LONDON, January 22 — Sheffield United moved to the top of the Championship table after a thrilling 2-1 victory over ten-man Swansea City. Meanwhile, Sunderland continued their quest for promotion with a solid 1-0 win over Derby County.
The Blades endured an uninspired first half, falling behind following an early shot from Florian Bianchini. However, a motivating half-time speech from manager Chris Wilder injected fresh momentum into the team, with Rhian Brewster equalizing just two minutes into the second half.
The turning point came soon after, when Harry Darling received a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Brewster. Taking advantage of their numerical superiority, Sheffield secured victory when Harrison Burrows converted a penalty in the 68th minute, putting them two points in the lead.
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“We were very far from our level in the first half. They were by far the better team across the board,” Wilder said. “We were just happy not to be behind and we needed more energy. The early goal gave us some energy and from there it was a completely restarted game. »
Wilder also hinted that he wants to strengthen his attacking options in a bid to reach the Premier League, revealing that Tom Cannon, who scored 11 goals for Stoke City while on loan, is close to joining them from Leicester City in a £10m transfer. “I hope Cannon’s transfer is close to being finalized,” Wilder said. “I’m going to turn my phone back on now and hopefully we can expand the group.” There are plenty of games left to play, and it certainly doesn’t make us weaker. »
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Sunderland’s victory at Pride Park saw them climb to third place, four points behind the leaders and just two behind Leeds, thanks to a decisive goal from Eliezer Mayenda. Leeds can regain top spot with their late game against Norwich City today.
In other news, Tony Mowbray’s return to West Brom was disappointing, with his side losing 2-0 to his former club Middlesbrough. Mowbray, recently appointed as coach for a second spell after overcoming colon cancer, received a warm welcome from supporters before kick-off at the Riverside Stadium. However, goals from Hayden Hackney and Liverpool loanee Ben Doak overshadowed his return.
Oxford United extended their unbeaten run under Gary Rowett to seven games with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Luton Town. In other matches, Coventry City beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0, thanks to goals from Ellis Simms and Brandon Thomas-Asante, while Queens Park Rangers recorded a fourth successive victory with a 2-1 success against Hull City . Additionally, Milutin Osmajic’s brace gave Preston North End a 2-1 win at Watford.
Cardiff City snatched a 2-2 draw at Millwall thanks to a last-minute equalizer from substitute striker Yousef Salech, who scored with just three seconds left in added time.
