Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers and Barnsley excelled in the latest Championship fixtures, in an otherwise close and competitive game-week.
After 11 games, the top of the table is looking increasingly congested, with six points separating the top 11. Meanwhile, it is equally as congested near the bottom and Nottingham Forest in 20th are only two points off Blackburn in 12th. A great start to the division that saw a brilliant finish last time out.
Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers and Barnsley Star in Latest Championship Fixtures
Stoke City Thrash Championship Leaders Reading
Reading got off to a near-perfect start and, after eight games, found themselves seven points clear at the top. However, three straight losses have followed, and have since seen the gap cut to just a point.
Their latest defeat came at home to Stoke, in a perfectly executed counter-attacking game-plan from the Potters. Goals from Tyrese Campbell and Steven Fletcher gave their Stoke side a 2-0 lead at half-time before Jacob Brown added a third in the fifth minute of injury time to seal an impressive victory.
The Potters had to withstand a great deal of Reading possession but broke out excellently when they managed to win the ball back.
The three points push the Potters into eighth-place, who will be targeting the play-offs this season after quite an eventful campaign last time out.
Free-Scoring Blackburn Rovers Earn Hard-Fought Victory Over Queens Park Rangers
Blackburn Rovers are proving to be a real threat going forward and have subsequently scored more goals than any of their Championship counterparts (21). Additionally, they boast the best goal difference in the division too (7), yet they find themselves in 12th.
It has been a strange start of the season for Rovers, who tend to record emphatic wins and lose narrowly. In Blackburn’s latest fixture they picked up all three points, with a 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers. And despite the seemingly comfortable scoreline, it was a game that quite possibly could have gone either way.
After a goalless first-half, the game burst to life in the second 45. Five minutes into the second half, Rovers forward Ben Brereton volleyed his side into the lead before Lyndon Dykes levelled from the spot. From 1-1, both sides had opportunities to win the game, but a late brace from the league’s top goal-scorer Adam Armstrong, secured the three points for the hosts
Revitalised Barnsley Send Struggling Derby County to Bottom of the Pile
When Barnsley’s previous manager Gerhard Struber departed Oakwell, not many would have predicted that a new man would come in and see instantaneous success like Valerian Ismael has.
The appointment of Ismael was met with optimism and he has not disappointed thus far. The Tykes have picked up three wins in four since his arrival, taking his Barnsley side from 21st to 16th in the process.
In their latest win under the new man in charge, Barnsley defeated Derby County 2-0, sending the Rams to the bottom of the pile. Conor Chaplin put the visitors ahead after 30 minutes, capitalising on an error from Derby goalkeeper David Marshall. The Tykes then had to withstand plenty of Derby possession in the second half, before sealing the victory in the 83rd minute. And it was Conor Chaplin involved again, who teed up Victor Adeboyejo to curl an effort into the bottom corner.
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