Championship Round Up – 19/12/2025 – 20/12/2025

Swansea City 2-1 Wrexham

There’s an old saying that advises if you can’t win a match, just make sure you don’t lose. Wrexham have taken that saying to heart, having drawn ten of their twenty-two matches so far this season. The problem is that points-wise three draws is the equivalent of one win and two defeats, and when your draws morph into losses you can very quickly slip down the table. Defeat here means that Wrexham have only gained three points from the last fifteen available, as they slip further and further away from the top six. Vitor Manos seems to be having a positive effect in at his new club, with the Portuguese having now led the Swans to three wins in their last four matches. This match was the first league meeting between these two Welsh sides in twenty-two years.

Wrexham only had one shot on target in this match, and funnily enough it wasn’t that shot which produced their goal. In the 14th minute Red Dragons’ winger Ryan Longman crossed the ball into the area, and it met the head of Swans defender Cameron Burgess, who guided it past his own keeper. A fine finish, albeit at the wrong end. Incredibly, this is Burgess’ third own goal of the campaign. It would take Swansea until the 70th minute to equalise, with Slovenian striker Zan Vipotnik spinning in the area and hitting a shot which deflected into the net. This was his ninth of the season, and his second in as many games. Wrexham looked to be heading for yet another draw, but their opponents weren’t done yet. In the 90th minute a high ball into the box was awkwardly punched by Wrexham keeper Arthur Okonkwo. The ball looped into the air, still in the penalty area, allowing Swansea centre-back Ben Cabango to head the ball back towards goal. Okonkwo had gotten back to his line by this point, but inexplicably dropped what should have been a routine catch. Swansea substitute Adam Idah then pounced to tap in the winning goal. An early Christmas gift for the Irish forward, scoring his third of the season.

With both clubs above them also winning this weekend, the Swans remain in 19th. Wrexham also stay static in 15th position.

Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Millwall

A tumultuous week at Rovers saw the combined supporters’ group known as the Coalition issue a public demand for the owners to state their intent or put the club up for sale. A call was also made for fans to boycott all home matches until the owners had made their intentions clear one way or another. This couldn’t have come at a worse time for Millwall, as historically fan announcements of this nature are followed up by Rovers winning their next game. The bizarre 4-3 win against Arsenal back in 2011 is the most infamous (and perhaps first?) example of this. So it proved again here, as the home side ended a streak of five matches without a win. It’s the first time under Alex Neil that Millwall have lost two on the bounce, and stretches their winless run to three games. In a league where so little separates the majority of the teams below second place, such form can trigger a swift fall down the table. It’s just a second home win of the season for Rovers, buoyed by the return of pivotal midfielder Sondre Tronstad and left-back Harry Pickering. The former had been injured, whilst the latter has been out-of-favour for unknown reasons.

It took the home side just three minutes to go ahead in this one. Twenty-year-old academy product Adam Litherland was making his Rovers first team debut as a right wing-back, and it was his shot which rebounded out to poacher Andri Gudjohnsen. The Icelandic international has a knack of being in the right place at the right time – striker’s instinct, some may call it - and that was again the case here as he slotted home for his seventh goal in seventeen appearances. Rovers’ second would come just before half-time, in the 45th minute. A long-throw into the box was headed backwards by Millwall defender Dan McNamara – the only problem was that in doing so, he put the ball past his own keeper. It was destined to be an own goal, but Japanese striker Yuki Ohashi fervently chased the ball and managed to get a final touch. A second goal in two games for Ohashi, making it six league goals overall thus far. Millwall did little to threaten Rovers in the second half, and the home side deservedly ended the game with a clean sheet and all three points. This was even more impressive considering Rovers’ injury list meant they had needed to give the aforementioned Litherland his debut – an excellent debut outing for the youngster – as well as bringing on eighteen-year-old winger Nathan Dlamini and nineteen-year-old centre-back Tom Atcheson, both also making their first appearances for the senior team. Good job lads! George Pratt has also now played six games for the first-team, with the twenty-two year old defender having been at National League North side Chorley last season. A big step up, but he’s also done well. Millwall have injury issues of their own, in fairness, but Alex Neil will undoubtedly be extremely unhappy with his team’s listless display.

Rovers are still in 20th place, but victory pulls them six points clear of the drop zone. Millwall fall to 6th, still just about clinging onto a playoff position. One imagines they will be concerned by their goal difference, which at -6 is significantly worse than any of the teams around them. You have to go all the way down to 21st in the table to find a team with worse goal difference.

Preston 1-1 Norwich City

Paul Heckingbottom’s North End side haven’t tasted defeat in some time, and a draw here extends that run to six games. However, four of those matches have ended with the points shared, so Preston have seen teams below them begin to make up ground. Norwich have started to show some signs of life under Philippe Clement, with this result meaning they have only lost once in their last six games. What was looking like an increasingly difficult gap to close between themselves and the teams outside the relegation zone is now close to being bridged.

It took eighty-five minutes before this game showed any real signs of life. Norwich’s Jovon Makama turned his man in the box and drilled a low shot into the corner, giving the away side the lead late on. A third goal in two games for the twenty-one-year-old forward, bringing his season tally up to seven. Norwich looked set for a second consecutive win, but they were denied with what was essentially the last meaningful moment of the game. Preston chipped a ball into the area, and it found its way onto the head of experienced Irish striker Will Keane, who nodded it home to snatch a late point for North End. A calf injury had kept Keane out for the majority of the campaign, and although he had been on the bench for the last six games, this was the first twelve minutes of action he experienced this season. Not a bad way to get back into the swing of things.

Preston fall a couple of places to 5th, whilst Norwich remain in 23rd, still three points from safety.

Southampton 1-1 Coventry City

Frank Lampard will be wondering where his firepower has gone. His side remain the top scorers in the division by some distance, but they’ve only scored three goals in their last four games. A tight defence has kept them from losing three of those matches during this period, but Lampard will want to figure out why his side have suddenly stopped scoring at the level they were previously at. Granted, it wasn’t realistic to keep scoring three or four in every game, but they’ve not scored more than once since they beat Charlton 3-1 at the end of November. Tonda Eckert’s initial incredible start at Southampton is showing signs of waning, but this is nonetheless a credible draw against the league leaders, and the Saints are in a much, much better position than before Eckert took over.

The Sky Blues broke the deadlock just before the break, with forty-four minutes on the clock. A lofted ball into the box from Danish midfielder Victor Torp was met by the head of left-midfielder Ephron Mason-Clark, who guided the ball beyond Saints’ keeper Gavin Bazunu. Mason-Clark scores a second in two games, and a fifth of the season overall. Torp’s early season scoring form has dropped off as of late, with just one goal in his last ten league appearances - but inclusive of this game he has five assists in nine games, so he’s still doing his part. Coventry left-back Jay Dasilva would make his team’s job much harder just two minutes after the restart. A reckless challenge which saw his studs rake the shin of fellow left-back Welington earned him a straight red card. Southampton would then go on to equalise nine minutes later. An outswinging ball into the box from forward Adam Armstrong was headed in by centre-back Nathan Wood to open his goalscoring account this season. The Saints couldn’t find a winner, though, and ultimately had to settle for a point. There were some unsavoury scenes at the final whistle, as the Southampton players didn’t take too kindly to Frank Lampard’s end-of-game celebrations – which included some taunting of the home fans. It ended with handbags between both sets of players and staff. Lampard said after the match that he had been riled up by Southampton fans in the final ten minutes, and suggested he was justified in giving them a bit of stick back at the end of the game.

Southampton drop slightly from 10th to 11th position, four points from the top six. Coventry remain top, eleven points from 3rd place.

Bristol City 2-0 Middlesbrough

Kim Hellberg experienced defeat for the first time as Middlesbrough manager, having won all four of his opening matches. It’s only Boro’s fourth defeat of the season, but it does mean they fail to capitalise on Coventry dropping points this weekend. They still remain five points clear of the chasing pack, so they continue to be safe in the top two for now. It’s just a second win for Gerhard Struber’s Bristol City in six games, but victory here keeps them within touching distance of the top six.

The opener in this one came in the 17th minute. Boro had been knocking at the door early on, but a missed opportunity from them led to an incisive Robins counter attack. The ball ended up with Danish forward Emil Riis just outside the Teesiders’ penalty box. Riis hit a shot from just outside the area which somehow squeezed in underneath keeper Sol Brynn. The twenty-five year old Boro academy product definitely should have done better here. A seventh goal of the season for Riis. Bristol City centre-back Rob Atkinson would score the final goal of this one in the 62nd minute, as he powered in a diving header from a corner. His second of the campaign.

Bristol City move up to 9th, within two points of the top six. Middlesbrough are still 2nd, five points clear of 3rd and six points from top spot.

Charlton Athletic 1-0 Oxford United

Nathan Jones’ Charlton side halted a nightmare run of form in their last game, ending a streak of five defeats with a draw. They went one better this time around, winning a match for the first time since November 4th. The Addicks have some work to do to get themselves back into playoff contention, but despite their horrific recent run of form, a few wins could see them back in the mix. Gary Rowett’s Oxford continue to struggle, having now lost 50% of their matches this season. This is their third defeat in four games, having picked up just one point from the previous twelve available.

Although the first half of this one ended goalless, Charlton had a number of chances to score but repeatedly failed to convert. The home fans might have been getting a little anxious, but nerves were calmed somewhat in the 78th minute when the Addicks finally took the lead. Two of Nathan Jones’ substitutions combined to break the deadlock, as left-winger Tyreece Campbell teed up forward Charlie Kelman at the edge of the area. The American striker struck a shot from the edge of the box into the far bottom corner, netting his second goal in fourteen league appearances. It was enough to seal the victory for Charlton, despite late pressure from Oxford.

Charlton remain in 17th position. Oxford also remain in 22nd, now two points from safety. It was a bad weekend for the U’s, as they saw four of the five teams above them win.

Derby County 1-1 Portsmouth

Having gotten themselves back on track with a win in their last game, Derby would have expected to keep that momentum going against the worst travellers in the division. Portsmouth have only won a single away game all season, but with that said Derby’s home form isn’t much to shout about either. The Rams only have three wins at Pride Park, compared to five on the road. Having won their last match against Rovers, John Mousinho’s men will likely be happy enough to take this point. Derby less so, but John Eustace’s side still remain far closer to the playoffs than the relegation zone.

Pompey only had one shot in the first half, but they made it count. With just six minutes played, a swift counter attack saw right-winger Callum Lang receive the ball in the area. He smartly made space and then fired the ball into the net to give the away side an early lead. A second goal in just seven appearances for Lang. The Rams would get themselves back into the match on the stroke of half-time. A speedy break down the flank saw right-midfielder Joe Ward aim a low ball into the area. Australian centre-back Hayden Matthews slid in to intercept, under pressure from Derby’s American striker Patrick Agyemang, but ended up turning it into his own net.

Derby remain in 12th place, four points from the top six. Portsmouth also stay where they were, in 21st, two points ahead of Oxford.

Hull City 1-0 West Brom

Ryan Mason would have been hoping his Albion side had started to turn a corner after a win last week ended a two game losing streak, but defeat here means they’ve now lost three out of their last four games and remain some distance from the top six. Bosnian Sergej Jakirovic continues to impress in his debut season in English football, with his Hull side having now won four of their last five games to firmly establish themselves as part of the playoff mix as the year comes to an end. Certainly above the expectations many Hull fans would have had going into this campaign.

West Brom would spurn two glorious chances in this one before falling behind. Midfielder Isaac Price somehow side-footed over the bar from a few yards out, and forward Karlan Grant also contrived to miss the target from six yards out, albeit he was in a slightly awkward stance as the ball bounced towards him. Albion would rue these missed opportunities at the end of the first half. As a Hull corner came in during the seventh minute of stoppage time, Baggies’ defender Nat Phillips decided to jump up and palm the ball away. As a goalkeeper, quite okay. As an outfield player, not so much. The referee inevitably pointed to the spot. Scottish striker Oli McBurnie stepped up and hit the ball right down the middle, with WBA keeper Joe Wildsmith diving out of the way. West Brom’s hopes of equalising were dented in the 75th minute when substitute right-back Alfie Gilchrist was given a straight red for mistiming a standing tackle on Tigers’ winger Liam Millar. Gilchrist had only been on the field for eight minutes. It seemed like an overreaction from the officials, and post-match even Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic stated that he felt the sending off was ‘very harsh’. Ryan Mason of course agreed, but to his credit also said that his team lost because of a lack of discipline and avoidable mistakes, not the sending off.    

Hull move up to 4th position, on the same number of points as Ipswich and just five points off 2nd place. West Brom stay in 16th, with all four teams below them gaining ground with victories. With that said, the five teams above them all failed to win, so not much ground lost in the mid-table either. The pack just pulls tighter together as a whole, which sums up the Championship this season.

Ipswich Town 3-1 Sheffield Wednesday

No surprises at Portman Road, as Ipswich ran out worthy winners against the Owls. Rumours continue to swirl regarding Wednesday’s takeover bids, with captain Barry Bannan suggesting the process could be concluded within days. Later reports pointed to snags in the process, however, meaning Wednesday may go into the new year still unsure as to who will be taking the reins at Hillsborough. Victory here means Ipswich have now won three of their last four games, as they make a determined push to wrestle their way into the automatic places. Wednesday still just have a single win to their name this season, having also scored the least and conceded the most in the division. The Owls could really use an official takeover announcement to give them some Christmas and New Year cheer.

It took until the 33rd minute for Ipswich to make the breakthrough in this one, with defender Cedric Kipre – linked to Rovers many years ago – heading in a corner off the underside of the bar. A second of the season for the centre-back. The hosts would double their lead on the hour mark, as a swift break from inside the Ipswich half ended with winger Jaden Philogene finishing from close range. The £20m signing from Town’s Premier League season now has eight for the campaign, all of which have come at Portman Road. The Owls would give themselves some brief hope in the 71st minute, as a free-kick into the area found its way to Liam Cooper, who finished coolly. A first goal in six appearances for the thirty-four-year-old centre-back. Any hopes of a comeback for the away side were snuffed out in the 87th minute, as Town left-winger Jack Clarke benefitted from poor defending to poke in the winner. A seventh of the campaign for him.

Ipswich rise to 3rd place, five points behind Boro in 2nd. Wednesday are dead last, and so it shall likely remain until this season comes to an end.

QPR 4-1 Leicester City

Just when things begin looking up for Marti Cifuentes, it all comes crashing down again. The Foxes had picked up seven points from the last nine available and were edging towards the top six, but this brutal defeat against his former club serves as a reminder that this is a team still performing well below their potential. It also means Leicester’s thirty-one goals conceded is up there with the worst teams in the division. Julien Stephane has his Rangers team firing again, and a resounding victory here means they have now won four of their last six games, once again catapulting them to the brink of the top six.

Leicester’s nightmare began almost immediately, with QPR taking just two minutes to put themselves in front. A cross into the area struck the outstretched leg of Rumarn Burrell and then bounced off the head of Japanese winger Koki Saito and into the net. Not sure Saito knew much about it, but as long as they go in it doesn’t much matter. A second goal in eighteen appearances for the twenty-four-year-old. Rangers’ lead would be doubled in the 29th minute, as despite being surrounded by Leicester players Richard Kone somehow managed to fire the ball into the net from inside the area. A fifth for him this season. The third goal for the home side would arrive just four minutes later. Attacking-midfielder Karamoko Dembele shot from the edge of the area and found the bottom corner for his first of the season after twenty appearances. Rampant Rangers concluded a dominant first-half display by hitting a remarkable fourth in the third minute of added time. Centre-back Amadou Mbengue found himself on the edge of the area out on the flank, and appeared poised to cross the ball. Instead, he aimed a powerful shot into the far side of the net to end the half in spectacular fashion for the hosts. There are suggestions he was meaning to cross it, but his effort certainly looked intentional to me. Leicester would get a penalty in the 82nd minute after a handball by Hoops midfielder Sam Field. Foxes’ winger Bobby De Cordova-Reid would hit the post, but it bounced directly into the path of fellow winger Silko Thomas. The twenty-one-year-old kept his composure to put the ball into the net to score his first goal of the season in only his second appearance. It was, however, scant consolation for a well-beaten Leicester side.

QPR move up to 7th, just a point off the top six. Leicester slide down to 13th, four points from the playoff positions.

Sheffield United 3-0 Birmingham City

Big Club’s away woes continued at Bramall Lane as they were put to the sword by Chris Wilder’s Blades. Birmingham are only behind West Brom as far as away game defeats are concerned – this is their eighth away loss in twelve matches. West Brom have lost nine times in comparison. Even more worryingly for Brum boss Chris Davies, this is a third defeat in four games, with the other being a draw. Such form has seen the top six move ever further away from Birmingham. Sheffield United have now lost just once in eight games, picking up five wins along the way. It’s a return which has seen the Blades surge clear of the drop zone, but they still have a lot of ground to make up if they are to seriously challenge for a playoff place. Keep this up, though, and amazingly they will be in with a good chance of putting in a challenge as the second half of the season progresses. The Sheffield United board will no doubt be kicking themselves for ever entertaining the thought of hiring Ruben Selles, although the Spaniard did find work just over a month after being sacked. He is now at Real Zaragoza – bottom of the Spanish second division. A quick check shows they are still bottom, but Selles does appear to have improved their results, so maybe it was just a case of the wrong club at the wrong time as far as he and Sheffield United are concerned.

A corner in the fifth minute of the game was headed into the net by Blades’ centre-back Tyler Bindon to set the tone of what was to come. The twenty-year-old New Zealand international scores his first goal of the season in his seventh appearance. Big Club’s prospects of getting points from this match darkened further when centre-midfielder Tommy Doyle was given his marching orders in just the 18th minute – his unnecessary reckless sliding challenge at pace was not viewed favourably by the referee. It is the first red card of the twenty-four-year-old’s career – he’s only received one yellow card in twenty-one matches prior to this, so it certainly seems to have been an out-of-character moment. Birmingham would soon makes things even worse for themselves by handing Sheffield United their second goal on a plate. Brum winger Keshi Anderson played a backpass into his own area from out wide which served as a perfect assist for United midfielder Gus Hamer. It was literally a direct pass to the unmarked Dutchman, who made no mistake in profiting from this good fortune. This is only his second goal of the campaign – he’d already scored five by this point last season. The final goal arrived six minutes after the restart. A hopeful shot from outside the area by midfielder Oli Arblaster was deflected in by veteran striker Patrick Bamford. He appeared to be marginally offside, but the goal stood. The thirty-two-year-old now has three goals in seven appearances, having only arrived at the club in the middle of November.   

Sheffield United remain in 18th, but gain ground on six of the seven teams above them. Birmingham fall to 14th, now six points from the playoff positions.

Watford 1-0 Stoke City

In the early months of the season, things seemed to be shaping up nicely for Mark Robins and Stoke. They were consistently in the top six and occasionally jumping into the automatic places for a week or two. Things have gone horribly wrong as of late though, and this result means they have now lost four of their last five matches. Javi Gracia’s Watford side have been in somewhat inconsistent form as of late, but a win here at Vicarage Road means they are still in a position to break into the top six if they can get a good run going.

The first half ended goalless and was largely uninspiring, with Watford captain Imran Louza coming closest to breaking the deadlock with a long shot that went just wide. Former Rover Sam Gallagher did have a header in the net for Stoke after the break, but it was ruled out for offside. It’s been another injury-hit campaign for the thirty-year-old forward, with this being just his sixth appearance for Stoke this season – all of which have been substitute appearances. Having been at the club since the summer of 2024, he’s only scored three goals, with his last one coming in March against Coventry – he actually bagged two in that game. Not a sign of things to come, as it turned out. The only goal of this one came in the 74th minute. Young Danish forward Luca Kjerrumgaard found himself in the right place as a free kick into the box bounced into his path. He finished from close range for his eighth of the season, and it was enough to give the home side all three points.  

Watford climb to 10th, with just three points separating them from the top six. Stoke drop to 8th, now two points from the playoff positions.

League Table c/o BBC Sport