Watford 1-1 Bristol City

The Hornets ended a run of consecutive wins and losses with a draw in midweek, and were facing a Bristol City side who had endured back-to-back defeats and an increasingly crowded injury list which had disrupted their early season momentum and seen them fall out of the playoff positions. These teams were just three points apart from each other going into this match.

And three points apart they remain, after the points were shared at Vicarage Road. Watford started off brightly as in-form captain Imran Louza lofted a perfect pass to left-back Marc Bola, who controlled the ball expertly and finished for his first Hornets goal since arriving in the summer. The Robins would level just before the half-hour mark, with Scott Twine hitting a precise free-kick for his sixth of the campaign. Both teams had chances to win the match after this, but ultimately there would be no more goals in this contest.

Watford sit in 15th, whilst Bristol City remain on the fringes of the playoffs in 8th.

Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Derby County

Rovers celebrated 150 years as a club by welcoming Derby County to Ewood Park. A somewhat fitting team to have as opponents on this day, with former Rovers’ manager John Eustace in the Derby County dugout, and former players Dion Sanderson, Ben Brereton Diaz, Danny Batth and Andreas Weimann in the Rams’ named squad – although only Sanderson and BBD started. Rovers’ former captain Lewis Travis, sold to Derby in the summer, missed out due to injury. Rovers had come into this one with three wins in a row under their belt, but injuries and suspensions were cause for concern – particularly when it came to standout goalkeeper Balazs Toth. The Hungarian will seemingly not be seen on the pitch again until 2026, after picking up a knee injury midweek. Derby have entered into a rich vein of form themselves, bettering Rovers string of wins by one – four straight victories leading into this game. 

The festivities, although I use that word loosely, were soured pretty early on when Derby took the lead in the 19th minute. Carlton Morris’ excellent run of form continued with another headed goal, taking his tally to ten for the season. The twenty-nine-year-old has netted six of those in his last four matches. Expensive summer signing Patrick Agyemang would further dampen the Ewood celebrations with a headed goal of his own just before the break, the forward’s second of the season, putting the visitors two ahead. Former Rover Dion Sanderson gave his ex-club a lifeline twenty minutes into the second half when he bundled over Yuki Ohashi in the area to concede a penalty. Ohashi stepped up to put the spot-kick away, giving the home team some hope with his fourth of the campaign and second in as many matches. It wasn’t to be, though, and John Eustace walks away with two wins from two against Rovers since leaving for Derby last January.

Just one point was picked up by the bottom seven teams in the division during this round of fixtures, and Rovers contributed zero to that – sitting in 19th. Derby continue their relentless surge up the table, with a fifth win in a row placing them in 10th position.

Hull City 3-2 Portsmouth

Just one defeat in their last seven games had seen Hull surge up the table and into what would have been considered an unlikely push for promotion at the beginning of the season. New manager Sergej Jakirovic had to this point overseen only four defeats from his opening fourteen matches in charge of the Tigers. Things haven’t been going so well for Portsmouth, who hadn’t won in five matches and only picked up two points from the last fifteen available.

It’s now two points from eighteen for Portsmouth, as Hull came out on top at The MKM Stadium. Things started well for Portsmouth, as right-back Terry Devlin’s shot from outside the area took a big deflection on its way in after 15 minutes. Turkish forward Enis Destan opened his account for the Tigers in the 27th minute, equalising from close-range after meeting a Lewie Coyle cross. Hull would then take the lead in the 42nd minute as a corner was headed into the net by forward Kyle Joseph – making it three for him so far this season. It would be Portsmouth’s right-back, Terry Devlin, who once again found the net two minutes into first half stoppage time to ensure the teams went in level – this time heading in a cross from Josh Murphy, making it his first and second goal of the season. It would be Hull who ended up taking all three points home, as a drilled ball over the top from centre-back Charlie Hughes found Joe Gelhardt. The lethal striker then dinked the ball over Pompey goalkeeper Josef Bursik for his seventh of the season – it was also Gelhardt’s corner which created Hull’s second goal, so a productive day for the Leeds loanee.

Hull move up to 5th position, whilst Portsmouth are 20th.

Millwall 1-1 Preston

After a solid run of form during October, Millwall have seen their momentum stutter a little lately, with a draw and a defeat in their last two games. Notably they are the only team in the top thirteen to have a negative goal difference, having conceded three more than they’ve scored. Preston came into this match having won their last three games, keeping their early season optimism alive as they remain in the promotion picture.

This match was a tale of two terrible mistakes. Preston were gifted their opener in the 15th minute, as Millwall right-winger Camiel Neghli played a horrendous backpass from out wide which cut open his own defence. This was gratefully intercepted by North End striker Michael Smith, who took his chance to put the away side one goal ahead, netting his third of the season. The equaliser, scored twenty minutes later, would also come about as the result of a calamitous error. This time it was North End keeper Daniel Iversen to blame, as he miskicked a backpass. His foot swung through the air, the ball continued rolling along, and onrushing striker Mihailo Ivanovic took advantage to slot the ball into an empty net for just his second of the season. They won’t come much easier than this. Both teams wasted opportunities to take the lead as the game wore on, meaning the match ended one-a-piece.

Millwall just about hang on to 6th. Preston are two places above them in 4th place.

Middlesbrough 2-1 Birmingham

A difficult week for Middlesbrough fans, as speculation built that manager Rob Edwards wanted to leave the club and join managerless Wolves, bottom of the Premier Division. On Thursday Boro initially denied Wolves the chance to speak to their manager, but two days later reached a financial agreement with the Premier League club – presumably after Edwards told them he wanted to go, despite only joining in the summer and leading the Teesiders to their best start to a season in decades. Although as of this game he was still technically a Boro employee, Edwards was understandably stood down for this match – leaving assistant manager Adi Viveash to take the reins. Boro hadn’t won in three matches, and had seen themselves leapfrogged by a recently resurgent Stoke side into second spot. Birmingham on the other hand have been in scintillating form recently, with two 4-0 home victories giving hope to their fans that pre-season expectations of a promotion push may still come to fruition.

Middlesbrough banished the negative feelings surrounding the past week after just 17 minutes, as defender Dael Fry put the hosts ahead, sweeping in a Callum Brittain corner to score his first of the season. Brittain now has two direct assists since his move from Rovers in the summer. Birmingham would respond in kind twelve minutes later, as a corner from Alex Cochrane ended up being bundled home by Demarai Gray – the left-winger’s second goal of the season.  Boro would score the final goal of the match in the fifth minute of first half stoppage time. Aidan Morris’ hopeful low shot from well outside the area was flicked into the net by Hayden Hackney, registering his second of the season in slightly fortunate circumstances. This result is exactly the kind of reaction Boro fans would have wanted from their side after the past few days, and the club will now look forward to who takes charge next, with Rob Edwards almost certainly due to depart for what appears to be a near-impossible Premier League challenge.

Boro return to the top two, overtaking Stoke to reclaim 2nd spot. Birmingham’s third defeat in six games leaves them in 11th.

Norwich City 1-2 Leicester

Norwich halted a run of six straight defeats midweek, but a 1-1 draw with bottom club Sheffield Wednesday was not exactly the morale boost Liam Manning might have been hoping for. Leicester have also been struggling, albeit with a much larger budget. The Foxes hadn’t won a game since the beginning of October, and were on a run of just one win in ten games coming into this match. One has to imagine there is some internal pressure on Marti Cifuentes, considering the resources at his disposal.

After a goalless first half, Norwich fans may have been somewhat shocked to see their side actually take the lead. Winless at home this season, the Canaries found themselves ahead in the 62nd minute as the man who netted the equaliser in midweek – forward Mathias Kvistgaarden – scored a rebound from his own initial shot. The winning feeling didn’t last long, though, and thirteen minutes later the Foxes had restored parity. Jamaican winger Bobby De Cordova-Reid half-volleyed into the net - just two minutes after coming on - to score his first of the season. For Norwich fans, that familiar sinking feeling arrived as Leicester midfielder Jordan James struck in the 92nd minute to deny the Canaries their first home point of the campaign, and give Leicester a first win in six. Norwich are the first team in the history of the second-tier to lose their first seven home games, and this unwelcome milestone was accompanied by the prompt sacking of Liam Manning shortly after this match ended. A bitterly disappointing and short reign for Manning at his boyhood club.

Yet another defeat – albeit technically a historic one - means Norwich remain in the relegation zone, 23rd. A much-needed win for Leicester sees them move up to 12th. The fortunate nature of the win against struggling opposition may not relieve much pressure on the manager, though.

Sheffield United 0-0 QPR

There remains no sign of any great revival for Sheffield United under Chris Wilder. At this point hope of a sudden run of form boosting them into playoff contention seems gone, and instead the Blades will simply be focusing on staying in the division this season. They came into this match having lost three on the spin. QPR had also lost three in a row, and Julien Stephane had seen his side begin to fall down the table, having at one point been close to breaking into the top six.

The game certainly wasn’t short of endeavour, as between them both sides managed thirty-three attempts at goal – but of these, only seven were on target between both teams, pointing to a lack of quality when it came to finishing. This has been a persistent problem for a Sheffield United side that has scored just eleven goals in fifteen games – the lowest in the division up to this point.

Sheffield United inch closer to Oxford just above them, but remain in 22nd for now. QPR halt a run of defeats, and sit in 16th.

Southampton 3-1 Sheffield Wednesday

Southampton marked the departure of Will Still with a win in midweek, their first triumph since beating Wednesday’s rivals Sheffield United at the end of September. Wednesday’s players continue to put the effort in, but the challenge of a twelve point deduction is almost certainly insurmountable in terms of the club being able to survive this season. They came into this match having won just one of their first fourteen games, which doesn’t help matters either.

The opening goal after nine minutes was a little strange as Southampton’s Caspar Jander slid to meet a ball inside the box – it looped up into Wednesday keeper Ethan Horvath’s hands for what should have been a routine catch, but he instead fumbled it into his own net. Jander was given the goal regardless, meaning the German midfielder is off the mark for the campaign in bizarre fashion. Eight minutes later Southampton had doubled their lead as attacking midfielder Finn Azaz fired in a low shot from inside the box for his second of the season. There was a brief glimmer of hope for Wednesday as eighteen-year-old left-back Harry Amass drove through the middle of the park and drilled a shot into the corner from outside the box to score his first league goal for the Owls, but that hope was extinguished two minutes into the second half as former Rover Adam Armstrong sped away from his marker on the wing and charged into the box to put the ball into the net for his fifth goal of the season. This is, astonishingly, the first time Southampton have won back-to-back league games since April 2024. A penny for Will Still’s thoughts on that.

A second win in two games after Still’s departure sees the Saints rise to 17th. A ninth defeat in fifteen games leaves Wednesday bottom.

Stoke City 0-1 Coventry

Four wins from their last five matches had seen Stoke get themselves right back into automatic promotion contention, after a run of games in September which saw them only pick up one victory. After losing their first match of the season last weekend, Coventry immediately returned to winning ways in midweek, recording their tenth victory in fifteen matches – the most in the league, to go alongside their impressive goal haul which also leads the way by some distance. This match would provide one of Coventry’s sternest challenges to date, with Stoke just behind them and very much in-form.

As far as tests go, it’s one that the Sky Blues passed with flying colours. They may not have scored their usual hatful, but a clean sheet and a single goal will more than do against a direct promotion rival away from home. The only goal of the game came late into the second half. Left-winger Ephron Mason-Clark met a flicked-on long throw in the 86th minute to score his third of the season and ensure the Sky Blues continued their dominance at the top of the division.

Defeat means Stoke once again drop out of the top two, now in 3rd. Coventry remain top, five points ahead of the chasing pack.

Swansea City 1-4 Ipswich Town

Swansea have seen their form deteriorate lately, with Alan Sheehan’s men only recording one win in their last six games. Goals have been at a premium lately, too, with the Swans only managing more than one goal in a game a single time in the past seven matches. After losing two on the spin, Ipswich had picked up seven points from the last nine available, and are creeping closer and closer to the top six as their expensive side continues to gel.

It was a game to forget for former Ipswich player Cameron Burgess, whose two own goals helped his old side comfortably dispatch an increasingly out-of-form Swansea. Left-winger Jack Clarke scored from outside the area to give Ipswich a 1-0 lead going into the break. Portuguese central midfielder Goncalo Franco scored his second of the season after 50 minutes to level things up, but then things went horribly wrong for the home side. Five minutes after equalising, Swansea found themselves defending a swift Ipswich counter attack. Defender Leif Davis took a shot at goal from inside the area, but the shot was steered into the net by the sliding Burgess attempting a block. Town forward Ivan Azon then stretched Ipswich’s lead further in the 76th minute, heading in his first goal for the club from close range after a parried Dara O’Shea effort. Swansea’s Burgess would once again find himself on the scoresheet for the wrong side as he slid in and directed the ball into his own net – this time meeting a cross from Jens Cajuste. It would have been a fine finish if it had been at the other end.

A sixth loss of the season sees Swansea fall to 18th. A third win in four games for Ipswich puts them within touching distance of the top six, as they move up to 7th.

West Brom 2-1 Oxford United

Ryan Mason’s West Brom side have been struggling lately, with three defeats in their last four games causing them to tumble rapidly down the league table, having been in promotion contention not too long ago. Promotion wasn’t a realistic aim for Gary Rowett’s Oxford team this season, and instead they have been scrapping to get enough points on the board to survive. They came into this one having picked up a reasonable seven points from the last fifteen available.

Oxford went ahead in this one nine minutes after the restart, with Spurs loanee Will Lankshear converting from close range to put his side into the lead. It was the striker’s fifth goal of the season, and a frustrating one to concede for a Baggies side who had dominated the first half with fifteen shots – albeit with only one of those finding the target. That frustration didn’t last for long though, as WBA were back on level terms just two minutes later. Oxford keeper Jamie Cumming would parry a pacy cross directly into the path of defender Greg Leigh, who registered an unfortunate own goal as the ball bounced off him into the net. It was West Brom’s first goal in four games, and they certainly won’t care that it was scored by the opposition. WBA would add a second in the 70th minute, as summer signing Auge Heggebo got in front of his marker to head home an Isaac Price cross and secure three points for Albion.

A win moves West Brom up to 14th place, whilst a second defeat in a row leaves Oxford in 21st position.

Wrexham 1-0 Charlton Athletic

Phil Parkinson’s Wrexham side aren’t doing too badly in adjusting to the Championship, and came into this match unbeaten in their last four games, having picked up two wins and two draws. Charlton have also taken to the Championship with relative ease, getting themselves into early season promotion contention with some impressive results. They came into this game having picked up eleven points from the last fifteen available. They also boast the second-best defensive record in the division, with only Stoke having conceded less.

The game’s single goal came late into the contest, with Wrexham capping an improved second half performance with a winning spot-kick. The infraction came about after Addicks’ Cuban left-winger Onel Hernandez was penalised for using his hand to direct a cross away from goal. It’s unclear why his hands were up in the first place, as he was under no pressure from any Wrexham player. Charlton boss Nathan Jones called it “a moment of madness” post-match, and it’s hard to disagree with that assessment. Nonetheless, Wrexham’s experienced forward Josh Windass stepped up and placed his spot kick into the far corner of the net, beyond the despairing dive of Thomas Kaminski.

A third win in five unbeaten games sees Wrexham move into 13th, whilst a fourth defeat of the season for Charlton sees them drop to 9th position.

League Table c/o BBC Sport