Championship Roundup - 13/12/2025 – 15/12/2025

West Brom 2-0 Sheffield United

The Friday night game saw Ryan Mason’s West Brom pick up just their second win in six games, slightly alleviating the building pressure on the Baggies’ inexperienced boss. After a solid run of victories, Sheffield United found themselves returning to old ways with a defeat and a failure to find the net. Chris Wilder’s side have done enough to pull themselves out of immediate danger at the lower end of the division, but will be well aware they are still only four points from the drop zone.

Despite WBA’s poor recent form, Aune Heggebo has been a shining light for his side and the Norwegian forward would once again lead the way as he opened the scoring in the 50th minute. A low cross from centre-back George Campbell – who had drifted wide and decided to try his hand at being a winger – was met by Heggebo, who had gotten ahead of his marker. His finish was precise and means he’s now scored seven in seven games, having only scored once in his first fourteen appearances. The summer signing certainly seems to have found his feet in the Championship now. A second goal for Albion would arrive just eleven minutes later. Heggebo would turn provider this time, sliding the ball forward to striker Karlan Grant just outside the box. The twenty-eight year old would then unleash a thunderous shot which went in off the underside of the bar. This was his second goal of the season, having scored his first in the previous game.

West Brom remain in 16th despite their victory. Sheffield United are in 18th position.

Norwich City 2-1 Southampton

Philippe Clement achieved his second victory as Norwich City boss with a credible win over Southampton at Carrow Road. Tonda Eckert’s Saints have been flying recently, with just one defeat in their last seven games, but they were brought down to Earth by a Norwich side who are fighting desperately for Championship survival. This is just their fourth win of the season, following a dismal run which saw them gain the full three points in just one of their last sixteen games.

The first half saw one golden opportunity for Southampton to take the lead. Saints’ Brazilian attacking-midfielder Leo Scienza surged into the box and was brought down by Canaries’ centre-back Harry Darling. A penalty was awarded, but prolific striker Adam Armstrong’s effort was at a good height for Norwich goalkeeper Vladan Kovacevic, who guessed the right way and pushed the ball to safety. It’s a fourth league penalty miss in five for Southampton. The Canaries would take the lead just three minutes after the restart. Forward Jovon Makama connected with Jacob Wright’s cross from close-range to put the home side ahead. Southampton would respond nine minutes later, with Ryan Manning hitting a fantastic strike from well outside the area to even things up. A fourth goal of the season for the left-back. It would take the home side just four minutes to put themselves back in front, with Makama securing a brace and making it six goals in eighteen appearances. The young centre-forward found himself again in the right place as a cross was headed into his path inside the six-yard box, and he made no mistake.

A rare victory for Norwich still leaves them in 23rd, but they are now just three points from safety. Defeat for Southampton drops them to 10th position.

Oxford United 1-2 Preston

Preston continue their unlikely push for a top six place with an away win against struggling Oxford. Preston came into this match having won only one of their last five games – but they had also only lost once during this period. Oxford, on the other hand, have only recorded four wins this season and find themselves scrapping at the bottom end of the division. Just one win in nine will no doubt have manager Gary Rowett and their fanbase increasingly worried about their prospects of survival.  

North End scored the only goal of the first half in the 26th minute. Defender Jordan Storey got his head to a deep cross and squeezed it in at the near post – his second of the season. In the 49th minute Preston doubled their advantage, with on –loan Bournemouth striker Daniel Jebbison netting from close-range for his fifth goal of the campaign. Oxford’s influential defensive midfielder Brian De Keersmaecker would return the deficit to just a single goal four minutes later. The Belgian smashed the ball high into the net from just inside the area, a second goal of the season for the twenty-five-year-old. The U’s were unable to find the net again, however, meaning that they would suffer yet another defeat.   

Oxford drop back into the relegation zone, now 22nd. Preston sit in 3rd, but are still only two points from dropping out of the playoff positions.

Stoke City 2-1 Swansea City

Stoke put a run of four defeats in five behind them as they took all three points from this one. Mark Robins’ side have gone from chasing the automatic places to finding themselves outside of the top six entirely, leaving themselves some work to do if they want to get themselves back into the Premier League. New Swansea boss Vitor Manos had seen his side win their last two matches, but defeat here means that they have lost six of their last eight games and are still very much in a relegation battle.  

Experienced midfielder Ben Pearson would open the scoring for Stoke in the 42nd minute – his first goal in six years, and one that he and the Stoke fans will certainly remember. The ball rolled to Pearson in the centre, around twenty-five yards out, and he powerfully struck a perfect curling ball into the top corner. A second goal would arrive for the Potters in the 60th minute. A cross from the right found Sorba Thomas unmarked in the area, and the winger showed great technique to slam the ball into the far corner of the net. He now has eight goals for the season, with four of those coming in his last five matches. The Swans would give themselves a lifeline in the 77th minute through Zan Vipotnik. A swift counter attack from the home side ended with the Slovenian striker receiving a pinpoint low cross in the middle of the area, and his first time shot beat Stoke keeper Victor Johansson. His second goal in four games, making it eight overall this season.

Stoke remain just outside the top six, currently 7th. Swansea are four points from the drop zone in 19th.

Birmingham City 1-1 Charlton Athletic

Birmingham’s home form has been their saving grace so far this season, and they would have been expecting to build on that sturdy foundation against a Charlton side who have badly stumbled over the past month or so. Brum had to settle for a point here, however, making it just one point from the last nine available. A draw ends a horrendous run of form for Nathan Jones’ Charlton side, who had lost five on the spin before their trip to St. Andrews. Jones will hope that this result will be a catalyst for immediate improvement.

After having a number of dangerous efforts from range, Birmingham took the lead in the 28th minute through a set-piece. Austrian Defender Christoph Klarer rose to aim a looping header past former Rover Thomas Kaminski, giving Klarer his second goal of the season. Charlton’s left-winger Tyreece Campbell would play the role of super-sub, scoring with his first touch in the 67th minute. Brilliant work on the flank by forward Isaac Olaofe saw him beat his man, charge into the box and lay the ball on a plate for Campbell, who finished from only a few yards out. He’d been on the pitch for just two minutes.

Birmingham sit in 13th. Charlton are 17th.

Coventry City 1-0 Bristol City

The league leaders have seen their fearsome goal threat dry up a little lately. They’ve only scored two in their last three games – but keep a clean sheet and one goal is enough, and that was the case here as they overcame Bristol City at the Coventry Building Society Arena. Catchy name. Gerhard Struber’s team have struggled for consistent form as of late, only winning twice in their last six games. This has caused them to fall out of the top six and slide into mid-table.

The game’s solitary goal arrived in the 64th minute. Ephron Mason-Clark made the most of a goalmouth panic to poke the ball into the net. The midfielder now has four for the season, stepping up as the Sky Blues’ usual suspects again failed to find the net. Coventry keeper Carl Rushworth would go on to make a string of saves for his side, the twenty-four-year-old ensuring that his team held on to this narrow victory.

Coventry remain top, twelve points from Preston in 3rd. Bristol City fall to 11th.

Leicester City 3-1 Ipswich Town

A second win in three games – with the other being a draw – has put the Foxes back on course to mount a playoff push. They are still some distance from the automatics, but impressive results like this against other promotion contenders will help them climb the table rapidly. Incredibly, it’s just their second home victory since the end of August. After two wins on the trot, this result is a setback for an Ipswich side who have managed to get themselves into the top six after a middling start to life back in the Championship. Kieran McKenna’s side have only won three away games all season, and know they will need to be better away from Portman Road if they want to stand a chance of an immediate return to the promised land.

Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s stunning thirty-yard rocket in the 8th minute, his third in three matches and fourth of the campaign, was a sign of things to come for Ipswich in this one. This goal had every right to be the most memorable of the match, but Ghanaian Abdul Fatawu would upstage his team-mate in the 43rd minute. Picking up the ball just outside his own penalty area, the right-winger slipped past two Ipswich players and then spotted Town keeper Christian Walton off his line. Fatawu would hit an absolutely audacious high ball from well inside his own half and spectacularly lob the flailing former Rovers’ goalkeeper at the other end. A fourth of the season for Fatawu, and he’ll do well to top this one. Experienced striker Jordan Ayew would make it three for Leicester in the 52nd minute, his tap-in seeming mundane in comparison to the two goals that had preceded it. It’s two goals in two games for Ayew, and four overall. Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk would gift the visitors a consolation goal, as his attempted pass inside the area was intercepted by Swedish midfielder Jens Cajuste who duly fired past the Polish stopper. A first goal in eighteen appearances for the Napoli loanee.

Leicester climb to 8th, three points off the top six. Ipswich fall to 5th place.

Middlesbrough 3-1 QPR

Kim Hellberg’s charmed start as Middlesbrough manager continued as the Teesiders recorded four wins from four since the Swede took charge. This run of form has seen Boro firmly establish themselves as the dominant second team in the division, and brought them a lot closer to runaway league leaders Coventry. QPR had won four of their last five games coming into this one, but would always have known that Boro would be a formidable opponent.

After spurning two glorious chances to go ahead, Boro would finally take the lead on the half-hour mark of this one. Midfielder Hayden Hackney’s central through ball cut open the Rangers defence, and Slovakian forward David Strelec pounced to score his third of the season. Right-winger Morgan Whittaker would continue his rich vein of recent goalscoring form by doubling the hosts’ lead six minutes later. A long ball over the top caught the Rangers defence napping, and Whittaker took advantage to glide into the box from out wide and steer the ball into the far corner. Whittaker has now scored in six straight games, giving him an overall tally of eight league goals. A penalty from Scottish forward Tommy Conway made it three just five minutes after the restart, his third of the campaign effectively ending the match as a contest. The Hoops managed a consolation goal in the 70th minute through a penalty of their own, converted by Danish midfielder Nicolas Madsen for his second of the season. His first came all the way back at the end of September.  

Middlesbrough remain in 2nd, five points behind Coventry and seven points clear of Preston beneath them. QPR slip back to 9th position.

Millwall 1-3 Hull City

Alex Neil saw his Millwall side downed by an impressive Hull City, who recorded a third win in four games as they brushed aside the Lions at the Den. It will have been a bitterly disappointing result for Millwall, who have been in and around the playoff places the entire season. Unusually for them, they’ve actually lost more home games than away games so far this season – four at home, just two on their travels. As it stands they’ve still gained more points at home overall, but they are tenth in the home form table, compared to fifth in the away form standings. 

The Tigers started this one on fire. With just six minutes gone, a swift counter attack saw Scottish forward Kyle Joseph pounce on a low cross from Algerian winger Mohamed Belloumi to put the visitors ahead. Joseph would strike again in the 13th minute, finishing off another quick counter by slipping his marker and side-footing in another low cross – this time from Canadian wideman Liam Millar - from inside the six yard box. It’s now three goals in two games for Joseph, increasing his overall season tally to six. Millwall’s attempts to make a comeback in the second half were derailed when Femi Azeez was shown a straight red in the 76th minute for what was deemed to be a stamp. It is the first red card of Azeez’s Millwall career – he rarely even picks up yellow cards, so certainly unexpected. Millwall would score four minutes later, however, as an exquisite through-ball from the halfway line by left-midfielder Alfie Doughty put Irish left-winger Aidomo Emakhu clean through to finish and open his goalscoring account for the campaign. Millwall’s hope was ultimately fleeting, as Hull would wrap up the points in the 88th minute courtesy of striker Oli McBurnie. The Scot put a bullet header past Lions’ keeper Max Crocombe for his eighth of the season – impressively, he’s accrued this tally with just twelve appearances.   

Millwall drop one place to 4th. Hull rise back into the playoff positions, now in 6th.

Portsmouth 2-1 Blackburn Rovers

If John Mousinho had any sense about him, he would have been targeting this match as the one to break his side’s losing streak. Three defeats in a row, but fear not, Rovers are here to help. The away side have just three points from their last fifteen now, and are simply unable to defeat any of the teams around them. Of the four teams above them, Rovers have lost to Derby, Charlton, Sheffield United and Swansea. Not even so much as a point from any of those. The only team of the four beneath them who they’ve got anything from is a home draw against Oxford. Norwich and now Portsmouth have beaten them, and the Sheffield Wednesday game at Ewood was abandoned because of rain. Ominous signs for Valerien Ismael and his team. 

Rovers would take the lead in the 36th minute. Japanese forward Yuki Ohashi received the ball out wide, then darted into the area before arrowing the ball into the far corner. A fantastic individual goal from Ohashi, and his fifth in twenty games. It’s his first goal since the beginning of November, but he certainly should have scored at least two or three more since then. Pompey’s right-winger Callum Lang would equalise in the 62nd minute, stealing in behind the Rovers defence to stab an inviting cross from winger Josh Murphy into the net for his first of the season. The game would be won in the 79th minute as Scottish defender Ibane Bowat headed in from a Conor Chaplin corner to also score his first of the season and sink a Rovers side who struggle to score more than one goal a game and cannot keep a clean sheet. That, my friends, is a recipe for disaster.

Portsmouth clamber out of the relegation zone, moving into 21st. Rovers are just above them in 20th, three points from Oxford in 22nd.

Wrexham 2-2 Watford

Wrexham love a draw, and they got another one here at home to Watford – who are also fond of sharing the points. The Red Dragons have the most draws in the division with ten from twenty-one games, and Watford are joint-second with Preston having now drawn eight times this season. Mr. Spock would therefore no doubt say that the result here is quite logical. Wrexham may be concerned that they’ve only won one of their last six games – Watford themselves have only won two of their last six.

Wrexham opened the scoring in the 21st minute. A long ball from the centre circle found attacking-midfielder Josh Windass unmarked in the area, and he drilled the ball into the corner for his sixth of the season. It would only take nine minutes for the Hornets to respond. Malian forward Mamadou Doumbia saw a hopeful shot from outside the area deflected past the helpless Arthur Okonkwo in nets for the Red Dragons. A second goal would come for Watford in the 42nd minute, as the ball fell kindly to Moroccan winger Othmane Maamma, free in the box, to notch his second of the season. Watford looked on track to collect all three points, but Wrexham kept pushing and would find a late leveller. With ninety-two minutes played, Blackburn-born midfielder Ollie Rathbone hit a precision low half-volley from outside the area into the corner of the net to rescue a point for the home side. A fine way to score his first of the season – in what was, in fact, his first appearance of the season.

Wrexham are in 15th place. Watford are just ahead of the Red Dragons in 14th.   

Sheffield Wednesday 0–3 Derby County

Derby’s form has dropped off somewhat lately, with just two wins in their last five games dropping them back into the mid-table – although still far from worrying about relegation. They knew a trip to Hillsborough was a chance to get themselves back on track after one point from their last three games, and they made good on that opportunity. The Owls have won just a single match all season, and this game was just another loss to add to all of the others. They know this season is a write-off, and next season must seem like a very long way away right now for Wednesday fans.

The opening goal of this one came in the 32nd minute. An errant pass into the middle from the Sheffield Wednesday defence, in their own half, allowed Derby to steal possession. The ball found its way to American forward Patrick Agyemang, who drove into the area and drilled the ball into the far corner. The Rams’ second goal would come twelve minutes after the restart. A Derby set piece would be headed to the edge of the area, picked up centrally by midfielder Liam Thompson and fired low into the corner past a static Pierce Charles in goal. A first goal of the campaign for Thompson in his eight appearance. Agyemang would strike again in the 62nd minute to seal the victory for John Eustace’s men. Attacker Rhian Brewster’s pace and strength on the flank allowed him to deliver a low cross into the box – this was intercepted by a Wednesday defender, but bounced directly to Agyemang who shot high into the net to finish the game as a contest. He now has five goals from seventeen appearances. 

Sheffield Wednesday remain bottom. Derby rise to 12th.

League Table c/o BBC Sport