EFL Championship news: Five talking points as West Ham hit six, QPR bounce back and Portsmouth snatch late win
Wednesday night’s Championship action provided plenty of drama, with West Ham United scoring six against Lincoln City, QPR returning to winning ways and Portsmouth grabbing a late winner against Sheffield United.
Southampton also continued their positive run with a narrow victory away at Norwich City.
With goals, red cards and late drama across the evening, Sports News Blitz writer Elliot Desage looks at five key talking points from the midweek action.
West Ham make the most of Lincoln’s red cards
West Ham United produced the biggest result of the night, beating Lincoln City 6-0 away from home.
However, the game was heavily influenced by two early red cards for Lincoln.
Tom Hamer was sent off after just three minutes before Connor McGrandles followed him down the tunnel in the first half.
Konstantinos Mavropanos opened the scoring before West Ham took control after the break.
Edvin Austbø, Jarrod Bowen and Pablo all found the net, while Tomas Soucek scored twice late on to complete the rout.
Although Lincoln’s dismissals made life much easier for the visitors, West Ham still had to take advantage of the situation, and they did exactly that.
It was an impressive result for the Hammers, who will hope to carry this confidence into their next fixture.
QPR finally get back to winning ways
Queens Park Rangers gave their supporters something to celebrate after a convincing 4-1 win over Derby County at Loftus Road.
QPR had gone five games without a victory before Wednesday night, so the result was an important one for the club.
Rayan Kolli got them off the mark before Nicolas Madsen converted a penalty, with Karamoko Dembélé Vale adding a third just before half-time.
Paul Smyth scored again after the break to put the result beyond doubt, although Derby managed to grab a late consolation through Lars-Jørgen Salvesen.
The performance was a welcome change for QPR after their recent struggles.
They looked much more threatening going forward, but the main challenge now is making sure this result is the start of a better run rather than a one-off performance.
Portsmouth leave it late against Sheffield United
Portsmouth secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Sheffield United at Fratton Park, with Callum Adams scoring an 89th-minute winner.
The hosts looked to be in a strong position after Zak Swanson opened the scoring and Adrian Segečić doubled their lead shortly after half-time.
Sheffield United, though, showed plenty of fight and managed to bring the game level through Japhet Tanganga and Tyrese Campbell.
Just as it looked like the points might be shared, Adams found the net late on to send the home supporters into celebration.
Sheffield United were also reduced to ten men during the contest, which made their task even harder.
For Portsmouth, this was a great response after their recent derby defeat to Southampton.
For Sheffield United, losing so late after fighting back from two goals down will be a particularly frustrating result.
Southampton keep their momentum going
Southampton made it back-to-back wins with a 1-0 victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road.
The game was much tighter than some of the other fixtures on Wednesday night, with Kuryu Matsuki scoring the only goal in the 54th minute.
It might not have been the most exciting match for a neutral, but Southampton will not be complaining.
After beating Portsmouth in the South Coast derby, another three points gives them something to build on as the season continues.
Norwich, meanwhile, will be disappointed not to get anything from a home fixture.
They now need to find a way to turn their performances into results, especially if they want to avoid falling further behind their rivals.
Red cards and late goals steal the headlines
If Wednesday night showed anything, it was that Championship football rarely comes without a bit of drama.
West Ham benefited from Lincoln’s two red cards, while Sheffield United were left disappointed after conceding so late against Portsmouth.
QPR also showed how quickly things can change with a convincing win after a difficult run of results.
Southampton’s victory was a reminder that not every important result needs to come with plenty of goals.
Sometimes, getting the job done with a narrow win is just as valuable.
With more fixtures on the way, the big question is which teams can build on these results.
One good night can make a difference to confidence, but keeping that momentum going over the next few weeks will be the real test.
