Roundup of a huge round of Good Friday action across the Championship table.
Manor Solomon’s 33rd-minute strike snatched a narrow victory for Leeds away at Oxford United, which kept Daniel Farke’s Whites top of the table and on course for automatic promotion.
Burnley remain second on goal difference after Zian Flemming and Josh Brownhill completed a comeback 2-1 win at Watford, having fell behind to Mamadou Doumbia’s early header before the Hornets’ Moussa Sissoko and Edo Kayembe were both sent off in the space of nine second-half minutes.
Gustavo Hamer and Ben Brereton Diaz found the net to keep third-placed Sheffield United’s automatic promotion ambitions realistically alive, as the Blades ran out 2-0 winners over Cardiff at Bramall Lane.
Sunderland’s play-off preparations continued with a 2-1 defeat at fifth-placed Bristol City in which Eliezer Mayenda put the Black Cats ahead following Trai Hume’s early red card, but second-half goals from Rob Dickie and Ross McCrorie completed a comeback for Liam Manning’s Robins.
Sixth-placed Coventry boosted their play-off chances with a clinical 2-0 home win over West Brom through goals from Jack Rudoni and Matt Grimes, whilst the visiting Baggies finished a man down following Callum Styles’ red card for a foul on Tatsuhiro Sakamoto which earned him a second booking.
Middlesbrough kept their outside play-off push alive with a dramatic 2-1 win over rock-bottom Plymouth, having seen Finn Azaz’s early goal cancelled out by Mustapha Bundu before Tommy Conway netted an injury-time penalty – after he had been fouled by Joe Edwards who was consequently shown a red card.
Down in the relegation zone, Luton boosted their hopes of a great escape as they climbed to third-bottom with a 1-0 victory at Derby through Millenic Alli’s 10th-minute winner, although the Hatters only remain in the bottom three below the Rams on goal difference as Cardiff slipped to second-bottom.
Hull sit just two points above the drop after Matt Crooks was red carded during their 1-0 loss at Swansea, with Zan Vipotnik having scored a 51st-minute winner from the penalty spot for the Swans.
Portsmouth moved six points clear in their fight for survival with a shock 5-3 victory at Norwich in which Colby Bishop netted a hat-trick and Matt Ritchie plus Regan Poole also scored, whilst Josh Sargent, Jack Stacey and Emiliano Marcondes were on the scoresheet for the Canaries.
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Elsewhere, Mihailo Ivanovic’s 44th-minute equaliser couldn’t prevent Millwall’s play-off dreams being dented in a 4-1 loss at Blackburn, after Dominic Hyam opened the scoring before Sondre Tronstad’s brace and Callum Brittain’s strike sealed the hosts’ victory.
Lucas Andersen struck a 93rd minute winner as QPR came from behind to win 2-1 at Preston after Michael Frey cancelled out Liam Lindsay’s first-half header.
Stoke took a huge step towards survival with a 2-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday through goals from Million Manhoef and Ben Wilmot.
