Championship talking points: Coventry cruising towards Premier League as Norwich end nightmare run | Football News

Coventry cruising as Christmas approaches

Coventry 3-1 Charlton

It’s now 50 goals for Coventry – and we’ve barely even heard Mariah Carey.

Hitting the half-century this side of Christmas is quite simply astonishing but this is a team built to score goals – and a lot of them.

Frank Lampard’s side won their 11th game in their last 12 and went 13 points clear at the top of the Championship over the weekend. It wasn’t a classic but third gear was enough to secure another home win.

They’re without question the best team I’ve seen in the Championship this season, which is made even more impressive by the fact they were missing a number of their biggest players on Saturday.

They didn’t have it all their own way. Charlton took an early lead and looked like a constant threat. If a couple of moments had fallen for Nathan Jones’ side, it could have been a very different result. But Coventry always looked like they had more in the tank.

The Coventry Building Society Arena was bouncing from the moment you walked up to it. This was a fanbase that knew they were amongst something special. The energy before the game couldn’t help but bring a smile to your face and give you feels on the back of your neck. When the supporters and team are all on the same page, this is what you get.

Everything about Coventry City is Premier League. The biggest challenge Lampard now has is keeping everyone focused until they really are in the big time. Which at this rate, might be early 2026.
Mark McAdam

Clement finally ends Canaries’ nightmare run

Norwich 3-1 QPR

Finally the longest winless run in the EFL has come to an end. A first victory since August and a first win at Carrow Road for nearly seven months. Norwich are up and running under Philippe Clement – and were worthy winners over below-par QPR.

You could feel a sense of trepidation ahead of kick-off. Jovon Makama – scorer of four of the Canaries’ last eight league goals – was missing through illness. Mirko Topic joined a double-digit list of first-team absentees in midweek, the Serbia international ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury.

Emiliano Marcondes’ strike was cancelled out by Rumarn Burrell just 11 minutes into the game. But finally something went Norwich’s way. Amadou Mbengue inadvertently diverted a Kenny McLean corner into his own net and there was no looking back.

Norwich comfortably maintained their two-goal cushion in the second half and had opportunities to extend their advantage to kill the game. Goalkeeper Vladan Kovacevic will have enjoyed a rare afternoon where he was barely called into action.

Clement didn’t attempt to play down the significance of a “massive” first victory but the table still makes for awful viewing. They’ve picked up fewer points than any Championship side – if you discount Sheffield Wednesday’s 12-point deduction.

However, there is finally a glimmer of hope and Norwich fans can prepare to open their advent calendars this coming week with a bit more optimism ahead of the festive period.
James Savundra

A game of two halves at The Hawthorns as West Brom launch stunning comeback

West Brom 3-2 Swansea

Have you ever played in a Sunday league game where there’s a massive slope on the pitch and you have to do all your work in one half? This is what it felt like as this extraordinary game unfolded and West Brom completed a comeback that looked unthinkable at half-time.

New Swansea head coach Vitor Matos has demanded energy from his players and just 11 seconds into his second game in charge Zan Vipotnik had lobbed them in front, and their lead grew when Ethan Galbraith smashed in a second. Swansea had scored just one first half goal since September, suddenly they had two in less than 15 minutes.

Before the half-time whistle sounded Ryan Mason was treated to boos and chants of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’. Maybe he took his frustration out on his players, as they emerged early for the second half amid a quadruple substitution.

The response Mason craved arrived. Albion’s top scorer Aune Heggebo got two goals in five minutes to draw them level in a flash.

The hosts then piled on the pressure, Mikey Johnston was irresistible on the right-hand side, but the winner came down the left as Karlan Grant and Josh Maja combined to tee up Jayson Molumby. Sent off last week at Coventry, the Irishman redeemed himself in fine style.
Rob Jones

Hellberg relishes comeback win on Boro debut

Middlesbrough 2-1 Derby

For Kim Hellberg it was a dream start to his reign at Middlesborugh, but it didn’t always seem like that would be the case.

The Swede, 37, had watched on from the Riverside Stadium stands as Boro lost their first home game of the season in midweek against Coventry.

It looked for a long time like it would be two from two after Patrick Agyemang’s second-minute opener for Derby. But goals in the final 15 minutes from Matt Targett and Morgan Whittaker turned the game on its head – and took Boro back up to second in the table.

“The whole day has been crazy,” Hellberg said after the dramatic win. It’s a very proud moment. I’m happy. There’s a lot of feelings and I’m very proud of the lads and how they performed.

“It’s a big day. I will remember this for the rest of my life.”
Simeon Gholam

Cifuentes defiant amid growing heat at Leicester

Leicester 2-3 Sheff Utd

It felt like things were starting to turn a little after back-to-back wins either side of the international break for Leicester.

But it has been a nightmare few days for the Foxes, with a comprehensive midweek defeat at Southampton followed up by a loss at home to Sheffield United.

On paper, it was only 3-2. But in reality they were two down after four minutes, and three down at half-time. Second-half goals from Stephy Mavididi and Jordan James adding respectability to the scoreline.

Leicester are 16th. Even amid all the swirling gloom at the club, that is simply not good enough. Marti Cifuentes had to deal with chants of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ from all corners of the King Power Stadium.

“I’m aware of that. I can’t hide from that,” he said. “We need to instil this togetherness, and I never said it would be easy.

“But I have achieved that in the other clubs I’ve been. It’s not the first time, I’ve had this song before. Fortunately for me, I’ve always had the confidence to turn things around.

“I’m very committed to giving the fans something back. I just hope they understand that I came here to fix something and that they let me fix this.”
Simeon Gholam

Preston puncture Owls optimism

Sheffield Wednesday 2-3 Preston

From the off, you could see Sheffield Wednesday’s intent to score and give their fans something to cheer.

Hillsborough erupted when Charlie McNeill’s first goal went in, but they were quickly pegged back by Preston. Yet every time the visitors got back in the game, Wednesday pushed further, egged on by the Hillsborough crowd.

Preston might have got the result but, speaking to him afterwards, boss Paul Heckingbottom said it was a game he won’t be looking forward to watching back anytime soon because of how the momentum kept shifting.

When Wednesday went ahead again through McNeill it was a special moment, because it felt like – after all the tough times – that the home fans were finally enjoying the football they were seeing.

Again, Preston pulled it back to 2-2, but McNeill looked set for a wonderful moment when Odeluga Offiah was punished for handball, referee Olivier Langford resisting calls for him to be sent off.

Instead, the penalty was saved and Preston went up the other end and scored in the 76th minute through Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, taking Wednesday from elation and excitement to heartbreak. The hosts pushed for an equaliser but Preston’s defence withstood all the late pressure.

Preston are only three points off the automatic promotion places but Heckingbottom insists he’s not looking at the table and is taking it one game at a time.

Henrik Pedersen knows the task Wednesday have got given the points deduction that has rooted them to the bottom of the table, but he was also very positive about the desire and drive of his players in what was an electric atmosphere. He thinks there’s something to build on.
Kyle Walker

Ipswich miss opportunity to make a statement

Oxford 2-1 Ipswich

On a night when Ipswich Town could have moved into second in the Championship, they instead saw their six-game unbeaten run come to an end at Oxford United.

Incredibly, Ipswich have still never won away at the U’s, with Friday night extending that record to 13 attempts. But there wouldn’t have been many times in the past when these two sides met with such a vastly obvious chasm between them in terms of quality of options.

That is to take nothing away from Oxford, who won the game in a brilliant moment from substitute Przemyslaw Placheta, and were fully deserving of the three points.

But it does feel like with Ipswich this season that, every time we expect them to burst fully into life and become the team everyone feels they should be, they suffer an underwhelming setback. They have 12 points fewer than they did at the same stage in 2023/24 – when they won promotion – with what looks a vastly superior squad on paper.

Fortunately for Ipswich and Kieran McKenna, it is a far more open league than it was two seasons ago, at least below Coventry, and second is currently up for grabs for anyone. They just need fewer nights like the one they had at the Kassam.
Simeon Gholam

All Championship weekend results

Friday

Saturday