Championship round-up: Norwich back on top
Norwich win at Millwall sends them back above Leeds, who beat West Brom on Friday night.
Sunday 3 March 2019 09:39, UK
Norwich maintained their bid for automatic promotion with a 3-1 win at Millwall to return to the top of the Championship.
After being knocked off top spot by Leeds following United's 4-0 win over West Brom on Friday night, the Canaries responded in fine fashion.
City opened the scoring in the 16th minute, with Marco Stiepermann firing into an unguarded net from 12 yards after Jordan Archer had saved a shot from Onel Hernandez. The Lions levelled just before the interval, Shaun Williams heading home his seventh goal of the season after Steve Morison flicked on a corner with his heel.
But Norwich wrapped up the points in the second half with goals from Christoph Zimmermann and Teemu Pukki, the latter scoring his 24th in the league this season.
The result of the day was at Villa Park where Aston Villa, who had won just one of their previous 10 league matches, hammered Derby 4-0. Conor Hourihane opened the scoring after nine minutes before Villa ran riot at the end of the first half with three goals in eight minutes.
Tammy Abraham first tapped home his 21st of the season before unselfishly teeing up Hourihane for his second and Villa's third soon after. In injury time Jack Grealish, after three months on the sidelines with injury and captaining the side for the first time, thundered home a stunning volley to hand the Rams a third straight league defeat.
Two goals from Jarrod Bowen, taking his tally to 18 for the season and 14 in his last 16 games, continued Hull's push for a play-off place as the Tigers beat Birmingham 2-0 at the KCOM Stadium.
Nottingham Forest's play-off hopes suffered a blow with a 2-0 defeat at Stoke where Peter Etebo and Benik Afobe were on the scoresheet.
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Brentford enjoyed a 3-0 victory, beating QPR at Griffin Park for a seventh straight win on home soil. Neal Maupay made it 20 goals in the league this season, stroking home a 50th-minute penalty after Grant Hall had brought down Ollie Watkins before the French striker then teed up Said Benrahma for the second in the 71st minute. Sergi Canos completed the scoring deep into injury time.
Relegation-threatened Rotherham secured a precious 3-2 win over Blackburn at the New York Stadium. Ipswich remain rooted to the foot of the table after losing 2-1 to fellow strugglers Reading at Portman Road. Nine-man Bolton crashed to a 2-0 defeat at Swansea to increase their relegation fears.
Middlesbrough missed the chance to close on the top two after they were held to a goalless draw at Wigan, while fellow play-off hopefuls Bristol City could only draw 1-1 at Preston.
Promotion-chasing Sheffield United head to rivals Sheffield Wednesday on Monday night.
