Hornets miss out on seventh heaven
PROMOTION hopefuls Watford missed the chance to significantly cut the gap to Skybet Championship leaders Norwich City after surrendering a lead to draw 1-1 at Middlesbrough yesterday.
Ismaila Sarr’s 10th goal of the season opened the scoring at the Riverside Stadium but Yannick Bolasie’s first Boro goal denied the second-placed Hornets a seventh successive win.
Xisco Munoz’s men sit five points adrift of the tabletopping Canaries, who host Huddersfield tonight, but more importantly they moved 10 points clear of the chasing pack.
Relegation-threatened Wycombe boosted their slender survival hopes by inflicting a damaging 3-0 defeat on fellow strugglers Rotherham.
Goals from Admiral Muskwe, Jason Mccarthy and David Wheeler earned the lowly Chairboys a second successive win to move them eight points from safety.
The Millers, who have games in hand on the teams around them, remain two points above Gareth Ainsworth’s visitors following an eighth loss from 10 games.
Coventry took a big step towards safety by beating Bristol City 3-1 to end their three-game winless run.
Leo Ostigard’s early strike and a second-half penalty from Matt Godden put the Sky Blues in control before former Swan Viktor Gyokeres ensured they would move seven points above the drop zone after Robins forward Nahki Wells pulled one back.
Daryl Dike’s brace boosted fifth-placed Barnsley’s surprise play-off push as they won 2-1 against Luton at Kenilworth Road to move within a point of Swansea.
Dike squandered the chance to claim a hat-trick after his penalty was saved by Hatters keeper Sam Sluga before James Collins’s goal set up a nervy finish. Reading remain sixth after beating Derby 3-1. Royals top scorer Lucas Joao came off the bench to secure victory with his 22nd goal of the season after Tom Lawrence’s stunning long-range finish reduced the Rams’ deficit following strikes from Michael Olise and George Puscas.
Bournemouth kept up the pressure on the Tykes and Royals with a 2-0 success at Blackburn.
Philip Billing and Arnaut Danjuma were on target either side of half-time to keep Jonathan Woodgate’s men a point outside the top six. Cherries keeper Asmir Begovic saved a late spot-kick from Adam Armstrong.
Millwall boosted their slim play-off hopes as goals from Murray Wallace and Mason Bennett, either side of Jacob Brown’s equaliser, secured a 2-1 victory at Stoke.
Nottingham Forest beat QPR 3-1 at the City Ground. Alex Mighten, Lewis Grabban and James Garner wrapped up the points for Chris Hughton’s hosts, prior to Lyndon Dykes’s stoppage-time consolation.
Cardiff City were hammered 5-0 by Sheffield Wednesday in the late game. Adam Reach scored two, with Julian Borner, Callum Paterson and Jordan Rhodes also on target.