Middlesbrough 2-1 West Brom

Middlesbrough’s perfect start to the season came to an end last week, as the Teessiders were held to a 2-2 draw at Preston. Nonetheless, Rob Edwards’ side remained unbeaten as they welcomed West Brom to the Riverside. The Baggies suffered their first defeat of the season last week, a surprise 1-0 home loss to Derby County, and faced a tough task here to avoid losing two on the spin.

Boro struck first in this one, as a long throw into the box was flicked on by Luke Ayling and David Strelec forced his way past the West Brom defence to put the ball into the back of the net. The Slovakian striker was signed in the summer for a fee of around £6.5m, and in his second appearance for the club netted his first goal. Boro extended their lead shortly after the break, as some fantastic intricate passing around the box led to an opportunity for Kaly Sene. The half-time substitute – who had replaced opening scorer Strelec - made no mistake, drilling the ball into the bottom corner from inside the box to also score his first goal for the club, the striker having also signed in the summer for around £1.5m. West Brom managed to pull one back in the 90th minute, as Norwegian striker Aune Heggebo headed in a looping cross, but it was ultimately only a consolation as WBA slipped to a second defeat in a row.

Boro’s best ever start to a league season keeps them at the top of the table, four points clear. Back-to-back defeats for West Brom sees them fall out of the playoff places, into 7th position.

Birmingham City 1-0 Swansea

Having lost two games on the spin, Birmingham were looking to bounce back at home this week. Their home form has been impressive for some time, having not lost at St. Andrews in the league since April 2024. Their opponents were Swansea, with the Welsh side having picked up eight points from their opening five games, only losing once. The Swans would also have been buoyed by a midweek victory against Premier League Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup.

The first half was an entertaining affair, and Swansea had a fantastic chance early on to score on the counter, but striker Marvin Duksch scuffed his shot at the decisive moment, with plenty of net to aim for. Immediately after, Swansea striker Zan Vipotnik thought he’d scored to put his side ahead, only for the strike to be ruled out for offside. Swansea will curse the Championship not having VAR available, as this call appeared to be incorrect. Birmingham cranked up the pressure towards the end of the match, and in the 94th minute a perfect inswinging cross from Patrick Roberts was met by a bullet header from Lyndon Dykes. Swansea keeper Vigouroux’s spirited dive was in vain, as the ball flew into the net and gave Birmingham all three points. The Swans will feel hard done by here, considering their disallowed goal should have stood.

A return to winning ways for Birmingham pushes them up to 8th, whilst defeat for Swansea drops them down to 11th.

Leicester 0-0 Coventry City

Leicester came into this match having only lost one of their opening five games, although they had surprisingly only left Oxford the previous week with a single point. Results have generally been good for the Foxes, but performances are still a work-in-progress under new boss Marti Cifuentes. Coventry have also started the season well, yet to lose but having drawn their last two games, as their early firepower has started to wane a little.

That theme continued here for the Sky Blues as they drew a blank, having nearly done so last week as well. In the end, however, they will likely be more thankful for their point this week due to the calibre of the opposition. Coventry keeper Carl Rushworth had to be in top form to keep his side level, and in top form he was. He made a number of crucial stops in the first half, repeatedly denying Leicester. It was a game that probably should have had at least one goal, but both teams will likely take a point from this one and be fairly content.

A second draw in a row for Leicester leaves them in 4th position, five points behind table toppers Middlesbrough in the early rankings. Coventry’s third draw in a row, having now shared the points in four of their opening six matches, leaves them in 6th. Frank Lampard’s side remain unbeaten, but will know that they need to find their scoring boots again.

QPR 1-0 Stoke City

QPR’s 7-1 mauling by Coventry back in August was either going to crush the Hoops or motivate them to dramatically improve. Julien Stephan had confidently predicted improvement, and his words proved prophetic as his side bounced back with two wins in a row. Stoke had won four of their first five games, and sitting in second would prove a formidable challenge as they had won all of their away games so far this season.

Rangers proved themselves up to the task once again, truly banishing any lingering after-effects from the catastrophic Coventry result. They took the game to Stoke and had numerous chances to put themselves ahead. Early on, Stoke keeper Johansson passed out to Lewis Baker, who lost the ball on the turn, allowing Harry Vale a clear run at goal. Baker’s blushes were spared as Johansson kept the ball out. Throughout the match, QPR’s late-August signing Koki Saito was a constant threat to the Stoke defence. His menacing, driving runs were at the heart of everything good QPR did, and fittingly he was instrumental in the goal that won them the game. Surging towards the box from the flank, he cut the ball into the area and although it was poked away by Lewis Baker, it fell to Harry Vale who atoned for his earlier miss by firing the ball into the far corner. It was an unfortunate finale for Viktor Johansson, who had done well to deny QPR a number of times before he was finally beaten in the 75th minute. Mark Robins admitted after the match that his team fully deserved to lose this one.

A third win on the bounce for QPR means they are now in 9th position. Even though Stoke have now lost two of their last three games, their fantastic early season form means they remain in 2nd place for now.

Blackburn Rovers – Ipswich Town (Game Abandoned)

Rovers’ have had an underwhelming start to the season, having lost their first two home matches. Results on the road have been kinder for Valerin Ismael’s side, however, with victories at Hull and Watford giving them six points. Rovers were looking for their first home win, but anticipated a tough match against newly relegated Ipswich. The Tractor Boys have had an uninspiring start to life back in the Championship, though, only picking up their first win last week by thrashing a hopeless Sheffield United 5-0.

The weather forecast for this one was grim, and it was torrential rain that ultimately decided the fate of this match. The opening stages saw Rovers’ Japanese winger Ryoya Morishita test Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer. It was his opposite number, however, that really stood out in the first half. Balazs Toth produced a couple of outstanding saves to deny Ipswich, as Jaden Philogene followed up on his electric performance last week by once again driving his team forward. It was a nightmare start to the second half for Ipswich, as a long ball over the top from Rovers forced Jacob Greaves to pull down Yuki Ohashi, who had scurried in behind him. Greaves was the last man, and therefore dismissed from the field of play for the first time in his career. Worse was to come for Ipswich, as Darnell Furlong clumsily ran into the back of Todd Cantwell inside the Ipswich area, bringing the former Norwich player down in the 59th minute. The resulting spot-kick saw Cantwell step up himself to slot the ball home – the expected outcome, with Cantwell deadly from the spot. 

Ipswich struggled to get any kind of foothold in the game after this, and looked on their way to a defeat, but Mother Nature would come to their rescue. Around 80 minutes in, the game was stopped as the ball was no longer rolling or bouncing on the sodden Ewood Park pitch. With the lashing rainfall not showing any signs of abating the game was soon called off, cruelly denying Rovers what looked to be a first home win of the season. The EFL will decide how to proceed from here, but unfortunately for Rovers, the most likely scenario is a replay in the near future.

Rovers sit in 18th with no points gained, and Ipswich are just above them in 17th, also with no points gained.

Derby County 0-1 Preston

The season hasn’t started particularly well for John Eustace, with last season’s momentum having not carried over to the current campaign. His side had to wait until their fifth game to record a fortuitous first win against West Brom, having only picked up two points from their first four games. Preston have pretty much experienced the exact opposite, with last season’s negative momentum being completely reversed in the early stages of this season – they had suffered just one defeat in their first five matches.

This game was decided by a single, powerful effort from attacking midfielder Alfie Devine in the 29th minute. The Spurs loanee picked the ball up just outside the penalty area and absolutely rifled in a thunderous shot that flew past the helpless arms of Derby’s Widell Zetterstrom into the top corner. This was his second goal of the season. Derby’s £6m summer signing, American striker Patrick Agyemang, was brought on at the break. He did well to wriggle free of the Preston defence around the hour mark, putting himself through on goal. His finish was poor, though, and Derby’s best chance at an equaliser was squandered.

Preston’s continued good form moves them up to 5th place, whilst Derby’s continued poor form drops them into the relegation zone in 22nd spot.  

Hull City 3-1 Southampton

Hull’s start to the season has been decidedly mixed, with one win, two draws and two defeats leaving them floating around the middle of the table. Southampton’s early season, meanwhile, can generously be described as underwhelming. 32-year-old manager Will Still had only seen his expensive side win once thus far, on the opening day. Since then they’ve drawn three and lost one.

The Englishman’s difficult start continued here, as his team were ruthlessly dispatched by a Hull side who saw less than 30% of possession, but made it count far more than their opponent’s 70% share. It took just 22 minutes for Hull to open the scoring. A looping cross into Southampton’s box saw Joel Gelhardt’s header saved by Saints’ keeper Gavin Bazunu, but the rebound fell kindly to Kyle Joseph who made no mistake to score his second of the season. Fourteen minutes into the second half Southampton lost possession in the middle of the park, and Oli McBurnie would head the ball across to John Lundstram. Totally unmarked, the midfielder on loan from Turkish side Trabzonspor slotted home from ten yards to double the Tigers’ lead. McBurnie would then round off a commendable performance by heading in a third goal, after the ball was crossed in from a Ryan Giles free kick in the 70th minute. A late consolation goal from Adam Armstrong in the 95th minute was of little comfort to Southampton fans.

Hull’s victory takes them to 14th in the table, whilst a dispiriting defeat for Southampton sees them in 19th place.

Norwich City 2-3 Wrexham

Norwich have had a fairly similar start to Rovers in the league – able to pick up points on the road, but not at home. Their first two home games had seen narrow 2-1 defeats to Millwall and Middlesbrough, so they were hoping for third time lucky against newly-promoted Wrexham. There had already been speculation that the pressure was on Phil Parkinson after a somewhat lacklustre start to the season, with plenty of endeavour shown but three losses and only one win in their first five games. Wrexham haven’t had any trouble finding the net, but they have had trouble keeping it out of their own.

Norwich’s poor home form would continue on this afternoon, with warning signs early on in the match as Wrexham’s Josh Windass hit the woodwork. It was, however, the Canaries who opened the scoring. Jack Stacey, making his 100th appearance for Norwich, fired past Wrexham’s Arthur Okonkwo shortly before half time to give the Canaries a 1-0 lead at the break. This good work was swiftly undone two minutes after the restart, as a cross from debutant Issa Kabore found Windass completely free in the area. The Norwich defence had inexplicably vanished, and Windass duly brought Wrexham level. Kabore would again be instrumental as Wrexham went ahead. Charging down the flank, the Burkina Faso international’s cross found Ryan Longman at the edge of the box. The right winger’s first time shot skewed into the bottom corner of the net, putting the Welsh side in front. Josh Windass would cap a fine individual performance with a curling shot from outside the area which sailed into the top corner in the 59th minute. A chorus of boos rang out across Carrow Road as Liam Manning’s side stared down the barrel of yet another home defeat. Despite scoring a 92nd minute consolation goal through Javon Makama, the Norwich players would find themselves walking away from this one having lost four out of four home games (inclusive of a League Cup defeat to Southampton) and with the disapproval of their supporters ringing in their ears.

Norwich drop to 15th with a third straight home league defeat. Wrexham climb to 16th with a second win in three games, which will have helped slightly ease the rumoured pressure on boss Phil Parkinson.

Portsmouth 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday

Portsmouth will have been pretty satisfied with their start to the season, and came into this one having not lost in three and fully expecting to extend that run. Sheffield Wednesday were still waiting to pick up their first win of the campaign, having lost four of their first five opening matches. This wasn’t necessarily a surprise, considering the ownership turmoil at the club and the barebones nature of the squad that remains.

Yet, Wednesday have been fighting, and that team spirit shone once again as they achieved their first victory of the season at Fratton park. Captain Barry Bannan opened the scoring after just twelve minutes. The 35-year-old Scot wrong-footed Portsmouth keeper Ben Kilip with a perfectly executed 20-yard free kick. Portsmouth recorded 25 shots in this match, but their fate was sealed just after the break. A long ball down the flank looked like it would be dealt with by Pompey’s Conor Shaughnessy, but the Irish centre back pulled up with a hamstring problem, allowing 19-year-old forward George Brown to race through unchallenged and put the ball past Kilip to mark his first league appearance with a goal. Pompey desperately tried to get back into the game, but the Owls defended resolutely to record both a clean sheet and a first victory of the season. Portsmouth manager John Mousinho did not hold back in his post-match interview, declaring that the hosts were “awful for 90 minutes and got exactly what we deserved”.

A second defeat of the campaign leaves Portsmouth in 13th, whilst Wednesday’s first win leaves them in 23rd, one point behind three clubs above them.

Sheffield United 0-1 Charlton Athletic

A disastrous start to the season for Sheffield United reached boiling point last week, with a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Ipswich enough to trigger Ruben Selles’ removal after just three months at the club. The Blades had lost all five of their opening league games, scoring just once in the process. This paved the way for the return of Chris Wilder – the man they had sacked in June after playoff final heartbreak. Despite starting the season with a win, Nathan Jones’ Charlton had not picked up three points since, having drawn two and lost two of their next four matches. They had only managed to score three goals thus far, but had also only conceded five.

Chris Wilder’s first two spells in charge of Sheffield United had begun with a loss, so it should perhaps not be surprising that the same pattern repeated here. United’s problems remained despite the change of manager. Their toothless attack rarely looked like scoring, with Gus Hamer coming closest with a deflected shot which went flying over the bar. The game looked to be heading towards a stalemate, but in the 90th minute Addicks’ right-back James Bree collected the ball on the flank, cut inside and passed the ball to striker Isaac Olaofe. The 25-year-old striker slotted the ball home from the centre of the penalty area, bringing delight to the travelling fans and despair to the Blades’ faithful. Jeers rang around Bramall Lane at the final whistle, with Sheffield United condemned to a sixth straight defeat and yet another game without any goals scored. United have not registered a league goal since their opening day 4-1 home defeat to Bristol City. When asked after the game if there were any positives to take, new Blades boss Wilder bluntly replied that there were none.

Yet another loss means Sheffield United remain bottom without a point to their name. Charlton’s first win since the opening day moves them up to 12th.

Bristol City 1-3 Oxford United

Gerhard Struber’s return to English football has been a decent one thus far, with his Bristol City side having won three and drawn two of their opening five games. Oxford defied pundits’ expectations of an immediate drop back to the third-tier last season, but had struggled at the beginning of this campaign, losing their opening three matches. There had been some signs of recovery from Gary Rowett’s men though, with credible draws against both Coventry and Leicester before today’s fixture.

It didn’t take long for Oxford to get going in this one. A curling free-kick from Belgian midfielder Brian De Keersmaecker was headed in by Slovenian Nik Prelec in his first start for the U’s. It was the Cagliari loanee’s first goal for the club, with De Keersmaecker also a new arrival from Dutch club Heracles Almelo in the summer. Polish left-winger Przemyslaw Placheta doubled Oxford’s lead just before half-time, hammering the ball into the top corner after a poor clearance from a corner by the Robins’ Jason Knight. A fourth goal of the season from  Anis Mehmeti – a shot from outside the box which bounced off the underside of the bar and over the line – got Bristol City right back into the game shortly after the break, but despite their best efforts it was Oxford who wrapped things up in the 90th minute. De Keersmaecker fired in a free kick through a crowd of players and was initially credited with the goal, but the slightest touch from left-back Greg Leigh meant that De Keersmaecker had to make do with a second assist instead.

Oxford’s first win of the season moves them up to 20th position, whilst Bristol City’s first defeat of the season means they remain in 3rd – due to none of the sides within reach being able to pick up the three points necessary to overtake them. 

Millwall 1-0 Watford

The final match of a long weekend of Championship football saw Millwall host Watford at The Den. Alex Neil’s men had started the season with a mixed bag of results – two wins, two defeats and a draw, but yet to win or score a goal at home. Watford’s fortunes don’t look like they’ll be changing for the better this season, if their early form is anything to go by. A single win from their first five, rounded out by two draws and two defeats, meant the Hornets were once again struggling at the wrong end of the table.

It wouldn’t be long before Millwall fans finally got to see their team score at the Den for the first time this season. Ten minutes into the game Algerian under-23 midfielder Camiel Neghli fired in a free-kick for his first goal of the season, with question marks over whether Watford keeper Egil Selvik could have done better to keep it out. An entertaining first half did not produce any further goals, and as the second half wore on it was Watford who took control of the match, searching for an equaliser but not really looking like scoring. By the 72nd minute they had made five substitutions, but to no avail. Millwall had perhaps the best chance for a second, as a credible penalty appeal was turned down by the officials in the 83rd minute. Millwall keeper Steven Benda would make a couple of excellent stops late in the game to stop Watford from snatching a share of the points, with a point-blank save from Luca Kjerrumgaard especially impressive. Left frustrated, the Hornets would walk away from this one with nothing.

A third win of the season – and their first at home - moves Millwall into 10th, whilst a third defeat of the season sees Watford fall to 21st.

League Table c/o BBC Sport