Championship: Burnley bounce back to sink Norwich and retake third

  • Josh Brownhill fires second-half winner for Clarets
  • Vakoun Bayo doubles up as Watford beat West Brom

Burnley recovered from the shock of conceding a goal after just 64 seconds to reclaim third place in the Championship by beating Norwich with a 2-1 comeback victory at Carrow Road, while Watford won by the same score at home to West Brom.

The Norwich defender José Cordoba headed home his first goal in English football to give his side a dream start, but the visitors hit back in impressive fashion after the break to take home maximum points. The substitute Zian Flemming’s brilliant long-range strike levelled it for the Clarets midway through the second period and another emphatic finish from Josh Brownhill settled the issued eight minutes later.

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Championship roundup: Bellingham hits winner as Sunderland battle back

  • Sunderland overturn two-goal deficit at Swansea
  • Sheffield United on top after 2-0 win over Plymouth

Sunderland overturned a two-goal deficit to win a 3-2 thriller at Swansea and climb to third place in the Championship. Swansea established a healthy lead inside 17 minutes as Zan Vipotnik volleyed home and Liam Cullen dispatched a fabulous free-kick, but Sunderland levelled through Dan Ballard and Dan Neil – whose previous goals both came in a 2-1 victory against West Brom over 12 months ago. Jobe Bellingham then claimed the winner with his third of the season.

The win moved Sunderland to within two points of second-placed Leeds who were held to a 1-1 draw at Preston. Brad Potts put Preston ahead in the 23rd minute but an unfortunate own goal from substitute Jack Whatmough in injury time saved Leeds a point.

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Championship roundup: Dan James marks milestone as Leeds return to top

  • Gnonto also on target in 3-1 win against Middlesbrough
  • Sunderland grab late equaliser to peg back Bristol City

Dan James marked his 100th Leeds appearance with a crucial goal as his side beat Middlesbrough 3-1 at Elland Road to regain top spot in the Championship.

James fired home in the second half after Max Wöber’s own goal had cancelled out Wilfried Gnonto’s opener. Brenden Aaronson added Leeds’s third in added time.

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Millwall manager Neil Harris to step down from role this weekend

  • Lions confirm that Harris will leave after next two games
  • ‘I always said I would leave when the time felt right’

The Millwall manager Neil Harris will step down from his role for a second time after Saturday’s Championship game at Middlesbrough.

The former Lions striker returned to the Den as manager in February, more than four years after resigning from the role, and led the Championship side away from relegation danger. Millwall currently sit 11th with 25 points after 18 matches – just six points outside the playoffs. The club said a “mutual decision” had been taken for Harris to leave after taking charge of Wednesday’s match against Sheffield United and the game on Teesside.

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Former Manchester United coach Mike Phelan off to Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth

  • Veteran coach reunited with former Old Trafford star
  • Argyle languishing in 22nd place in Championship

The Plymouth manager Wayne Rooney has drafted in the former Manchester United coach Mike Phelan as he attempts to drag the club out of the Championship relegation zone.

The 62-year-old, who spent nine years coaching at Old Trafford in two spells, the first of them under Sir Alex Ferguson, has been appointed as the assistant head coach following the departure of Pete Shuttleworth.

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Championship: Sheffield United back on top but West Brom’s Fellows denies win

Sheffield United returned to the top of the Championship but had to settle for a point as Tom Fellows’s second-half equaliser secured West Brom a 2-2 draw at The Hawthorns.

United moved a point ahead of Leeds as they extended their unbeaten run to eight matches, while the home side drew for the 10th time in 11 games. Torbjørn Heggem nodded in his first goal of the season to give West Brom a deserved lead, but the visitors turned the game around with two goals inside 98 seconds courtesy of Callum O’Hare and Tyrese Campbell to take a half-time lead.

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Leeds sink Derby from unlikely sources and return to Championship summit

Joe Rodon and Max Wöber stepped out of defence to score their first goals for Leeds as Daniel Farke’s side moved to the top of the Championship, ahead of Sheffield United on goal difference.

Given that Illan Meslier, Farke’s goalkeeper, was so underemployed he appeared in danger of hypothermia by the end, it is probably to safe to assume that Tuesday night’s engagement with a key promotion rival in Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough will be somewhat tougher but Leeds still did enough to suggest they should not be underestimated.

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Wayne Rooney fighting to save Plymouth Argyle job after latest defeat

  • Saturday’s 4-0 loss at Bristol City extends poor run
  • Rooney faces key clash with Oxford United next week

Wayne Rooney is fighting to save his job at Plymouth Argyle, with the manager under heightened scrutiny after a hugely damaging week of results.

Plymouth were hammered 4-0 at Bristol City on Saturday, four days on from a humiliating 6-1 defeat at Norwich. The former England and Manchester United captain is not thought to be at immediate risk of losing his job but defeat at home to Oxford next Saturday will further jeopardise his position.

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Championship roundup: Leeds beaten while pressure mounts on Rooney

  • Todd Cantwell’s penalty denies Leeds top spot
  • Plymouth fans show anger as side thrashed 4-0

Todd Cantwell’s first-half penalty secured Blackburn a 1-0 victory over Leeds at Ewood Park as Daniel Farke’s side missed out on the chance to return to the top of the Championship. Sheffield United’s defeat of Sunderland a day earlier meant Leeds came into the game in second spot, but they fell short in their efforts to leapfrog the Blades after Cantwell’s 22nd-minute spot-kick secured Rovers’ third successive win and boosted their play-off challenge.

Burnley moved into second by beating Stoke 2-0 to make it four straight wins and five consecutive clean sheets. Jay Rodriguez’s opener shortly after the break was added to by substitute Josh Brownhill’s late penalty as Scott Parker’s side took full advantage of Leeds’ defeat earlier in the day. The Clarets, who trail leaders Sheffield United by two points, have now kept a total of 12 clean sheets this season and have still only conceded six goals - the fewest at this stage of any previous Championship season.

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Davies’ late winner sinks Sunderland and puts Sheffield United top

Tom Davies’ late winner proved to be the difference as Sheffield United edged a compelling and often chaotic tussle with promotion rivals Sunderland to send the Blades to the top of the Championship on a night when both sides had a man sent off.

Both sides have made a magnificent start to the new season and are firmly in the promotion mix as December approaches. They each knew victory here would move them above Leeds ahead of their game against Blackburn on Saturday and despite the game looking as though it would be heading for a stalemate for large periods, Davies’ strike was six minutes to go ultimately was decisive.

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Frank Lampard returns to management with Coventry after 18 months out

  • Former England midfielder takes over from Mark Robins
  • Team are 17th in Championship, two points above drop

Frank Lampard has been confirmed as the head coach of Coventry, returning to the dugout 18 months after he left Chelsea. He succeeds Mark Robins, who was sacked after almost eight years in charge, with the club 17th in the Championship, two points above the relegation zone.

Lampard has been out of coaching since leaving his interim role with Chelsea at the end of 2022-23. That was a third Premier League managerial job in a row for the former England midfielder, who had a previous spell at a Chelsea and period with Everton, but he is familiar with the Championship.

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Championship roundup: Leeds return to top, Portsmouth game hit by power cut

  • Leeds 3-0 Luton, Middlesbrough 0-1 Blackburn
  • Pompey v Millwall postponed after lights go out

Leeds United moved back to the top of the Championship with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Luton Town at Elland Road.

Sam Byram gave the home side an early lead when he reacted quickest to volley into the far corner after seeing his initial shot blocked. Joel Piroe made it 2-0 from close range in first-half injury-time after Pascal Struijk’s header from a corner was parried by Thomas Kaminski.

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Championship strugglers Hull City sack manager Tim Walter after just 18 games

  • German appointed at the end of May on three-year deal
  • First-team coach Andy Dawson to take interim charge

Hull City have confirmed the departure of Tim Walter as head coach. The Championship strugglers’ 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday was their ninth match without a win and left them in the relegation zone.

The club said in a statement: “Hull City can confirm we have parted company with head coach Tim Walter with immediate effect. Assistant head coaches Julian Hubner and Filip Tapalovic have also left the club.

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