The end of an error at Sheffield United after losing 5-0 at Ipswich – plus, Argyle win at Luton while Swindon go top
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Championship
Huw Davies
Where else to start than with the beginning of the end, and the end of a new beginning? After a 5-0 humbling by previously winless Ipswich, Sheffield United’s owners have abandoned their misguided mission to modernise through Ruben Selles – a brief that was ultimately all too brief for the manager.
Selles had zero luck at Portman Road, from freakish deflections to a clinical display from Jaden Philogene, the hosts’ hat-trick hero; however, Blades’ attack was non-existent again and the defence was a shambles, personified by summer signings Ben Godfrey and Mark McGuinness. Even Michael Cooper made a mistake. Enter Chris Wilder, Party Liaison?
QPR won 3-1 at Wrexham and had fun doing it. They tore open Wrexham’s left side, as Rumarn Burrell and Harvey Vale attacked wing-back James McClean with the sort of ferocity usually reserved for his social media channels in November, and led 2-0 at the break – the first goal, farcical, the second all too easy (though brilliantly finished by Richard Kone). Kieffer Moore got one back but Beep-Beep Burrell ran past Wile E. Coyoady for 3-1, and when Kader Dembele hit the post with Kone already celebrating, Wrexham’s back line was more of a trapezoid. Phil Parkinson’s successful reign has been built on home form: 2.3 points per game there in 2021/22, 2.9 ppg in 2022/23, 2.3 in 23/24 and 2.3 again in 24/25. In the Championship? One point from three, with eight goals conceded.
There were also away wins for Derby, Blackburn and Bristol City, and an impressive 1-0er for Stoke at home to Birmingham, but the real drama came in those enemies of the Monday pod: DRAWS.
At Charlton, Ra’ees Bangura-Williams equalised on the rebound for Millwall after Joe Bryan’s lovely pass found Luke Cundle. 1-1 in the 88th minute: you can’t leave it later than that.
Except you can. Having retaken the lead on 88’, Preston allowed Middlesbrough to take a point in stoppage time when Sontje Hansen’s shot just about spun over the line. Earlier, Lewis Dobbin’s brilliant strike had been cancelled out by Matt Targett scoring from Boro’s first shot on target(t). 2-2 in the 92nd minute: you can’t leave it later than that.
Except you can. In the first half against Norwich, Coventry had 17 shots, but none on target, while their visitors scored from one of their two. Cov continued to miss chances until Harry Darling dawdled, Milan van Ewijk pounced, Ellis Simms shot and Haji Wright finished the job, taking his team’s total xG to over 4, against Norwich’s 0.15. And so, 1-1 in the 96th minute: you can’t leave it later than that.
Except – unbelievably – you can. Over in Swansea, John Egan scored the latest of four late Championship equalisers, pouncing in the 97th minute to grab Hull a 2-2 draw. DRAMA. BOLD TYPE.
And all of that excitement led to Sunday’s long-awaited return of the derby between Southampton and Portsmouth, which… finished 0-0 with barely a chance. Oh well.
League One
Sam Parry
A League One thriller with a staccato scoreline, it was Luton 2-3 Argyle: 0-1, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2, 2-3. The ref had an impact on the rhythm. Both Luton equalisers came from the spot, before Plymouth skipper Joe Edwards saw red. Man down. Manager down. Tom Cleverley was banished to the stands, and seconds later, Plymouth flipped the script with a comical winner from a corner, Bradley Ibrahim the lucky hero. He now has three goals in two league games, more than in his previous 39 combined.
Bradford look good, don’t they? They were fully deserving of their 3-1 win over a Huddersfield side who’ve now lost three away games on the spin, conceding thrice in each. But it’s the Bantams’ home form we should be talking about. Their record at Valley Parade since the start of last season reads: W21 D4 L2, for 2.48 PPG. Here, Bobby Pointon struck his first ever brace in the EFL; a local lad, a landmark moment, and a sign that momentum isn’t going to give way any time soon.
Port Vale – another side with a fair bit of performative momentum, but no victory to show for it – finally got their first win of the season. A simple-as-they-come 2-0 half-time lead over Exeter gave Darren Moore breathing room. As Vale scored early (4’ and 45’), Exeter were always going to come on strong, and they did miss a couple of good chances, but Moore’s men fended them off easily in a game where neither side managed a shot in the six-yard box.
Lacking momentum and a win were Peterborough. Now, signings don’t always bloom quickly but two of Posh’s summer arrivals made all the difference here as they ran out 2-1 winners over Wycombe. Matt Garbett smashed home from range and Jimmy-Jay Morgan doubled the lead before the break. Wycombe fought back, deserved their goal and pushed for more; they came up short, but not by much. Both sides have looked poor this season, but one found a way to win, ending a 14-game drought. For Mike Dodds’ side, it all smells off.
Elsewhere, Wigan were impressive and clinical in a 3-0 away win over Doncaster Rovers, where once again Fraser Murray was doing the business. Then in Stockport 1-1 Cardiff, Yousef Salech’s 97th-minute equaliser ruined Dave Challinor’s evening. The Hatters were dominant for long stretches, rediscovering shape and discipline hitherto missing this season, but no cigar. A point apiece – so a cigarillo, maybe, and encouraging signs for Stockport. Cardiff still haven’t conceded a non-penalty goal, though who knows for how much longer – they’re the red team here.
League Two
Matt Watts
You know it’s tight at the top when the leaders are usurped despite picking up three points. That’s Gillingham, who beat Notts County thanks to an excellent header from Josh ‘Baby Zigic’ Andrews, extending their unbeaten run to 20 league games (17 under Gareth Ainsworth) with their fourth 1-0 win of this season. Yet Swindon’s 3-1 win over Harrogate mean they’re now 1st on goals scored – only fitting for the top scorers in the English leagues. Aaron Drinan’s brace took him to five in four games.
Salford climbed from 8th to 3rd with a 3-1 victory at Shrewsbury. In the first league meeting between the two clubs, Dan Udoh came back to haunt his old side, scoring twice for the Ammies either side of a Ben Woodburn free-kick. Next up for Salford? A visit from free-scoring Swindon.
Despite starting the season slowly, Bristol Rovers are just three points off the automatic places; their fourth win in a row was also Barrow’s third defeat in three. Josh McEachran’s ‘cross-shot’ (it was a cross) and Fabrizio Cavegn’s first league goal in England gave the Gas a two-goal lead that Barrow could only halve, through Connor Mahoney.
Crewe, on the other hand, flew out of the traps with four straight wins but have picked up just a solitary point since – although their fans will wonder how they left Gresty Road empty-handed on Saturday. At 1-1, Barnet keeper Cieran Slicker saved two second-half penalties – one from Josh March, one from Max Saunders – before Ryan Glover scored the winner for Dean Brennan’s Bees. Quite the sting in the tail.
Finally, Accrington Stanley secured their first league win of 2025/26 and moved off the bottom of the table in the process. Isaac Sinclair’s first-half strike proved to be the winner against Colchester, who didn’t have a shot on target. Sinclair, formerly of Curzon Ashton, finished the kind of well-worked team move that you don’t associate with a team winless in the league since April. Colchester’s cause wasn’t helped by Owura Edwards being sent off in the 86th minute. They should be used to it, mind: Edwards has picked up each of Col U’s last three red cards in League Two.
🎦 Our Top 5 clips from the EFL weekend
A late Amario Cozier-Duberry leveller leaps off the page.
ANOTHER GK ASSIST, but this time Joe Gardner had all the running to make up.
Wind the Dobbin up, wind the Dobbin up, jink, jink, smack, smack, goal!
Howz‘bout one classic centre-forward’s header from Baby Zig?
And finally, here’s a peek at Pompey’s cloned ‘keepers.
📊 Your Monday morning cheat sheet
🚨 No ‘W’ in 4 — The list of EFL clubs without a win in their last four games: Charlton, Oxford, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Blackpool, Burton, Colchester, Crewe, Harrogate, Newport.
3️⃣ No wobblers for Cobblers — Northampton have done something they didn’t manage for the whole of last season: they won a third successive league game, and haven’t conceded a single goal against Exeter (2-0), Leyton Orient (1-0), nor Blackpool (1-0).
✨ Mehmeti Magic — Anis Mehmeti has 5 goal involvements in 5, scoring and assisting in back-to-back games to boot.
🔫 Young Gun — Will Lankshear is the Championship’s top U21 scorer (3), netting in 3 of 4 for Oxford.
🔥 Potters Remade — Stoke’s 4 wins from 5 games (D1) is their best second-tier start since 1978/79.
🔴⚪ Boro Unbeaten – Middlesbrough have gone unbeaten in their first 5 (W4 D1) for just the third time this century.
🔥 Swindon Firepower — The Robins lead all 92 clubs for goals (17) and shots on target (43).
🍺 Rovers Return — Bristol Rovers have 4 straight league wins: their best streak since March 2022.
🐛 Because they’re a-creeping — Crawley ain’t weirdos, though; after 1 point from their first 4 games, Scott Lindsey’s side have taken 7 from their next 4, including a 2-2 draw with Chesterfield and back-to-back wins to nil.
📖 Gills History — Gillingham are unbeaten in 8 to start a season for the third time in their history; both previous runs ended in promotion.
🟥 Red Mist — Owura Edwards has 3 red cards in 2025, the most in English league football this year, representing all of Col U’s last three reds.
🎯 Paterson Provider — MK Dons’ Callum Paterson already has 4 assists this term, equalling his last three seasons combined.
✅ Tyke’s tick it off — Barnsley’s 16 points from 7 games is their best start to a season since 1996/97, their Premier League promotion year.
🚗 Away Days – Remarkably, there have still been more away wins than home in the Championship (37% v 34%).
💻 Get in the binary — Derby day… and so, of course, the first goalless draw between Saints and Pompey in 101 years played out on Sunday.
SkyBet Championship
Charlton 1-1 Millwall
Coventry 1-1 Norwich
Ipswich 5-0 Sheffield United
Oxford 2-2 Leicester
Preston 2-2 Middlesbrough
Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Bristol City
Southampton 0-0 Portsmouth
Stoke 1-0 Birmingham
Swansea 2-2 Hull
Watford 0-1 Blackburn
West Brom 0-1 Derby
Wrexham 1-3 QPR
SkyBet League One
AFC Wimbledon 2-1 Rotherham
Barnsley 3-2 Reading
Bradford 3-1 Huddersfield
Burton Albion 0-1 Lincoln City
Exeter 0-2 Port Vale
Leyton Orient 1-1 Bolton
Luton 2-3 Plymouth
Mansfield 1-1 Stevenage
Northampton 1-0 Blackpool
Peterborough 2-1 Wycombe
Stockport 1-1 Cardiff
Wigan 3-0 Doncaster
SkyBet League Two
Accrington Stanley 1-0 Colchester
Bristol Rovers 2-1 Barrow
Chesterfield 1-1 MK Dons
Crawley Town 2-0 Cheltenham
Crewe 1-2 Barnet
Fleetwood Town 1-1 Walsall
Gillingham 1-0 Notts County
Grimsby 1-1 Cambridge Utd
Oldham 1-0 Bromley
Shrewsbury 1-3 Salford
Swindon 3-1 Harrogate Town
Tranmere 1-1 Newport County
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