Championship: Bournemouth up to third after thrashing Millwall
Bournemouth maintained their fine recent form as they thrashed Millwall 4-1 at the Den to move up to third in the Championship, and closer to securing a play-off spot.
First-half goals from Philip Billing, Arnaut Danjuma and David Brooks put the Cherries well on top, with Dominic Solanke also getting in on the act in a seventh straight league win. Jed Wallace notched a consolation for Millwall, who otherwise offered little going forward.
Rotherham’s relegation concerns deepened after Chuba Akpom ended a 17-game goal drought by securing a 2-1 Championship win for Middlesbrough.
Angus MacDonald had earlier headed the hosts in front but their chances of victory were dealt a significant blow when midfielder Matt Crooks was sent off after 19 minutes.
An equaliser from George Saville then sent the sides in level at the break before former Arsenal forward
Akpom struck early in the second half to leave the Millers four points from safety with two games in hand on 21stplaced Derby.
Wycombe kept their slim hopes of avoiding relegation alive with a dramatic 2-1 win over Bristol City. Adebayo Akinfenwa converted a nerveless penalty in the third minute of injury time – his first goal in the Championship – after Kasey Palmer handled a shot by the Wycombe goalkeeper David Stockdale. The win leaves them six points behind fourth bottom Derby with three games remaining.
Wycombe’s manager, Gareth Ainsworth, said afterwards: “I think people can see the upward turn in what’s been happening here and, whatever happens, I’m going to be really excited for the future of this football club.
“The future at the moment is Saturday, against Cardiff. If we can get three points there, wow, that could really upset a few teams. I’m looking forward to going there and seeing what we can do. Tonight, I’ll just have to calm down for a minute because it’s one of those nights in which chaos has ensued.”
Barnsley edged closer to securing a play-off place after a 1-0 victory at Huddersfield Town. Daryl Dike’s overhead kick in the 65th minute helped open up a six-point cushion above seventh-placed Reading in the race for promotion.
Coventry are on the brink of safety after a 3-2 win at Stoke. Tyler Walker opened the scoring for the visitors but they were pegged back by Jacob Brown’s effort. Coventry reclaimed the lead through Maxime Biamou but a half-volley from Sam Clucas made it 2-2. Viktor Gyokeres’ low strike in the 78th minute then secured a valuable win for the visitors.
Nottingham Forest snatched a 1-1 draw at Birmingham City after scoring a 98th minute penalty. Marc Roberts headed the hosts in front at the start of the second half before a dramatic finale. Lukas Jutkiewicz was penalised for bringing down Scott McKenna and Lewis Grabban converted the penalty with the last kick of the match to frustrate Birmingham.
Reading’s hopes of a play-off spot suffered another setback after a goalless draw at Luton. Veljko Paunovic’s team’s promotion challenge has faltered after a run of one win in eight games.