Wrexham 3-2 Coventry City

Just one win from Wrexham’s last five games had seen the Welsh club struggling to build any kind of momentum to facilitate a charge up the league table. On a more positive note, however, they had also only lost one of their last five, with the other three games being draws. Coventry have been on fire with win after win solidifying their place at the top of the division. They went into this game as the only unbeaten side in the division, as well at the top goalscorers by a significant margin.

At half-time it appeared the Sky Blues were well on their way to maintaining their perfect start to the season. After surviving a scare when Carl Rushworth denied Wrexham’s Lewis O’Brien with an outstretched right leg, Coventry took the lead in the  22nd minute. Japanese midfielder Tatsuhiro Sakamoto lifted the ball over the Wrexham defence for Ephron Mason-Clark to guide his second goal of the season into the net.  The game would be turned on its head fifteen minutes after the break, with undisputed man of the match Kieffer Moore linking up with Josh Windass for the first of the three combinations between the two men. The first goal on the 60th minute saw Windass pass the ball low into the six-yard box, where Moore was waiting to slide the ball home. Just nine minutes later, Wrexham were ahead. This time Windass lofted a ball into the box and Moore would meet the ball with his head for his second of the game. Wrexham’s third came in the 83rd minute. Coventry’s Sakamoto was hauled down on the wing, but the referee waved play on, and a Wrexham counter saw Windass slide the ball through to Moore to complete a hat-trick of assists for Windass and a hat-trick of goals for Moore. It was Windass’ first assists of the season, whilst Moore has now scored seven goals. It should be noted this is the first time a Wrexham player has scored a league hat-trick since 1982. Coventry’s Sakamoto would drive a powerful shot into the top corner in the 88th minute to set up a tense end to the game, but ultimately all three points would go to Wrexham. 

Wrexham’s fourth win of the season leaves them in 15th. Coventry experience their first defeat of the campaign, but nonetheless they still remain top of the table.

Leicester City 0-2 Blackburn Rovers

After a reasonable enough start to the season, Leicester have hit the skids recently. What started off as a number of draws has transformed into defeats for the Foxes, and they came into this match having lost their last two games. Rovers had been enduring their own torrid run of form as of late, but victory with a late goal against Southampton last week had given Valerien Ismael’s team a much-needed boost in confidence going into this one.

For Marti Cifuentes, things continue to get worse. Rovers were part of a pattern on Saturday which saw all three away teams who tasted victory do so by a precise scoreline of 2-0 – and this was no smash-and-grab, with Rovers fully deserving the three points. Things could have been very different for the hosts as they had an early chance to go ahead, but Stephy Mavididi either ignorantly or greedily finished from an offside position when Vestergaard’s header already appeared to be going in. The first goal, for Rovers, came on the 20 minute mark. Dion De Neve fired a ball across the box, and a somewhat fortuitous deflection perfectly set up Andri Gudjohnsen to tap the ball in from inside the six-yard box. Early second-half pressure from the hosts saw the impressive Toth keep Leicester out, and Rovers’ Gudjohnsen would then double his tally for the afternoon in the 63rd minute. Incredible work from right-back Ryan Alebiosu saw him beat two Leicester players from a tight position, drive to the byline and then lay the ball on a plate for Gudjohnsen in the area to hammer into the roof of the net. A third of the season for Rovers’ Icelandic international striker. Leicester were booed off after the match, as fans grow increasingly frustrated with their handsomely paid team’s inability to get to grips with the second-tier.

A third defeat on the spin sees Leicester plummet to 14th. Back-to-back wins for the mighty Rovers sees Valerien Ismael’s men move up to 19th position.

Norwich City 0-2 Hull City

Norwich went into this match having won just two of their first twelve matches, leaving them in the relegation zone. The Canaries came into this match showing zero signs of arresting the slide, having lost five in a row and having not won a match since August - a 2-0 win at Ewood Park. Liam Manning clings onto his job for now, but one imagines at some point the hierarchy at Norwich will have no choice but to make a change. Hull, alternatively, have seen great success thus far under new manager Sergej Jakirovic. An obscure choice, the Bosnian had seen his team pick up eleven points from the last fifteen available.

Sometimes the form table is thrown out of the window, but not in this one. Norwich’s dire form continued – they have still not won at home this season – and Hull won their fourth match in five games. After a goalless first half, Hull would open the scoring just four minutes after the break. Norwich had chances before this to add to the measly four home goals they’ve managed throughout the campaign, but predictably squandered all of them and were made to pay. A simple header from midfield somehow bamboozled the hosts’ defensive line, allowing Joe Gelhardt to race through and score his sixth of the season. The Tigers would finish off their opponents in the 87th minute, as midfielder Darko Gyabi benefited from his first shot being rebounded directly back into his path – and he made no mistake with his second attempt, scoring his first of the season. Liam Manning headed straight down the tunnel at the final whistle – an action he would apologise for post-match, despite Norwich fans chanting for his dismissal at the end of the match. Despite being publicly backed by Norwich’s board during the week, it remains to be seen how much longer Manning will get to turn the Canaries’ season around.

A sixth defeat in a row means Norwich remain 23rd, four points from safety. A fourth win in five games sees Hull in 7th, only outside the playoffs on goal difference.

West Brom 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday

Rookie boss Ryan Mason enjoyed a solid start to life as West Brom manager, but the reality of managing a team in the second-tier has started to bite for the former Spurs midfielder. Three defeats from their last four matches had seen WBA begin to fall away from the playoff positions. For Sheffield Wednesday, on negative six points after entering administration, every game is essentially a free-hit at this point, with nobody giving them a realistic chance of surviving.

The alarm bells continue to ring for WBA, whilst Wednesday’s players continue to be a credit to themselves and the club. Owls’ keeper Ethan Horvath made a string of important saves to keep his team in the contest, frustrating the Baggies on their home turf. West Brom’s fans appear to be already losing patience with their young manager, as boos began to emerge at the final whistle. It would be somewhat dramatic to suggest this is a crisis for WBA, but they will need to take a hard look at themselves in the aftermath of this one. 

Another poor result sees West Brom continue to fall down the table, now in 12th. Wednesday of course remain bottom, and barring a miracle run of form this is likely where they’ll be until the season’s end.

Birmingham City 4-0 Portsmouth

Inconsistent form has meant the playoff push predicted by many pre-season has not yet materialised for Brum. The last five games had only yielded one win, with two draws and two defeats leaving them firmly in lower mid-table. Portsmouth started losing momentum, with John Mousinho seeing his men lose their last two matches.

Make that three, as Pompey were blown away in this one by a Birmingham team who seemed keen to remind people why they were tipped to be in-and-around the top six this season. Birmingham had a golden chance to go ahead early on, as German striker Marvin Ducksch was tripped in the area and a penalty was duly awarded. Ducksch would step up to take the penalty kick, but a tame effort was saved, with Ducksch also missing an immediate chance for redemption when he was unable to connect with the ball as it flew past him in the aftermath. Brum wouldn’t have to dwell on this for too long, though, as a corner from Alex Cochrane met the head of South Korean international midfielder Paik Seung-Ho in the 9th minute to put the home side one up. Ten minutes into the second half Birmingham doubled their lead as yet another Brum corner was headed in, this time by Japanese midfielder Tomoki Iwata. In the 61st minute Austrian defender Cristoph Klarer turned in an inswinging Cochrane free-kick with a diving header, and the game would be comprehensively put to bed in the 88th minute as a deflected strike from forward Keshi Anderson rubbed salt into Pompey’s wounds.

A second win in three games pushes Birmingham up to 11th. A third defeat in a row for Portsmouth sees them drop to 20th.

Charlton Athletic 1-1 Swansea

A strong start to the season had seen Charlton defy expectations and find themselves competing at the top end of the Championship table. Eight points from the last fifteen available saw them go into this match in good stead. Swansea’s erratic recent form – two wins, two defeats and a draw – saw them floating around in their usual position of lower mid-table.

A first goal of the season for forward Charlie Kelman, just a minute after the second half kicked off, saw the Addicks take the lead in this one. A lofted ball into the box wasn’t dealt with by the Swans’ defence, and Kelman took advantage, netting from close range. Swansea would deservedly equalise in the 64th minute, with Adam Idah firing in a low shot off the base of the post for his second of the campaign. The Irish striker was making the most of a late injury to Zan Vipotnik, who he had been brought in to replace.

A second draw in a row leaves Charlton in 8th. Swansea drop to 16th.

Oxford United 2-2 Millwall

Two of Oxford’s three wins thus far this season had come in the last three games, and this had helped to lift them away from the relegation places. Four wins in a row for Millwall had seen Alex Neil’s team firmly establish themselves in the playoff places, sitting in third place before this match kicked off.

Poor defending from Oxford allowed a long throw to find its way to Thierno Ballo, who headed the ball home in the 11th minute to get the visitors off to a great start. It was the left winger’s first goal of the campaign. Oxford would bring the scores level on the strike of half-time, as midfielder Cameron Brannagan curled in a superb long-range effort for his fourth goal of the season. Millwall would retake the lead in the 66th minute, as centre-back Jake Cooper marked his 400th appearance for the Lions with a tap-in to put his team back in front. Oxford refused to give up, however, and their persistence was rewarded with virtually the last kick of the game. In the 96th minute Oxford’s Polish left-winger Przemyslaw Placheta drilled a low shot from distance into the near-corner of the net to ensure his team walked away from this one with a share of the spoils.

A hard-earned point for Oxford has them in 18th. An end to Millwall’s winning run sees them drop slightly to 4th position.

QPR 1-4 Ipswich Town

After a fantastic run of form over September and the beginning of October, QPR have begun to see their momentum tail off. Two defeats in their last three games had seen the Hoops begin to slip back down the table. Ipswich had also seen recent momentum stalled with a couple of back-to-back defeats, but a narrow victory against West Brom last weekend at Portman Road had seen the Tractor Boys get back on track.

Having come in for some criticism lately from a portion of Ipswich fans who feel that striker George Hirst may not be on the same level as the rest of his team mates, the twenty-six year old answered his critics after just two minutes of this match. Young Norwegian forward Sindre Walle Egeli, a late August arrival costing nearly £20m, registered his first assist of the campaign as his cross met the head of Hirst for the early opener. Eighteen minutes later Rangers responded as Ilais Chair’s drive was parried by former Rover Christian Walton into the path of Rumarn Burrell who buried the opportunity to make it three goals in four games for him. This was, however, as good as it got for QPR. Much like the first half, it took Ipswich just two minutes to take the lead in the second period. Another expensive late-August signing, £10m midfielder Marcelino Nunez, aimed a free kick into the top corner – although question marks will be raised over whether QPR’s French keeper Paul Nardi could have done better, seeing as the ball was fired at the portion of the net he was responsible for. George Hirst would net his second of the game, and his overall fifth of the season, in the 55th minute with another header – this time assisted by right-back Darnell Furlong. Nunez would score another free-kick from an almost identical position to his first in the 64th minute, deflected off the wall this time, to put the game beyond QPR’s reach and secure an emphatic win for the Tractor Boys.

A third defeat in four means QPR fall to 13th. A second win in a row for Ipswich lifts them to 9th.

Sheffield United 1-3 Derby County

Chris Wilder is still finding it tough to turn things around at Bramall Lane. Two victories in the last five matches have helped his side begin to move in the right direction, but three defeats in those same five games has meant that they are still struggling to escape the relegation zone. Meanwhile John Eustace seems to have begun to turn a corner at Derby, with two wins on the spin going into this one.

This game was very much a showcase for Carlton Morris, with the Rams’ striker scoring the first hat-trick of his career to put the Blades to the sword. Morris also scored last week’s winner against QPR, making it a very productive two weeks for the experienced twenty-nine year old. Morris opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a glancing header from a corner, and would then double Derby’s advantage one minute into the second half as a reckless backpass from Blades’ midfielder Sydie Peck allowed Morris the opportunity to register a brace. That became a hat-trick as he stepped up to convert a 63rd minute penalty. It had taken eleven years and ten different clubs, but Morris now has his first professional hat-trick.  Callum O’Hare did pull one back for Sheffield United in the 73rd minute, but it did not spur a comeback, with this being yet another miserable afternoon for the home fans at Bramall Lane.

Back-to-back defeats keeps Sheffield United in the relegation zone, 22nd. A third win on the bounce for a resurgent Derby County sees them move up to 17th.

Southampton 0-2 Preston

Just two wins from twelve has seen Southampton surprisingly find themselves fighting it out at the wrong end of the table. Young manager Will Still has found the Championship a very different prospect to Ligue 1, and things are getting worse rather than better – going into this match his team had lost two on the spin and only won one of the last nine games. Preston, on the other hand, had bounced back from two defeats with victory last weekend and have found themselves unexpectedly in the hunt for a playoff place.

With 38 minutes on the clock, the Saints found themselves behind. Alex McCarthy’s parried save was met by the grateful Lewis Dobbin, who tapped in for the left winger’s third of the campaign. This prompted furious Southampton fans to aim disparaging chants at their owners, Sports Republic. The Saints would hit the bar twice during the match, but their fate was sealed in the 94th minute as Iceland international Stefán Þórðarson and Dane Mads Frøkjær-Jensen, both midfielders, combined for the latter to fire a second Preston goal into the net and further enrage those who remained at St. Mary’s. One imagines Saints players will, at this point, be used to the sound of boos and chants for the owners to go.

A third defeat in a row sees desperate Southampton drop to 21st, three points outside the relegation zone. Preston sit in 6th, just inside the playoff places.

Stoke City 5-1 Bristol City

Stoke had begun to stumble, but the steady hand of Mark Robins has helped them arrest any potential decline. Eight points from the last fifteen has seen the Potters remain in the playoffs and continue to directly threaten the teams in the automatic promotion spots. Bristol City would have come into this one full of confidence themselves, having won their last three matches and having only lost two of their first twelve games.

Well, so much for that. Their run of victories came to a brutal halt here, as they were absolutely smashed by a merciless Stoke side who seemed intent on making it known they were still very much gunning for automatic promotion. Forward Divin Mubama was unquestionably man of the match in this one, scoring a hat-trick and setting up an additional goal. His first came after just four minutes, setting the tone for the afternoon. The Manchester City loanee pounced on a low cross from right-back Junior Tchamadeu to open the scoring, and he made the most of a fumble of what appeared to be a routine collection of the ball from City keeper Radek Vitek to nick the ball and roll it into an empty net. Just three minutes later Mubama would assist winger Million Manhoef, who curled a left-footed strike into the bottom corner for a third Stoke goal and Manhoef’s fourth of the campaign overall. One minute into the second half Tchamadeu, who had assisted the first goal of the afternoon, fired in a low shot to make it four. Stoke’s scoring was capped off by Mubama, who secured his hat-trick with a powerful drive from twelve yards. A late consolation goal from Bristol City’s Mark Sykes did little to ease the pain of this humbling result for his side. It was some way for Gerhard Struber’s Robins’ to end a winning streak of three matches which had only seen them concede once.

This rampant victory takes Stoke back to 3rd position. A brutal end to Bristol City’s winning run drops them to 5th.

Watford 3-0 Middlesbrough

Watford’s last four games had seen a pattern of WLWL – enough to lift them to 10th in the division under new/old manager Javi Gracia. Middlesbrough had responded to their first defeat a four games ago by winning two and drawing one, meaning they were still very much in the automatic promotion positions, although Coventry had taken top spot from them. Rob Edwards was returning to Vicarage Road in the opposing dugout, having endured an unsuccessful spell at the Hornets in 2022, lasting just ten games.

Watford’s WL pattern of form continued here, as WLWL became WLWLW. Reminiscent of Rovers in JDT’s first season. A second defeat of the season for Middlesbrough leaves them vulnerable to the likes of Stoke and Millwall, with both teams snapping at their heels at this early stage of the campaign. Watford took an early lead as midfielder Imran Louza finished a cross from German winger Kwadwo Baah after 15 minutes for his fifth of the season. With 32 minutes on the clock, another cross – this time from right-back Jeremy Ngakia – was turned in by Luca Kjerrumgaard to put Watford two ahead. Four minutes after the break Kjerrumgaard would put the game beyond Boro after getting a touch on a twenty-yard shot from Mamadou Doumbia. It puts Danish centre-forward Kjerrumgaard on four goals for the season. The scoreline was perhaps a little harsh on Boro, who on another day would have had at least a couple of goals themselves, but sometimes in football that’s just how things go. A first clean sheet of the season for Watford, to go along with a very solid result.

A third win in five sees Watford move up to 10th place. Boro remain in 2nd place despite this defeat, but will be looking over their shoulder with Stoke and Millwall both now just one point behind the Teessiders.

League Table c/o BBC Sport