Sky Bet Championship round-up: Patrick Bamford nets Leeds winner as Norwich drop points at Bristol City
A review of Saturday's action in the second tier.
Sky Bet Championship results
- Aston Villa 2-2 Stoke
- Blackburn 2-2 Birmingham City
- Bolton 0-1 Leeds
- Hull 2-0 Brentford
- Ipswich 1-0 Wigan
- Preston 3-2 Millwall
- QPR 2-1 Middlesbrough
- Rotherham 1-1 Reading
- Swansea 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
- Bristol City 2-2 Norwich City
Watch: Every Championship goal
Instant Leeds impact for returning Bamford
✅ Starts first game since September
— Leeds United (@LUFC) December 15, 2018
🎯 Scores a hat-trick for the U23s
👊 Comes on against Bolton
🔥 Scores first #LUFC league goal
What a week for @Patrick_Bamford! pic.twitter.com/mW9iiofXS3
Patrick Bamford marked his return from injury by firing Leeds to a 1-0 victory at struggling Bolton.
The 25-year-old striker struck his first league goal for Marcelo Bielsa's side five minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute.
Bamford, a £7 million recruit from Middlesbrough last summer, had not featured for the Elland Road outfit since August 31 due to a knee injury and his 66th-minute winner lifted Leeds above Norwich and to the top of the Sky Bet Championship.
Troubled Bolton remain in the bottom three having won only once in 18 games.
Defeat ended another controversial week for the Trotters, whose players finally received their delayed November wages and chairman Ken Anderson banned the local paper's Wanderers correspondent citing "negative" reporting. Manager Phil Parkinson also continues to be linked with the managerial vacancy at former club Reading.
Norwich salvage point at Bristol City
Max Aarons headed in a late equaliser to secure the Canaries a 2-2 draw against Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
Marco Stiepermann fired Daniel Farke's side ahead, but Famara Diedhiou and Callum O'Dowda responded either side of half-time before Aaron's 78th-minute leveller.
Kodjia rescues Villa
Jonathan Kodjia came to Aston Villa's rescue to salvage a point in a 2-2 Sky Bet Championship home draw with Stoke.
Stoke twice took the lead but Kodjia demonstrated his value by winning a penalty and then notching the equaliser.
Joe Allen, who impressed for Stoke, opened the scoring two minutes into the second half and Benik Afobe hit the other from the penalty spot 13 minutes from time for the Potters.
But it was Kodjia who saved Villa to extend their unbeaten run to seven games.
QPR with first win in five as Boro slip up
Nahki Wells' second-half strike earned QPR a 2-1 Sky Bet Championship win over Middlesbrough at Loftus Road.
George Saville equalised for Boro five minutes into the second half after Pawel Wszolek had given the hosts an early lead.
But on-loan Burnley striker Wells hit back for Rangers to secure their first win in five matches and give boss Steve McClaren a victory to savour against his former club.
Wszolek's fourth-minute goal had given McClaren's side the perfect start - and a great start for Sporting Life's tipping team as Tom Carnduff correctly advised readers at 8/1.
Jake Bidwell collected Luke Freeman's pass and sent a low cross from the left into the penalty area, where Wszolek scored from close range having drifted in from the right flank.
Boro levelled six minutes into the second half when Ryan Shotton's ball in from the left was headed out by Darnell Furlong as far as former Chelsea youngster Saville, who volleyed home left-footed from near the edge of the penalty area.
Rangers were down to 10 men at the time as they were waiting to replace defender Joel Lynch, who had just limped off injured.
They regrouped and were back in front nine minutes later courtesy of the excellent Wells, whose goal condemned Boro to their first defeat in seven away matches in the Sky Bet Championship.
Wszolek found space on the right and pulled the ball back to the on-loan Burnley striker, who cleverly turned away from Saville, shifting the ball on to his left foot, and smashed his shot past keeper Darren Randolph.
Birmingham in quick comeback
Birmingham scored twice in three minutes late on to snatch an unlikely 2-2 draw at Blackburn.
The hosts looked well on their way to a fourth victory in five home games after Danny Graham's ninth of the season put them ahead in the first half, with Adam Armstrong making it two within seconds of the restart.
That looked to be that, but a penalty out of nowhere allowed Craig Gardner to level.
And incredibly, the Blues were level moments later as Che Adams slotted home from close range, giving them a point that their performance for the majority of the game barely merited.
Rovers are unbeaten in three outings but, in a game they controlled, the draw will feel like a defeat.
Campbell at the double for Hull
Brentford's alarming run of form was compounded by a 2-0 defeat at Hull.
The visitors could not recover from Fraizer Campbell's first-half brace which intensified the pressure upon head coach Thomas Frank.
Frank has now won just once from 10 games since he replaced Dean Smith at Griffin Park.
And this latest reverse was a neat symbolism of Brentford's deficiencies.
Frank's men always looked a threat going forward, but they once again defended like amateurs against their grateful hosts.
Hull are not without their faults, either, but manager Nigel Adkins will be thrilled with his side's current position in the Sky Bet Championship.
They have lost just once in eight games and have now gone above Brentford in the table.
🗣️ #BrentfordFC boss Thomas Frank says he is "100%" confident that he and his side can turn it around...
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) December 15, 2018
1⃣ He has just one win and a draw in his ten games in charge of the club pic.twitter.com/dQXKhVF6Pp
Swansea come from behind to pile pressure on Wednesday board
Bersant Celina came off the bench to earn Swansea a 2-1 triumph over Sheffield Wednesday at the Liberty Stadium.
It looked as if the Owls were going to claim their first away win for more than two months when Marco Matias punished Joe Rodon for a defensive error after 63 minutes.
But Celina played a key role as two goals in a minute from the substitute and Wayne Routledge turned the match in Swansea's favour to pile more pressure on Wednesday manager Jos Luhukay.
North End pile on Lions misery
Preston sealed back-to-back victories in the Championship with a battling 3-2 win over Millwall at a freezing Deepdale.
First-half goals from Alan Browne and Tom Barkhuizen and a late strike from Andrew Hughes secured all three points for Alex Neil's side.
Millwall were much-improved in the second half and scored through Jake Cooper and Lee Gregory.
But Neil Harris' Lions slipped into the relegation zone and have not won in their last seven games.
Sears fires Ipswich to victory
Ipswich recorded only their second victory of the season and their first at home following their 1-0 success over Wigan thanks to a goal by Freddie Sears.
The three precious points moved them closer to their relegation rivals but still five points away from safety in the Sky Bet Championship, with the Latics remaining in 16th spot.
Last-gasp Rotherham stay above Reading
A late leveller kept Rotherham above Reading in the Sky Bet Championship following a 1-1 draw at the New York Stadium.
Sam Baldock's early strike looked like being the difference between the two sides for much of the game, but Joe Mattock's late bundled effort earned Rotherham a point.
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