A review of Tuesday's action in the Sky Bet Championship.
Sky Bet Championship results
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West Brom's automatic hopes take a hit
West Brom’s automatic promotion hopes remain in the balance after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham.
Albion’s failure to win offered another Premier League lifeline to Brentford in the race for the top flight.
Slaven Bilic’s side sit second in the Sky Bet Championship, four points clear of the third placed Bees having played a game more with Brentford hosting Preston on Wednesday.
The stalemate all but ended Fulham’s hopes of automatic promotion, although they came closest to winning when Anthony Knockaert hit the bar.
It was a result neither side wanted and Albion will now be sweating after dropping four points in the last two games.
Fourth placed Fulham are likely to have to settle for the play-offs, now sitting five points behind the Baggies with two games to go.
Wigan scored seven goals in an incredible first half as they thrashed fellow Sky Bet Championship relegation battlers Hull 8-0.
Click here for the full report and analysis from their record victory
Middlesbrough improve survival chances with victory at Reading
Middlesbrough boosted their chances of avoiding relegation from the Sky Bet Championship with a hard-earned 2-1 win at mid-table Reading.
The home side went ahead in the first half when skipper Liam Moore slotted home his first goal of the season.
However, Neil Warnock’s team levelled just before the break when top scorer Ashley Fletcher nodded in his 13th of the campaign, before completing the comback when Patrick Roberts drove in a late winner with a low 20-yard shot.
Boro were 19th in the table prior to this contest, just two points above the drop zone – but their survival prospects look much brighter now.
Warnock, 71, had overseen two wins and three defeats since replacing the sacked Jonathan Woodgate last month, while Reading were unbeaten in three matches, having collected seven points and not conceded a goal in that run.
However, the Royals have a poor home record, winning only once in the Championship and FA Cup at Madejski Stadium since Boxing Day.
Cardiff improve play-off prospects at Derby’s expense
A Wayne Rooney mistake all but ended Derby’s promotion hopes as Cardiff consolidated their position in the Sky Bet Championship play-offs with a 2-1 home victory.
Jordan Knight had earlier cancelled out Junior Hoilett’s first-half effort to restore parity for Derby.
But Derby were punished after 59 minutes when Rooney was caught in possession by Lee Tomlin and England’s record goalscorer made no attempt to retrieve the ball.
Rooney was helpless as Tomlin ran away to restore Cardiff’s lead and keep them in sixth spot and the final play-off place, two points above Millwall.
Cardiff’s play-off destiny is firmly in their own hands with a trip to Middlesbrough – and former manager Neil Warnock – to come and a visit from hapless Hull, who were thrashed 8-0 by Wigan on Tuesday.
Derby, meanwhile, need snookers to make the top six after Rooney’s dreadful error.
The Rams have to win their last two games and hope Cardiff remain pointless, while also hoping that several teams in between somehow fail to pick up enough points.
Bennett goal keeps Millwall in the play-off picture
Mason Bennett’s first-half strike kept alive Millwall’s Sky Bet Championship play-off hopes and helped them to a narrow victory over Blackburn.
The Lions made it back-to-back 1-0 wins, after the weekend success at Hull, and moved up to seventh, but are still two points off Neil Harris’ Cardiff after the Bluebirds beat Derby on Tuesday evening.
Gary Rowett saw his team end their long wait for a win at the Den – with their most recent before this on January 18 – and it was also their first triumph over Blackburn in seven years.
Defeat for Rovers means they can no longer finish in the top six and they remain 12th in the table.
Huddersfield held by Sheffield Wednesday as relegation fight goes on
Huddersfield’s Sky Bet Championship relegation fight still hangs in the balance after a 0-0 draw at Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
Terriers pair Karlan Grant and substitute Fraizer Campbell missed golden second-half chances to snatch a precious three points in their fight to avoid successive relegations.
It could have been worse for Town, though, as goalkeeper Jonas Lossl came to their rescue twice in the first period to keep out goalbound efforts from Wednesday’s Moses Odubajo and Kadeem Harris.
Huddersfield, whose winless run was extended to four matches and who have not scored in over six hours of football, are two places and three points above the drop zone with two games left to play.
Relegation rivals Birmingham and Charlton face each other in their game in hand at St Andrew’s on Wednesday.
The Owls halted a three-game losing sequence on Saturday with a 3-0 win at QPR but this derby stalemate left them with just two wins from their last nine league matches.
Luton’s attempt to escape relegation zone suffers setback
Luton missed the chance to move out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone as they were held to a 1-1 draw by QPR.
Nathan Jones' side had the lead in the 19th minute when Luke Berry dinked a ball over for onrushing full-back James Bree, who was felled in the area by Ryan Manning as he went to shoot.
Town’s top scorer James Collins then stepped up to send Joe Lumley the wrong way and easily convert for a 13th goal of the season - and
to put them temporarily out of the bottom three.
Elliot Lee could have made it 2-0 moments later, but he was just unable to divert Collins’ low cross in at the far post.
Bright Osayi-Samuel created the equaliser for QPR on 65 minutes, powering away on the left before his low cross was powered into the net by Dominic Ball.
Late on, Dan Potts could have won it for the hosts, meeting Danny Hylton’s drilled cross with his favoured left foot, only for Lumley to make an excellent stop.
Sluga then ensured Town picked up what could be a vital point in their battle to stay up, shovelling Ilias Chair’s attempt aside. In stoppage time, Luke Berry flicked a header on from Bree’s corner, only to see his effort cleared off the line, as Luton stayed in the bottom three ahead of a trip to Hull this weekend.
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