EFL goals and round-up: Sheffield United close on promotion; Luton win
Sheffield United took a step closer to promotion to the Premier League as they beat Cardiff 4-1, while third-placed Luton also won, as did Coventry and Millwall in the play-off race. Forest Green were relegated to League Two.
Saturday 15 April 2023 21:50, UK
Sheffield United came from behind to thrash Cardiff 4-1 and maintain second place in the Sky Bet Championship.
Sory Kaba's penalty had put Cardiff in front, but James McAtee levelled before the break.
The Blades pulled clear in the second half through goals from Jack Robinson, Iliman Ndiaye and Ciaran Clark to leave Cardiff in the relegation fight.
Paul Heckingbottom's side sit five points clear of Luton, who were 2-0 winners at Rotherham to extend their unbeaten run to 10 games.
Carlton Morris broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time before Cauley Woodrow turned home the rebound after seeing his penalty saved shortly after the restart.
Leaders Burnley had secured immediate promotion back to the top flight last week, but were held to a goalless draw by managerless Reading, which boosts their bid to get out of the relegation zone.
Millwall maintained their play-off push with a 2-0 victory over Preston.
Tom Bradshaw's header had put the hosts in front before Zian Flemming's fine finish with 20 minutes left made sure of the points.
Blackburn were held to a goalless draw at home to Hull as Coventry moved to within a point of Rovers and the final play-off spot with a comfortable 3-0 win at QPR, where Viktor Gyokeres hit a brace either side of a Gustavo Hamer goal.
Relegation-battlers Blackpool moved within four points of safety as Jerry Yates' early goal proved enough to beat bottom side Wigan.
Meanwhile, Huddersfield remain firmly in the relegation battle - sitting a point clear of the bottom three after losing 1-0 at Swansea as Ryan Manning's deflected effort in the second half settled the game.
Jayson Molumby scored twice West Brom came from behind to pick up a rare away win at Stoke.
The Baggies secured a 2-1 victory after Jacob Brown had opened the scoring for the hosts, who had midfielder Ben Pearson sent off in stoppage time.
Sunderland ended with 10 players, but still beat Birmingham 2-1 as goals from Denver Hume and Amad Diallo cancelled out George Hall's opener before Dennis Cirkin was dismissed for the Black Cats.
Elsewhere, an own goal from Harry Cornick and Joao Pedro's second-half strike saw Watford beat Bristol City 2-0 at Vicarage Road.
Blackburn face Hull in the late game on Saturday night.
Sky Bet League One
Plymouth took a step closer to promotion to the Sky Bet Championship with a narrow 1-0 win at Devon rivals Exeter.
The derby produced plenty of passion and endeavour, but chances were few and far between, with Matt Butcher's deflected second-half effort proving enough for the Pilgrims to take all three points.
Ipswich climbed to second after a 6-0 victory over Charlton. Conor Chaplin struck a hat-trick, while substitute Freddie Ladapo weighed in with two goals before defender Leif Davis scored in stoppage time.
Sheffield Wednesday slipped out of the top two after Burton moved a step closer to safety with a 3-2 win over the Owls.
Two goals from Mark Helm - the first senior goals of his career - sealed a precious win as Wednesday faltered again, falling one point behind Ipswich.
Forest Green were relegated after Barnsley handed out a 5-1 thrashing to remain in the promotion hunt.
A double from Adam Phillips alongside goals from Slobodan Tedic, James Norwood and Devante Cole condemned Rovers to their 28th defeat in 42 games.
Jack Marriott's hat-trick plunged 10-player Accrington deeper into relegation trouble after a 5-2 win for Fleetwood.
Adam Jackson's first league goal since September 2020 secured 10-man Lincoln a memorable 3-2 victory over nine-player Port Vale in a thrilling contest at Sincil Bank.
Cole Stockton's 89th-minute goal gave Morecambe a vital three points to boost their hopes of survival after a 1-0 win which also dented Wycombe's hopes of a play-off place.
Alfie May scored an injury-time leveller as Cheltenham took a point from a 2-2 draw at MK Dons.
Cambridge ran out 2-0 winners against Peterborough, while Bristol Rovers and Derby played out a 1-1 draw. Bolton won 1-0 at Oxford and Shrewsbury and Portsmouth drew 1-1.
Sky Bet League Two
Leyton Orient are on the brink of winning promotion from Sky Bet League Two after their fine 2-0 victory over struggling Sutton.
Goals from Kieran Sadlier and Tom James secured the O's a 10-point lead at the summit and a 13-point cushion over fourth-placed Stockport.
Goalkeepers Tomas Holy and Lee Burge ensured promotion-chasing Carlisle and Northampton drew 0-0.
Jamie Reid's winner saw Stevenage boost their automatic promotion chances as they beat AFC Wimbledon 2-1 to end a run of five games without a victory.
Will Collar's dramatic last-gasp leveller helped keep Stockport's hopes of moving into League One alive in a 1-1 draw at Gillingham. Bradford recorded a routine 3-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Rochdale.
Newport secured their League Two status for another year and put a dent in Hartlepool's survival hopes with a comfortable 2-0 win at Rodney Parade.
First-half strikes from Omar Bogle and Mickey Demetriou earned the hosts all three points after a dominant display.
Mansfield moved into the play-off places on goals scored after a 1-1 draw with Grimsby at Blundell Park.
Battling Harrogate recovered from two goals down to draw 2-2 for a third-consecutive game as they denied Doncaster.
Colchester boosted their survival hopes by claiming a 1-0 win at promotion-chasing Salford thanks to Noah Chilvers' first-half strike.
Goals from Rod McDonald and Chris Long set Crewe on route to their third win in their last four games as they beat Walsall 2-0.
Elsewhere, Crawley earned their first win in five games to move out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 home success over Tranmere, while Swindon and Barrow played out a goalless draw.
