Watford, Norwich City and Barnsley all starred in the latest Championship game-week, as the division continued to provide drama at both ends of the table.
Watford, Norwich City and Barnsley Impress in Latest Championship Game-Week
Watford Record Biggest Winning Margin in This Season’s Championship
Watford certainly applied pressure to the championship’s top three with an emphatic 6-0 victory over Bristol City, who made it seven consecutive away losses.
Ismaila Sarr‘s cross deflected off Bristol City centre-back Taylor Moore to give the hosts a one-goal lead after just two minutes before the winger added one himself after Zak Vyner‘s defensive error. Will Hughes added a third on the 30-minute mark when his deflected effort found the back of the net from 25-yards out. Five minutes later, Ken Sema added a fourth into an open net after Sarr once again turned provider.
Sarr performed brilliantly in the first half, demonstrating why he has been so heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, and he started the second 45 similarly. The Senegalese forward notched his second and Watford’s fifth, ten minutes into the second half when his perfectly curled effort flew beyond Daniel Bentley in the City net. Philip Zinckernagel grabbed a sixth for the Hertfordshire club in injury time, tapping home from inside the six-yard box, and providing Sarr with his third assist of the game.
For the Hornets, the three points consolidates their position in fourth place, but they will certainly be thinking about the automatic spots after such a convincing display. Watford sit six points off Brentford in second and will be ready to pounce should any of the top three slip up. Meanwhile, losing on the road is becoming a theme for Dean Holden‘s side, who have now slipped to 12th in the Championship table – the lowest the Robins have been all season.
Canaries Back to Their Best in Rampant Display Against Stoke City
After three games without scoring a goal, Norwich City were back to their very best with a 4-1 win over a struggling Stoke City side.
Todd Cantwell fired the Canaries into the lead in the 15th minute, finishing off a dazzling run with a low drive into the bottom corner. Teemu Pukki then added a second for Norwich in the 44th minute with a goal that quite possibly have been the easiest of his career so far after Emi Buendia had teed the Finnish international up. Nick Powell halved the deficit on the hour mark, showing great composure to find the bottom corner after Dimitris Giannoulis‘ cross-field ball fell straight to the midfielder’s path. However, the 25-year-old almost instantly redeemed himself, when his cross was converted by Buendia, who did brilliantly to direct his effort beyond Angus Gunn. Pukki secured the three points from the penalty spot after Buendia was quite clearly fouled in the box.
Norwich’s first win in four took them back to the Championship summit whilst the Potters stretched the rather dismal run to nine games without a win – form that sees their playoff hopes continue to diminish.
Barnsley Shock the Most In-Form Side in the Championship
Barnsley once again frustrated a Bees side who have been so dominant this season, recording a 2-0 victory in West London. Brentford is becoming quite a favourable location for the Yorkshire club, after securing a win on the final day of last season, which subsequently kept them in the division. However, the loss for the Bees back then confined them to the play-offs, on a day when they could have been promoted to the Premier League.
Conor Chaplin opened the scoring for the visitors in the 13th minute when he tapped home Callum Brittain‘s cross. The Tykes continued to push forward and look for a second after deservedly taking the lead but the hosts began to create chances of their own. Two minutes into the second half, Barnsley scored an all-important second goal when former Tyke Ethan Pinnock failed to clear a driven ball into the box with Carlton Morris on hand to convert past David Raya in the Brentford goal.
Losing for Brentford had become a distant memory, but Barnsley’s surprising yet deserved three points, ended a run of 21 games without defeat. The Bees still sit comfortably in second place and just a point off the Championship summit, but will be wary of Swansea City who are four points below them with two games in hand.
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