EFL Championship news: Five takeaways as West Brom, Bolton and Swansea secure midweek wins
After Tuesday night’s Championship fixtures, there is plenty to talk about.
Cardiff City beat Watford 5-1, Bolton Wanderers handed Wolves a second defeat of the season, and Middlesbrough extended their unbeaten run in the league to eight.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Elliot Desage looks at five key takeaways from the midweek results.
Watford lose again
Watford travelled to Cardiff hoping to put things right after Saturday’s defeat to Burnley where they lost 4-0 at home.
However, it was unfortunately more of the same for Hornets fans, who made their feelings clear at full-time after getting demolished 5-1.
The result means Watford have now conceded nine goals in the space of two games – and they fall into the relegation zone for the first time this season.
In addition, Watford have a notorious history of sacking managers over the last decade.
Since Gino Pozzo’s family takeover in 2012, Watford have cycled through 23 different managers.
Alessio Dionisi, who was appointed just this summer, will surely have this in the back of his mind as pressure mounts on the Italian.
Baggies bounce back
West Brom travelled to Wales to visit Wrexham, where they came out on top after earning a 2-1 victory.
As a result, they climbed to fourth in the table – joint third with Birmingham.
The Baggies were winless in three prior to Tuesday, coming up short in a match-up with the Blues on Saturday.
With fans expecting an answer, West Brom delivered against a strong side.
They now sit in fourth place, right in the midst of the play-off places.
Last season, they just missed out on the play-off places, so they’ll want to go a step further this time around.
They next host Blackburn on the weekend.
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Bolton shock Wolves
Bolton delivered a shock result at Molineux, handing Wolves their second defeat in the space of four days.
Wolves, who came into the game as hot favourites, were hoping to set the record straight after a defeat to Middlesbrough.
However, newly promoted side Bolton showed why the Championship is the most unpredictable league in the world by beating them comfortably 3-1.
The Old Gold have now slipped out of the play-off places, dropping down to ninth place in the table.
They travel up to Lancashire on Friday for an encounter against Burnley, whereas Bolton travel to the South Coast for a meeting with Southampton hoping to continue their good form.
Swansea remain top
Swansea City secured a valuable three points at the Den thanks to Ronald’s dramatic 90th-minute winner against Millwall.
It was the kind of result that can make a significant difference over the course of a long Championship campaign – and it proves that the Swans are genuine contenders.
Winning away from home is never straightforward, particularly against a Millwall side known for making life difficult for visiting teams.
Swansea’s ability to find a breakthrough so late in the game demonstrated their determination to keep pushing until the final whistle.
The result also reinforced Swansea’s impressive form, with their seventh win in 10 games keeping them at the top of the Championship table.
While there is still a long way to go, these are precisely the sort of victories that can help build a genuine promotion challenge.
Boro survive fightback
Middlesbrough produced an equally memorable performance as they defeated Stoke City 3-2 in a thrilling encounter that was decided in stoppage time.
Boro’s attacking play was a major positive.
They registered 20 shots, nine of which were on target, while enjoying 66 per cent possession.
Those figures suggest that Middlesbrough created enough opportunities to take control of the contest, even if the match itself proved far more complicated than they would have liked.
Despite the victory, Middlesbrough will know there is room for improvement.
Allowing Stoke to equalise twice after taking the lead exposed defensive vulnerabilities that could prove costly against stronger opposition.
Boro are now unbeaten in eight games and will be hoping to extend this run when they host Cardiff on Saturday.
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