to ten men after George Hirst, who had already been booked, kicked the ball away after the whistle had been blown. Given that Josh Eccles had been booked for a similar offence earlier in the half, you can see why those of a Sky Blue persuasion felt frustrated. That frustration went up a notch when Hirst got on the scoresheet in the second half, adding to Sindre Walle Egeli’s fine first-half strike. Substitute Iván Azon put a gloss on the scoreline deep into stoppage time. Coventry’s lead is cut to seven points, while Ipswich move up to 4th — five points adrift of Boro and 12 points behind the Sky Blues.
Tucked in between Boro and Ipswich, you’ll find MIIIIIIIIILLLLLLL. The Lions made it three wins in a row by beating Bristol City 1-0 at Ashton Gate. Mihailo Ivanovic’s second-half strike and Zak Vyner’s late (incorrectly) disallowed goal were the headlines until a mass brawl broke out at full-time after Jason Knight pushed Alex Neil. Thankfully, the return fixture takes place at The Den in just over three weeks’ time. Spicy.
Elsewhere, Tonda Eckert celebrated becoming the permanent Southampton boss with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham. It’s now five wins in six games for the Saints, who climb into the top half. Sheffield United made it four wins in a row by beating Stoke 4-0 at Bramall Lane. Femi Seriki scored the pick of the goals for Chris Wilder’s upwardly-mobile Blades. Going one step further, Josh Tymon scored a Goal of the Season contender as Swansea beat Oxford 2-0 to give Vitor Matos his first win as Swans boss. Corner headed away, sent back with interest into the top corner. Check it out below in 5iveLights. The result also ended the Welsh side’s run of five consecutive defeats. Tidy.
Finally, there were two abandoned games in the Championship this weekend. For the second time this season, Blackburn Rovers led 1-0 at home before their game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Earlier in the day, Charlton’s game against Portsmouth was abandoned after 12 minutes due to an emergency in the crowd. Tragically, it was later confirmed that the supporter in question had passed away. Our thoughts are with the supporter’s friends and family at this incredibly difficult time.
League One
Ali Maxwell
Cardiff City beat Huddersfield Town 3-2 in a match full of special goals. Cardiff’s first is surely one of their most Brian Barry-Murphy goals of the season: goalkeeper Nathan Trott drew a man and shifted it to the centre back Will Fish. His punched progressive pass found the deep-dropping #10 Omari Kellyman. Flying down the left were left winger Chris Willock and the overlapping left back Joel Bagan, and the latter’s cross was headed in by the #9 Yousef Salech. Liquid.
After a smart corner routine saw Marcus Harness set up Leo Castledine for a deflected banger, Salech scored a mirrored version of his first goal and Isaak Davies cut in the curl home the sealer. Cardiff City: top of League One, the only team above 2 points per game, and off to 3rd place Stevenage midweek.
Between Cardiff and Stevenage in 2nd are Bradford City, who won in Plymouth on Saturday. A push in the back from Pleguezuelo, a tumble from Stephen Humphrys, a penalty scored by popular former Pilgrim Antoni Sarcevic — the sort of thing that happens in even games between a destitute side and one sitting pretty. 1-0 Bradford.
Here’s your top six.
League Two
Colchester 0-0 Gillingham was a match that happened.
FA Cup
Huw Davies
In an otherwise far-from-vintage FA Cup Second Round, we have to talk about a pair of League Two teams beating a pair of League One teams 4-0. That’s 4-0 each.
Swindon ended Bolton’s eight-match unbeaten run in some style. It wasn’t obvious which team is chasing promotion from League One and which from League Two. Make no mistake: this was a strong Bolton XI that Swindon swept aside. Aaron Drinan scored a perfect hat-trick – right foot, header, gorgeous left-footed lob – as Ian Holloway’s charges continued their own eight-game unbeaten run despite Billy Bodin putting this chance three yards wide:
Salford had already beaten Leyton Orient 4-0 on Friday night, giving Richie Wellens a rude welcome back to the club. Only an own goal separated the two for more than an hour, but Salford deserved their comfortable win as Daniel Udoh finished nicely, having already hit the post, before Fabio Borini wrapped it up and Kelly N’Mai added his name to the card.
Speaking of 4-0 wins, Exeter’s was very significant, and not just because they thumped a good Wycombe side. The pair share a division, yes, but not financial situations. With Exeter’s fan-run board having admitted that they’re struggling to keep the club solvent, the benefit of a money-spinning Third Round tie would be huge, so this was a great time to step up against fellow League One opposition. The rout was begun by Jack Aitchison’s excellent header, en route to a brace.
Returning to shocks between divisions, Fleetwood and Cambridge won on penalties against Luton and Stockport respectively. Manchester United loanee Ethan Ennis scored twice in Fleetwood’s 2-2 draw, including a t’riffic trivela (see 5iveLights), and Teden Mengi’s fine strike only delayed Luton’s loss. Cambridge’s largely merited shootout triumph at Edgeley Park means Stockport still haven’t won any game since Ollie Norwood was injured at the start of November – just a trio of cup stalemates to go with one point from three league fixtures, including two 3-0 defeats. Ugly. Cambridge, meanwhile, haven’t lost since October. Comely.
On Sunday, Newport County went to Boreham Wood of the National League as massive (or tiny) underdogs. Bookies gave the non-league outfit an implied probability of around 73% to win the tie, and the potentially soon-to-be-non-league Newport just 33%. Newport lost 3-0, and that’s why you don’t see a bookie on a bike.
There were nearly more upsets. Wigan needed an 89th-minute equaliser and penalties to beat Barrow on home soil, with three of the four goals – and most of the other big chances – coming from corners. Accrington led Mansfield twice in a monsoon before damply losing the shootout 3-1. Cheltenham trailed non-league visitors Buxton 2-1 at half-time but recovered to win 6-2. Shrewsbury also survived a potential shock, scoring in stoppage time (an Ismeal Kabia rocket) and extra time (a Kai Jennings cock-up) to come from behind against Sutton United in a match that featured three red cards and 11 yellows.
I say, steady on.
🎦 Our Top 5 clips from the EFL weekend
Josh Tymon channels 2010 Gareth Bale.
Andre Brooks channels 2010 Lionel Messi.
Ethan Ennis channels 2008 Ricardo Quaresma.
Joe Whitworth channels 1963 Lev Yashin.
Aaron Drinan channels 1997 Ronaldo Fenômeno.
📊 Your Monday morning cheat sheet
👶🏻 Punching up — There will be more League Two teams than League One teams in the FA Cup Third Round for the first time since 2021.
🔪 Sharpened — Sheffield United have won four successive league games while scoring 3+ goals each time for the first time since April 2017 in League One, and for the first time in the second tier since October-November 1985.
👊 Nine lives — Wrexham are now unbeaten across their last nine Championship matches (W4 D5), their longest ever such run in the second division of English football and joint with Rotherham for the longest current unbeaten run in the EFL.
👬 Twin Saints — Since the start of November, Southampton pair Finn Azaz (6 goals, 2 assists) and Adam Armstrong (5 goals, 3 assists) have been involved in more league goals than any other players in England’s top four tiers (8).
🪖 Insecticide — Josh Sargent has scored seven career goals against Watford, three more than he has scored against any other club.
🎯 Beep Beep — Only Michael Cheek (21) has scored more league goals in the EFL in 2025 than Rumarn Burrell (20 goals).
🐔 Great Bantams — Bradford City’s 34 points is their highest tally after 18 league games since 1987-88.
❌ Lone furrow — Slough Town have now made ten FA Cup Second Round appearances without ever making the 3rd Round — an FA Cup record.
🤫 Revenge — By beating Bolton 4-0 in the FA Cup, Swindon Town finally avenged their 4-2 defeat at the hands (trotters?) of Wanderers 112 years ago, their only other FA Cup meeting.
💫 Dream — National League South side Weston-super-Mare have made the third round of the FA Cup for the first time in their 138-year history.
SkyBet Championship
Blackburn A-A Sheffield Wednesday
Bristol City 0-1 Millwall
Charlton P-P Portsmouth
Derby 1-3 Leicester
Hull 1-4 Middlesbrough
Ipswich 3-0 Coventry
Preston 1-1 Wrexham
QPR 3-1 West Brom
Sheffield United 4-0 Stoke
Southampton 3-1 Birmingham
Swansea 2-0 Oxford
Watford 3-2 Norwich
Sky Bet League One
Cardiff 3-2 Huddersfield
Plymouth 0-1 Bradford
Sky Bet League Two
Colchester 0-0 Gillingham
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