Blades batter champions to finish fifth on dramatic day

SHEFFIELD United thrashed champions Fulham 4-0 to book their Championship play-offs place.

Fulham had scored 106 goals in 45 games and hammered Luton 7-0 on Monday to secure the title.

But the Blades cut apart Marco Silva’s side inside 25 minutes. Morgan Gibbs-white, Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge all punished poor defending and Enda Stevens added another in the second half.

Fifth-placed Sheffield United will play Nottingham Forest in the playoffs, while Luton face Huddersfield.

Luton sealed sixth place with a 1-0 home victory over Reading thanks to a bizarre first-half goal.

Royals goalkeeper Orjan Nyland rolled the ball out unaware that Harry Cornick was behind him, and the Hatters striker pounced on the loose ball to score.

Millwall’s top-six hopes are over as they lost 1-0 at Bournemouth as substitute Kieffer Moore scored with nine minutes left.

Forest missed out on third spot by drawing 1-1 at Hull. Brennan Johnson’s penalty put Forest ahead in stoppage time, but Keane Lewispotter instantly restored parity.

Huddersfield climbed above Forest with a 2-0 home win against Bristol City. Left-back Harry Toffolo’s fifth goal in seven games gave the Terriers the lead, and Danny Ward bundled in the second moments before the interval.

Blackburn won 2-1 at Birmingham in what is likely to be the last game of Tony Mowbray’s reign.

John Buckley and Ben Brereton Diaz, with his 22nd league goal of the season, scored stunning firsthalf strikes for the visitors. Kristian Pedersen got a late consolation.

Andre Gray scored as Mark Warburton’s final game as QPR manager, his 150th in charge of the club, ended in a 1-0 victory at Swansea.

Karlan Grant missed out on a hattrick as West Brom beat Barnsley 4-0. The striker put Albion ahead from the penalty spot before Adam Reach and Matt Clarke struck either side of the break.

Grant grabbed his second but then saw another spot-kick saved as West Brom ended the season in 10th, their lowest finish for 22 years.

Wayne Rooney’s Derby said farewell to the Championship with a 1-0 home defeat to Cardiff, thanks to exmiddlesbrough man Jordan Hugill.

Relegated Peterborough finished on a high with a season-best 5-0 win over Blackpool. Jonson Clarke-harris put Posh ahead and Sammie Szmodics scored twice in eight second-half minutes. Jack Marriott and Jack Taylor completed the rout.

Coventry sealed their best Championship finish in 16 seasons with a 1-1 draw at Stoke.

Viktor Gyokeres’ 17th league goal fired Coventry ahead but Sam Clucas levelled just before half-time.