SWANSEA CLIMB TO SECOND IN CHAMPIONSHIP
...Mariappa’s Bristol City clip Mccleary’s Wycombe 2-1
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Swansea moved into second place in the championship with a 2-0 win at struggling Queen’s Park Rangers (QPR) yesterday.
Goals from Andre Ayew and Jamal Lowe lifted Steve Cooper’s side into the automatic promotion places as the race to reach the Premier League heats up.
QPR have now gone eight matches without a win and boss Mark Warburton is under increasing pressure.
Chris Hughton and Aitor Karanka faced their former clubs in a 0-0 draw between Nottingham Forest and Birmingham at the City Ground.
It was Hughton’s Forest who often looked the more likely to snatch three points, but they found themselves up against a goalkeeper in good form in Neil Etheridge.
Famara Diedhiou came off the bench to fire a spectacular late winner as Bristol City beat bottom of the table Wycombe 2-1 at Ashton Gate.
City took a 23rd-minute lead through Chris Martin’s downward header.
Garath Mccleary equalised on 68 minutes with a shot that took a wicked deflection off City substitute Adrian Mariappa.
Having done so twice before this season, Diedhiou then proved the match-winner as a replacement when blasting an unstoppable right-footed shot past Ryan Allsop with three minutes remaining.
Derby’s unbeaten run under interim Manager Wayne Rooney was ended when Preston scored deep in stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 victory at Pride Park.
Alan Browne curled in a superb finish to shatter Derby, who had played for 70 minutes with 10 men after striker Martyn Waghorn was shown a straight red for a dangerous tackle on the Preston skipper.
Fourth-placed Brentford consolidated their promotion push with a 3-2 win at Cardiff, while Barnsley beat Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield 2-1.
Stoke recorded a fourth-successive championship clean sheet in a 0-0 draw at Coventry, while Blackburn drew 1-1 with second-bottom Sheffield Wednesday.
Reading moved into fifth place after defeating Luton 2-1.
Leaders Norwich, four points clear of Swansea, were due to host sixth-placed Watford later yesterday.