Championship roundup: Reading score inside 10 seconds in win at Blackburn
Reading scored inside 10 seconds as they continued their best start to a season for 35 years with a 4-2 win at Blackburn. The Royals are a surprise package following Veljko Paunovic’s appointment midway through pre-season as they won for a seventh time from eight games.
The foundations of the victory at Ewood Park was won in a crazy opening 18 minutes where Reading went 3-1 up thanks to goals from Yakou Méïté – clocked as the fastest in the club’s history – Michael Olise and Josh Laurent. Adam Armstrong had made it 1-1 and then got Blackburn back in it in the second half, but Lucas João killed the game in the final 10 minutes.
Wycombe picked up their first point in the second tier as they held Watford to a 1-1 draw. The Chairboys, playing at this level for the first time in their history, had lost their opening seven games but stopped the rot against the Hornets. Ismaïla Sarr put the visitors ahead shortly after half-time at Adams
Park but Anthony Stewart levelled for the Chairboys and they held out for a memorable result.
Swansea were the big movers on the evening as they climbed into the top two with a 2-0 home win against Stoke. Jay Fulton put the Swans in front on the half-hour and then Kasey Palmer’s late strike made the game safe, earning a first win in four.
Kenny McLean’s late strike kept Norwich’s good run of form going as they drew 1-1 at Brentford. The Canaries had begun to click into gear, winning three in a row, but were heading for defeat in west London when Ivan Toney opened the scoring in the first half. But McLean’s first goal of the season three minutes from time earned the visitors a point.
Two late goals enabled Middlesbrough to beat Coventry 2-0. A bore draw looked on the cards at the Riverside until Britt Assombalonga scored in the 81st minute and then Djed Spence made the game safe in injury time.
Valérien Ismaël made the perfect start as Barnsley’s head coach after leading his new side to a 3-0 victory against 10-man QPR at Oakwell. A penalty from Cauley Woodrow, as well as a goal from Conor Chaplin and an own goal from Yoann Barbet, gave Barnsley their first league win of the season as Rangers played more than 60 minutes a man short following Rob Dickie’s red card.