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ANOTHER whirlwind weekend of results unfolded in our rip-roaring EFL Championship.
None of the leading three contenders were able to win thereby contradicting sport betting patterns and they are currently separated by merely two points.
Elsewhere, just six points span 16th down to 23rd portraying fierce relegation battles. No wonder former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson famously called these closing weeks of respective football seasons “squeaky bum time”!
Here are the main stories catching my eye…
LEICESTER LOSE
Providing the exact scoreline predicted in this blog, struggling Plymouth edged title aspirants Leicester City 1-0 at bouncing Home Park on Friday night totally defying pre-match Championship odds.
Mustapha Bundu supplied the 20th minute winner – the first time an Argyle player has netted in seven home fixtures.
Cutting off the left flank to curl into the far corner, Bundu dished up our best EFL goal over the weekend in my opinion. “We Are Staying Up…” joyfully rang forth at full-time.
The Devon side are undefeated in three since sacking head coach Ian Foster, amassing seven points out of nine under an interim management team featuring club director of football Neil Dewsnip and coach Kevin Nancekivell.
They are four points beyond that dreaded dotted line filling 18th place.
Meanwhile, Leicester slip one rung to second – a point underneath top spot but holding one game in hand. Significantly, the Foxes have lost six of their last 10 EFL matches. Furthermore, no wins in five ongoing away encounters across all competitions – the past three without scoring.
At least Leicester had some good news just hours before the Plymouth kick-off whereby there will be no 2023/24 points deduction because the English Football League confirmed it doesn’t possess powers to punish member clubs for previous Premier League alleged financial breaches.
TRACTOR BOYS TOP
Ipswich Town were shackled 1-1 by Middlesbrough at Portman Road making it three winless affairs yet they still moved to pole position a point ahead of Leicester City.
Form man Emmanuel Latte Lath powerfully headed down and in to give Boro the lead on 20 minutes. His seventh goal in nine successive appearances. However, those Tractor Boys levelled 10 minutes later through Massimo Luongo’s meaty close range volley that kissed the crossbar.
The Australian midfielder cemented Ipswich’s status as this division’s foremost marksmen on 85 complementing only one home defeat for boss Kieran McKenna way back on 26th August. McKenna has now been named Championship manager of the season.
As for ninth ranked Middlesbrough, an impressive unconquered run extended to nine matches.
LEEDS LAMPOONED
The biggest surprise was Saturday lunchtime’s outcome of Leeds United 0 Blackburn Rovers 1. It shattered the Championship’s final unbeaten home record adorning 21 Elland Road contests (16 wins, five draws).
In fact, just a second League loss during 2024 for Daniel Farke’s men leaving them two points off the summit in third after spluttering to one victory from five outings.
Matters were resolved when divisional leading scorer Sammie Szmodics grabbed his 30th goal of the campaign for Blackburn with eight minutes remaining via a crisp 16 yard conversion.
Despite achieving only 25% possession throughout, Rovers rose to 17th and five points clear of the bottom three.
They had actually arrived in Yorkshire nursing a solitary success within 13 League and Cup engagements including being hammered 5-0 at Bristol City last Wednesday.
SAINTS STILL ALIVE
Occupying fourth position, Southampton are triumphant in their past two amidst a three match unbeaten sequence. Watford were dispatched 3-2 at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday.
Flynn Downes scrambled the homesters’ decisive late strike nine minutes into injury time. Saints lie seven points shy of the automatic promotion discussions but have only played 41 games and entertain Preston North End on Tuesday evening.
Contrastingly, 15th placed Watford witnessed the end of five undefeated matches incorporating four consecutive draws as interim head coach Tom Cleverley suffered his first setback.
BIRMINGHAM ASCEND
Birmingham City climbed from second bottom to 21st – a point above danger – courtesy of outclassing visitors Coventry City 3-0. The timely maximum pointer followed eight reverses in 10 which embraced a single victory.
Alternatively, FA Cup Semi-Finalists Coventry City reflect on three Championship defeats among four. The Sky Blues are eighth hovering eight points below the Play-Off area with a game in hand.
Three of their concluding four fixtures will be at home.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
