There were all the usual twists and turns from the Championship in match week two from the second-tier. Newly promoted Charlton Athletic comfortably beat Stoke City; meanwhile, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest shared the spoils from an entertaining draw.
EFL Championship Review
Made To Settle For A Point
Marcelo Bielsa would have left Elland Road on Saturday wondering how his side failed to beat Nottingham Forest.
Pablo Hernandez fired the Whites ahead in the 59th-minute and the hosts were dominant as they seemed set to start the season with a second successive victory.
Leeds had been on top for a long while before Hernandez made the net bulge. Patrick Bamford had several attempts but came closest with a wayward volley that struck the crossbar.
However, as Bielsa’s side failed to deal with a corner, Grabban darted away from his marker to scramble the ball in from two yards.
Pressure Grows For Stoke City As Potters Taste Defeat Again
Stoke City boss Nathan Jones could soon begin to feel the weight of being Potters boss after suffering a second successive defeat in the Championship. Charlton Athletic join Sheffield Wednesday as one one of only two Championship sides with a 100% record after two games.
Lyle Taylor and Tom Ince were on target as the two sides entered half-time level following a poor first half. Stoke could have levelled before Ince’s eventual strike as Scott Hogan struck the crossbar, but it was Ince’s left-footed drive that sent the two sides into the break on level terms.
Lee Gregory was twice off target for the Potters, hitting the post and then shooting well over the crossbar. And the visitors were made to pay for the missed chances as Chus Aneke converted from ten yards before Conor Gallagher completed the scoring seven minutes from time.
How Did We Do?
Each week we take a crack at predicting the results of each match. How did we get on this opening weekend? Actual results are shown in bold whereas our predictions are in italics.
Leeds United 1-1 Nottingham Forest – Leeds United 3-1 Nottingham Forest
Birmingham City 1-1 Bristol City – Birmingham City 1-1 Bristol City
Cardiff City 2-1 Luton Town – Cardiff City 2-1 Luton Town
Charlton Athletic 3-1 Stoke City – Charlton Athletic 1-1 Stoke City
Derby County 0-0 Swansea City – Derby County 2-1 Swansea City
Fulham 2-0 Blackburn Rovers – Fulham 3-1 Blackburn Rovers
Hull City 2-1 Reading – Forest Green Rovers 2-0 Oldham Athletic
Middlesbrough 0-1 Brentford – Middlesbrough 2-1 Brentford
Preston North End 3-0 Wigan Athletic – Preston North End 1-0 Wigan Athletic
Queen’s Park Rangers 1-1 Huddersfield Town – Queen’s Park Rangers 2-1 Huddersfield Town
Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Barnsley – Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Barnsley
West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Millwall – West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Millwall
So, we got two fixture score predictions correct and another two correct based on their results!
Up Next
Games to take place on Saturday, August 17. 3:00 kick-offs unless otherwise stated.
Huddersfield Town v Fulham – 19:45. Friday, August 16.
Barnsley v Charlton Athletic
Blackburn Rovers v Middlesbrough
Brentford v Hull City
Bristol City v Queen’s Park Rangers
Luton Town v West Bromwich Albion
Millwall v Sheffield Wednesday
Nottingham Forest v Birmingham City
Stoke City v Derby County
Swansea City v Preston North End
Wigan Athletic v Leeds United
Reading v Cardiff City – 12:00. Sunday, August 18
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