Championship talking points: Coventry take big step towards Premier League return as Millwall eye automatic promotion
The Sky Sports Football writers analyse the weekend's Championship action. Watch Birmingham vs Middlesbrough live on Sky Sports Football from 7.30pm on Monday night; kick-off 8pm.
Sunday 1 March 2026 20:22, UK
Coventry take another big step towards the Premier League
Coventry have been ticking along nicely again in recent weeks, following mini blips in December and January, but it looked as though the momentum might stall against Stoke.
Haji Wright's sixth goal in just four games put the Sky Blues in front, but Ben Gibson's equaliser with almost the final kick of the first half had exactly the desired effect. "Football sometimes kicks you where you don't want it to," said Frank Lampard afterwards.
It was a huge mental blow and Mark Robins' side to everything they could in the second half to keep it at 1-1, going so far as to not even attempt a single shot themselves.
But, as he had done three days prior against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, Jack Rudoni hit the winner - and this one felt all the sweeter as it came after 94 minutes and was fully deserved, too. The roof almost came off the Coventry Building Society Arena.
That made it four wins in a row for the first time since November and extended Coventry's lead at the summit to eight points. With 11 games left to play, the dream of a return to the Premier League after a quarter-of-a-century is very much back on.
Dan Long
Millwall battle past Preston to move into promotion contention
I think even Ryan Leonard surprised himself a little when the ball hit the back of the net in the first half.
On the 29th minute he the ball dropped at his feet, and he took it first time, curling it past Dai Cornell in the Preston goal.
He stopped, paused and then carried on his celebration, doing 'the gritty' in front of the Millwall fans.
That set the tone going into the second half. Preston started brighter and were the better of the two teams, but they never really looked like scoring. It felt like Millwall were able to withstand all the pressure until the final few minutes. A super simple second, and the game ended 2-0.
After the game, Alex Neil said he was not even aware they were one point behind Middlesbrough in the automatic promotion places.
For Paul Heckingbottom, the story is very different. It is now one win in 10 for Preston, and they are drifting away from the play-off places.
Kyle Walker
Sheff Utd keep play-off hopes alive again
In a battle between two sides hoping to keep their faint play-off hopes alive, Sheffield United showed strong indications that they cannot be discounted just yet.
Chris Wilder showcased the tremendous squad depth he possesses by making six changes and recording a relatively comfortable away win. Callum O'Hare continued to impress as Tyrese Campbell belted in his first goal since November.
No side have picked up more points since the last international break than Sheffield United. They've now won four of their last six. The defeats during that run were narrow ones to the league's top two sides.
It would be some story if the side who lost their first six, end up finishing inside the top six.
QPR boss Julien Stephan chuckled when asked about the play-offs following damaging back-to-back defeats.
A mounting injury pile-up and lack of experience has led the Frenchman to shift focus. Retaining Rangers second tier status in his first season in charge is now his main priority as his side limp into Spring.
James Savundra
Ramsay gone but misery remains at West Brom
The post Eric Ramsay era at West Bromwich Albion started with more of the same, another away defeat, and one that drags them deeper into relegation trouble and in doing so boosts Oxford's own hopes of Championship survival.
Ramsay had developed a habit of using at times confusing management speak to try and summarise his team's performances, his successor (who was also his predecessor) James Morrison chose to take a more direct approach in his post-match appraisal.
Morrison, a man with more than 300 Albion appearances to his name, was part of the coaching staff under both Ramsay and Ryan Mason has clearly sat and watched a number of similar failings continue to resurface. Two goals conceded from setpieces scored by Stan Mills and a former West Brom loanee Will Lankshear, and no real sustained assault on the Oxford goal in reply.
Teenager Ollie Bostock's first senior goal brought Albion back into it but they failed to seriously test Oxford goalkeeper Jamie Cumming throughout the second half before being treated to another chorus of "you're not fit to wear the shirt at full-time." You felt Morrison was inclined to agree.
In contrast there is a collective spirit to Oxford after ending their longest run without a home league goal. They shouldn't be survival favourites based on personnel but they have some broken clubs for company at the bottom of the table and that might prove significant in the run-in.
Rob Jones
- Watch all Championship highlights from the weekend here
- Live Championship table
- All Championship scores & fixtures
Leicester's relegation fears growing deeper by the week
Leicester fans protested against the club's ownership before kick-off at the King Power - but also hopes of a positive result in Gary Rowett's first home game in charge; one to spark their fight for survival into gear.
Spoiler alert - that didn't happen.
As former Foxes boss Enzo Maresca watched on from the stands, Norwich put the home side under the cosh in the first half. Paris Maghoma was a constant threat. "Leicester didn't lay a glove," said Andy Hinchcliffe on Sky Sports Football.
Norwich were kept at bay until 69 minutes, when Anis Ben Slimane fired home and it was 2-0 inside 10 minutes, thanks to Ali Ahmed, after he took advantage of some slack defending.
Many Leicester fans departed long before the final whistle and sections of those who were left greeted it with the boos that have become all too commonplace this season.
This defeat came 10 years and one day after Leicester beat Norwich 1-0 in the Premier League, thanks to an 89th-minute winner from Leonardo Ulloa. That was the first in a run of 12 without defeat that helped the Foxes to that incredible title win.
This time, there were no late heroics - or any sign of the turnaround Leicester so desperately need.
Dan Long
- Got Sky? Watch your EFL team on the Sky Sports app
- Not got Sky? Stream your EFL team with no contract
Hull underpin play-off credentials with Fratton Park smash-and-grab
To all intents and purposes Hull City were absolutely battered at Portsmouth, yet they ran out 1-0 winners.
They had two shots, one was a big chance missed, the other resulted in their winning goal, handed to them on a platter by a mistake from Adrian Segecic, gifting Matt Crooks a tap in.
But it capped off a week for Hull City that started with a bad defeat at home by QPR, but finished with victories over Derby and now at Pompey - the latter of which was their fifth in a row on the road.
With 12 games to go they have a seven-point gap over seventh and a game in hand. They are in a position right now where they are looking up rather than down.
Simeon Gholam
Win at Ashton Gate underlines solid start for Still at Watford
To say the fanfare was muted for Ed Still's arrival at Watford would be an understatement.
But Friday night's win at Bristol City underlined a solid start for him at Vicarage Road. Seven points picked up from four games, with the midweek blip at home to Ipswich the only red mark against them.
The game may have been won by a Jeremy Ngakia 'worldie', according to Still, but they were still worth the three points. Watford's squad is raw but talented, and currently he is utilising it well. They remain firmly in the race for a play-off place with 11 games left to play.
"I told all the lads how proud I am of that performance," Still said after the game. "Everyone knows this is a difficult place to come and if we had a bit of luck at the end it was earned by heart and commitment.
"We've put a huge amount of work into attitude on the training ground and I have felt things getting better with each day.
"From day one when I came in there was a feeling that we could make the play-offs. We can't promise that, but we can pledge to compete hard in every game until the end of the season and try our best to make it happen."
Simeon Gholam
All Championship weekend results
Friday
Saturday
