Huddersfield stay top of Championship and Aston Villa throw away early lead

By Andy Charles

Image: Rajiv van La Parra (C) celebrates his early goal for Huddersfield which turned out to be the winner

Huddersfield Town maintained their unbeaten start to the Sky Bet Championship campaign with a 1-0 win over fellow high-flyers Wolves.

The Terriers made it 13 points from a possible 15 to kick off the 2016-17 season thanks to an early goal from summer signing Rajiv van La Parra, playing against his former club.

Highlights of Huddersfield v Wolves from the Sky Bet Championship.

Their confidence showed as early as the sixth minute when they took the lead, Van La Parra reacting quickest to tap home after Nakhi Wells hit the post and score his first goal for the club.

Wolves created more in the second half but Huddersfield's defence was up to the task, with Danny Ward doing particularly well to keep out a Jon Dadi Bodvarsson header which came in from close range.

Aston Villa's slow start to life in the second tier continued as they slipped to a 3-1 defeat against Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

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Highlights of Bristol City v Aston Villa from the Sky Bet Championship.

Villa needed only five minutes to break the deadlock with Jack Grealish on hand to hook home a fine cross from Leandro Bacuna, but that would end the positives for Roberto Di Matteo's men.

The game was completely turned on its head in three minutes around the hour mark, with City first levelling through the in-form Tammy Abraham, who reacted quickly to score after Pierluigi Gollini parried a Lee Tomlin shot.

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Image: Tammy Abraham was on target again for Bristol City

That 59th minute goal was followed up by a second two minutes later when Abraham turned provider by playing in Joe Bryan to make it 2-1.

And Tomlin made sure of the points when he added a third goal for City, curling a free-kick past Gollini with nine minutes remaining on the clock.

A goal in each half saw Newcastle United secure a comfortable 2-0 victory over 10-man Brighton.

Highlights of the EFL Championship match between Newcastle and Brighton.

Jamal Lascelles brilliantly headed the home side in front after 15 minutes in a scrappy first half at St James', with Brighton offering little as an attacking threat.

Sam Baldock's dismissal nine minutes into the second half aided the hosts' cause, before Jonjo Shelvey's first Newcastle goal on 63 minutes made sure of the three points.

The Magpies' third league win in a row sees them climb to fourth, while Brighton slip to ninth.

Barnsley claimed bragging rights in the South Yorkshire derby with a 4-0 demolition of Rotherham United.

Highlights of Barnsley v Rotherham from the Sky Bet Championship.

After a goalless first half, Barnsley opened the scoring on 54 minutes when Marley Watkins' free-kick found Marc Roberts and the centre-half converted from six yards.

A second goal followed three minutes later when Adam Hammill's scuffed shot found its way into the back of the net.

Image: Adam Hammill scored in Barnsley's rout of Rotherham

Tom Bradshaw headed a third goal four minutes from time and Ryan Kent wrapped up the rout with a shot that found the top corner in added time.

The Tykes looked like taking second place but they were denied that spot by Fulham, who snatched a 1-0 win over struggling Blackburn Rovers deep into added time.

Highlights of Blackburn v Fulham from the Sky Bet Championship.

Rovers remain rooted to the bottom of the table thanks to a 94th-minute strike from Tom Cairney, who left the club to join Fulham last summer.

Danny Graham had Blackburn's best chances but he lofted an early shot just over the bar and was later denied by a fingertip David Button save.

QPR also briefly moved into second spot during a busy Saturday afternoon when they scored the only goal of a tense 1-0 win at Wigan Athletic.

Highlights from the Sky Bet Championship where Wigan faced QPR.

Nedum Onuoha fired home from 20 yards early in the second half and then played his part as the Rangers rearguard contained everything the home side could throw at them.

Wigan had a number of chances to equalise in the closing stages but Max Power fired wide and Will Grigg headed over before bundling an added time effort wide of the post.

Birmingham City ended their long wait for a home win with an impressive 3-0 victory over previously-unbeaten Norwich.

Highlights of Birmingham v Norwich from the Sky Bet Championship.

David Davis headed the Blues into a 22nd-minute lead but Norwich missed plenty of chances before a Clayton Donaldson double put the game out of reach in an impressive second-half display. 

Donaldson had just seen a shot come back off the crossbar when he was brought down by Steven Whitaker to give Birmingham a penalty he converted.

The 32-year-old then wrapped up the points eight minutes from time when he ran on to a through ball and beat 'keeper Michael McGovern.

Nottingham Forest continued their goal-filled start to the season with a 3-1 win over Leeds United at the City Ground.

Highlights of Nottingham Forest v Leeds from the Sky Bet Championship.

After 4-3 wins over Burton Albion and Wigan, Philippe Montanier's side took their home tally to 11 goals in three games but had to work hard to see off the visiting Whites.

Pajtim Kasami gave Forest the lead and they appeared to be well on their way to victory when Damien Perquis made it 2-0 with a header 19 minutes from time.

Leeds replied through substitute Kalvin Phillips' 84th minute free-kick but highly-rated Forest youngster Oliver Burke sealed victory with his fourth goal of the season deep into stoppage time.

Grant Ward celebrated being named Ipswich Town's player of the month with the only goal in their 1-0 win over Preston.

Highlights of Ipswich v Preston from the Sky Bet Championship.

Ward scored a super half-volley after 16 minutes and Town could well have won by a bigger margin but for some wasteful finishing.

The former Spurs forward missed two more golden chances to add to his tally and Preston's best opening saw a Callum Robinson shot tipped over by Bartosz Bialkowski.

Yann Kermorgant's 89th-minute strike snatched a late 1-0 win for Reading at Cardiff City.

Highlights of Cardiff v Reading from the Sky Bet Championship.

The striker finished off Jordan Obita's cross to claim the Royals' first win since the opening weekend - and their first away from home in the league since April.

Defeat means Paul Trollope remains stuck on one victory since he took over this summer, with the Bluebirds only having secured five points from their first five games.

Sheffield Wednesday snatched a 1-1 draw at Brentford in a game that saw both sides reduced to 10 men.

Highlights of Brentford v Sheffield Wednesday from the Sky Bet Championship.

The Owls should have taken an early lead but saw Lucas Joao inexplicably miss an open goal from two yards, somehow managing to lift the ball over an empty net.

Lasse Vibe gave the home side the lead on 54 minutes by blocking a clearance from Wednesday 'keeper Keiren Westwood and sending the ball into an unguarded net.

Wednesday's hopes were hit when David Jones was sent off with 17 minutes remaining but Vibe levelled things up when he was dismissed on 88.

And Sam Hutchinson grabbed a point for the visitors three minutes into stoppage time with a header from Barry Bannan's cross.
 

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