Championship talking points: Birmingham frustrated, Sheffield United lose again and Stoke given dose of reality
The Sky Sports Football writers analyse the weekend's Championship action as Birmingham's lack of cutting edge told against Leicester on Friday night, Stoke were beaten after starting with three straight wins and Sheffield United suffered a fourth straight defeat
Monday 1 September 2025 09:21, UK
Birmingham's lack of cutting edge frustrates at Leicester
Result: Leicester 2-0 Birmingham
Chris Davies pretty much summed it up after Birmingham's defeat at Leicester on Friday night. "I thought we had the lion's share of the game, were strong and dominant throughout," he said. "I thought we disrupted Leicester and played well with the ball until the final bit where we couldn't create clear chances."
Even last season, in all their dominance in League One, Birmingham weren't the most prolific - averaging less than two goals per game. And missing Jay Stansfield at the King Power, it didn't look like they would really threaten at any point.
The game, in the end, was decided by quality. A lethal finish from Abdul Fatawu early on, and a similar level of ruthlessness in front of goal shown by Ricardo Pereira late on. Leicester's only two shots on target of the game.
Kyogo Furuhashi looks likely, but he is still yet to score in the league in four appearances. In Birmingham's last two games, they have had 27 shots and just two have been on target.
It is a lack of cutting edge that may be what holds Birmingham back from fulfilling their real potential this season.
Simeon Gholam
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Back to slight reality for Stoke City
Result: Stoke 0-1 West Brom
In the context of Stoke's seven miserable years in the Championship it had been an incredible start under Mark Robins - as they won their first three from three.
But it was back to some sort of reality on Saturday, as they lost 1-0 at home to West Brom - undone by the rarest of mistakes from the usually reliable Viktor Johansson. His spilled corner allowed Nat Phillips to find the winner.
There is still plenty of positivity to take from their first four games. Level-headed Robins wouldn't have let them get too carried away after their fine start, and he won't let them get too disheartened now as they head into the international break.
"You've got players that are at various levels and at various standards and during today's game you see people start to tire," said Robins after the game, admitting fatigue may have been a factor after such an intense start to the season.
"They're being asked to do a lot of work and it's game four. At the end of the month some of them have got to go off and do some international work now and some of them will get some rest and train."
Simeon Gholam
Selles' Blades still worryingly blunt
Result: Middlesbrough 1-0 Sheff Utd
Who would have predicted Sheffield United would be sat bottom of the Championship going into the first international break of the season? Would anyone have had last season's play-off finalists below their bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday, particularly given their ongoing issues off the field?
It's a real worry - and the pressure on Ruben Selles is rising.
On Saturday, they took on Middlesbrough and lost 1-0 at the Riverside. Granted, it's not a terrible result in isolation, given Boro have now started with four wins from four. But the bigger picture is that it's the opposite for the Blades, who've lost all four.
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Not only that, they've now failed to hit a shot on target in two of those four and scored just one goal, which is the lowest of any side, not just in the Championship, but League One and League Two, too.
They've generated an Expected Goals figure of 4.6 so far, but it's now 388 minutes since they last scored a league goal.
The best case scenario for Selles is his side bounce back from a fortnight off and get back on track as though the first month didn't happen. The worst is that this run of form and the play-off hangover lingers for a little too long.
Dan Long
First wins on the horizon for Ipswich and Derby
Result: Ipswich 2-2 Derby
Ipswich and Derby will rue going into the international break still winless in the Championship.
However, all signs point towards both sides growing into this campaign following a summer of overhaul.
Kieran McKenna opted to pair Jens Cajuste and Azor Matusiwa together for the first time in the midfield. The partnership has real potential. The Swedish midfielder glides with the ball at his feet with deft touches. Bringing the Napoli man back for a second spell could be a masterstroke.
The Tractor Boys announced four signings in the build-up to the match. Once this new group bond and gel they will be in the hunt for an immediate return to the Premier League. McKenna was able to bring on Sammie Szmodics, Chuba Akpom and Jack Clarke in the closing stages. Few Championship sides have that sort of quality in reserve.
Conceding an equaliser in the 16th minute of stoppage time will have been heart-breaking for the 2,000 travelling Derby supporters. But they can be encouraged by what they saw from John Eustace's side.
The Derby boss is building a squad of players that you would want to have in your side. Carlton Morris now has four goals in four Championship games. He's horrible to play against. Dara O'Shea and Jacob Greaves will know they have been in a game. Lewis Travis settled in seamlessly in midfield alongside Ebou Adams. It's easy to see why Eustace wanted to work with him again.
It was so important for Rhian Brewster to get off the mark early at County after eight goals in five years at Sheffield United. His second-half strike will give him confidence as he bids to kickstart his career.
No wins but no need to panic for either club.
James Savundra
Still's Southampton remain a work in progress
- Result: Watford 2-2 Southampton
Will Still will surely file this one in the two points dropped category having led twice at Vicarage Road only to see a spirited Watford battle back on both occasions.
The truth is that Southampton remain a work in progress, a team used to losing games and a return of five points from four matches reflects that and none of this will be fresh information to their new manager.
Their two goals would both have pleased him - he's challenged Cameron Archer to let his goals do the talking and he grabbed his second of the week, only for Kwadwo Baah to equalise stylishly.
Before the battle of the free-kicks began - Ryan Manning took the scenic route to curl one around the wall, his second of the season after a stunner against Wrexham. But Watford have found a livewire in Tanzanian-born Australia international Nestory Irankunda and he also scored a stunning second free-kick since arriving in the Championship to earn a point.
The end of the transfer window will be welcomed by Southampton who have, as expected, lost Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes in recent days. They will improve as the season evolves but there is work to do for all three relegated clubs.
Rob Jones
Sargent the difference-maker for Norwich
- Result: Blackburn 0-2 Norwich
Norwich have scored six goals in their four Championship games so far, and five have been netted by Josh Sargent. The latest two came in Saturday's win at Ewood Park.
The USA international is, by all accounts, the standout striker in the league. Last season he was named in the Championship Team of the Season despite featuring in just 32 games and scoring 15 goals. The campaign before he scored 16 in 26.
Should he stay fit, and stay with the Canaries past Deadline Day, you would expect him to be more than capable of notching 30 or more. His presence is vital to any successes Liam Manning's side may or may not have this season.
"He's a constant handful. I think he's so intelligent with the positions he takes up," Manning said after the win at Blackburn.
"He's so sharp over the first metres, I think you see that with the penalty. His body shape and how quickly he gets in behind. He's the best 9 at this level for me and we're delighted to have him here. Long may it continue.
"You see the threat he carries. The movement, the sharpness to get in behind for the penalty. It produces such high-level actions.
"I gave him a bit of stick because, for me, he had a couple of other really good chances which for the standards I know he sets himself, he'll take in future, I think that's the biggest bit."
Simeon Gholam
Key stats from the weekend
- Following their 1-0 win, Middlesbrough have won each of their first four games in a league campaign for the first time since 1994/95 (also in the second tier)
- Sheffield United have begun a league season outside of the top-flight with four consecutive defeats for just a second time, previously doing so in 1995/96 (also in the second tier).
- QPR ended their seven-game winless run at Loftus Road in the Championship (D4 L3) with a 3-1 win over Charlton. The R's are now unbeaten in their last seven home league games against the Addicks (W5 D2).
- Josh Sargent became just the second Norwich player on Opta's records (since 2004/05) to score in each of the opening four matchdays of a Championship season after Jonathan Rowe in 2023/24.
- Since returning to the EFL in 2023/24, Wrexham are unbeaten across their five away league games against sides from London (W2 D3).
All Championship weekend results
Friday
Saturday
