Leaders are shocked in Villa thriller
ASTON VILLA took advantage of another shaky performance by Sky Bet Championship leaders Wolves to boost their own promotion chances with a crushing 4-1 victory.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side appeared to be coasting towards the Premier League but a run featuring a solitary win in five games has left them looking over their shoulder.
Villa went into Saturday’s evening fixture in high spirits following their haul of nine victories from 11 games and they continued their promotion charge against weary Wolves.
Albert Adomah gave Steve Bruce’s men an early lead but Diogo Jota equalised to send the visitors into the break level.
Two goals in five minutes from James Chester and Lewis Grabban knocked the stuffing out of Wolves before Birkir Bjarnason netted a late fourth as Villa rubbed salt into their rivals’ wounds.
The result left Villa four points behind second-placed Cardiff, who had earlier piled pressure on Wolves with a 3-2 victory over relegationthreatened Birmingham.
Aleksandar Mitrovic continued his stunning start to life at Fulham with both goals as the Cottagers snatched a 2-1 win at play-off chasing Preston.
The on-loan Newcastle striker opened the scoring on 69 minutes and made it seven goals in five games in stoppage time to stretch Fulham’s unbeaten run to 15 matches.
Preston had equalised 15 minutes from time through Sean Maguire but they were unable to halt the Fulham juggernaut as they slipped four points adrift of the top six.
Middlesbrough consolidated their place in the play-off spots with a 3-1 victory to deepen Barnsley’s relegation fears.
Bristol City and Sheffield United lost ground on the top six following goalless draws at Burton and Ipswich respectively.
Sunderland remain rock bottom after Eberechi Eze netted the only goal to ensure QPR took advantage of goalkeeper Jason Steele’s red card just after half-time.
Aaron Wilbraham’s stoppage-time header earned Bolton a 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday, who thought they had sealed the points through George Boyd’s 78th-minute strike.
Leeds appeared to be on course for a morale-boosting win at Reading, only to draw 2-2 following Eunan O’Kane’s own goal. Pontus Jansson and Pablo Hernandez had scored either side of the break to cancel out Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s opener.
Yesterday Nottingham Forest and 10-man Derby took a point apiece from an entertaining but goalless East Midlands derby.
Derby played the final eight minutes a man light after Tom Huddlestone was sent off for two fouls on Lee Tomlin.
The Rams had been in the ascendancy but had to settle for a draw that left them 11 points off the top two.
Forest keeper Costel Pantilimon’s double save from David Nugent and Tom Lawrence was the closest either side came to scoring.