Sky Blues Strike Late to Sink Boro
In a thrilling Championship encounter, league leaders Coventry City dramatically extended their advantage at the summit to ten points with a last-gasp 4-2 victory over Middlesbrough. The Sky Blues looked to have squandered a two-goal lead before a stunning final five minutes secured a crucial three points.
Early Dominance and Boro's Fightback
Coventry started explosively, putting two early goals past a stunned Middlesbrough. Ellis Simms opened the scoring with a spectacular strike into the top corner, swiftly followed by a headed goal from Liam Kitching. However, Boro refused to capitulate. They pulled one back before half-time through Morgan Whittaker and levelled the score minutes after the restart courtesy of an unfortunate Bobby Thomas own goal.
With the match seemingly headed for a draw, Coventry found another gear in the dying moments. In a devastating one-minute spell, Liam Kitching and Ellis Simms both found the net, completing their braces and sending the home supporters into delirium. This result pushes Middlesbrough down to third in the table.
Eckert's Perfect Record Continues at Southampton
Elsewhere, Tonda Eckert made it four wins out of four as Southampton caretaker manager, masterminding an impressive 3-0 win against Leicester. The Saints dominated the first half, with a brace of headers from Taylor Harwood-Bellis and a goal from Finn Azaz, who scored for the third consecutive match. Leicester's misery was compounded by a red card for Olabade Aluko on his first professional start.
The remarkable turnaround under Eckert is stark. Southampton had been just three points off the relegation zone when he took charge and are now only two points shy of the promotion places, making the German the clear favourite to be appointed permanently.
Ipswich Climb with Former Hull Stars
Ipswich Town moved up to fourth in the table with a 2-0 away win at Hull City, thanks to their former players. The introductions of Jaden Philogene and Chuba Akpom from the bench in the 66th minute proved decisive. With his first touch, Philogene created the opener for Marcelino Núñez, and Akpom soon added a second, extending Ipswich's unbeaten run to six matches.
In other Championship action, Derby County continued their rich vein of form with a 2-1 win at Swansea, their sixth victory in seven games. Norwich City's dismal home run looked to be ending until a stoppage-time equaliser from Oxford United's Filip Krastev forced a 1-1 draw. Stoke City comfortably beat Charlton 3-0, with Sorba Thomas scoring two unusual goals, while Preston and Watford played out a 1-1 draw.
