CHAMPIONSHIP THIS WEEKEND

SWANSEA missed the chance to move back to the top of the table with a shock 2-1 loss against bottom side STOKE. It was the first time Nathan Jones’s Stoke had won in the league since April. ‘We needed a catalyst and this is the first step on the ladder,’ said Jones (right). ‘It’s one step.’

WEST BROMWICH took first place going into the international break with a 4-2 win over CARDIFF. NOTTINGHAM FOREST climbed into second with a 1-0 win over BRENTFORD courtesy of Ben Watson’s strike, and manager Sabri Lamouchi felt that his side merited the points. ‘We deserve this victory and we deserve to be where we are,’ he said. PRESTON thrashed BARNSLEY 5-1 to move into third while sixth-placed BRISTOL CITY made it 10 games undefeated beating READING 1-0. HUDDERSFIELD scored more than one goal at home for the first time since February 2018 — a run of 31 matches — as they thumped HULL CITY 3-0. Manager Danny Cowley said: ‘We’re trying to reconnect with the supporters and the players are fighting for the cause. We are in a relegation battle but we are together now.’

QPR secured a blistering 4-2 win over BLACKBURN, with Nahki Wells scoring the opener for the hosts. It was the Bermudan striker’s fifth goal in five games. Elsewhere, DERBY beat LUTON 2-0, with a 30-yard own goal from Matty Pearson playing a huge part. And

MILLWALL, whose manager Neil Harris quit last Thursday, beat LEEDS 2-1 at The Den. Penalty-scorer Jed Wallace said he’d received a congratulatory text from Harris after the game. ‘It’s been difficult,’ Wallace said, ‘really emotional.’