Sam Morsy’s twice deflected stoppage-time equaliser earned second-placed Ipswich a 1-1 draw at home to Championship leaders Leicester.

Morsy’s effort from the edge of the penalty area struck Ricardo Pereira and then the head of Jannik Vestergaard to leave Foxes goalkeeper Mads Hermansen helpless.

Leicester had taken the lead in the 24th minute with a strike from just inside the penalty area by Stephy Mavididi.

The result left Town still six points adrift of their opponents and five points ahead of third placed Southampton, who moved up a place to become the Tractor Boys’ nearest challengers for an automatic promotion spot following their 5-0 victory over Swansea.

Ipswich bounced back from Saturday’s chastening 4-0 loss against Leeds and even stretched their advantage over the Whites to eight points after they were beaten 2-1 by Preston and dropped down to fourth earlier on Boxing Day.

A cross from Wes Burns into the penalty area, aimed for raiding full-back Leif Davis, was headed away for an Ipswich corner by Abdul Fatawu as the hosts made a proactive start.

But they were dealt an injury blow in the 20th minute when George Hirst suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury and he was forced off.

There were handball appeals by Ipswich players in the 21st minute when the ball appeared to go close to the outstretched hand of Conor Coady but three minutes later the Foxes took the lead through Mavididi.

He found acres of space on the left and curled a shot beyond the reach of Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky into the corner of the net.

Referee Sam Barrott turned away penalty appeals from City following a challenge by Cameron Burgess on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Patson Daka was denied by Hladky.

Just before the half-time break a sweeping cross into the Leicester penalty area from Davis was cleared by a stretching Wout Faes to prevent substitute Kayden Jackson meeting the ball at the far post.

Vestergaard grazed the roof of the Ipswich net with his header following a free-kick by Dewsbury-Hall and Conor Chaplin just failed to catch Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen off his line with a shot from just inside the Foxes’ half.

Hermansen then had to dive full length to tip a stunning shot from Chaplin round the post and the Ipswich striker fired over the bar from just inside the penalty area.

Dewsbury-Hall then went down in the penalty area following a challenge by Davis but the referee waved play on and Ipswich grabbed a deserved equaliser in the final moments.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was delighted to see both Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota score – for different reasons – in the 2-0 win at Burnley.

Nunez ended a run of 12 games without a goal with the first-half opener and Jota came off the bench after a month out to kill the game off in the 90th minute – his 50th goal for the Reds.

“(Nunez) is an incredible finisher but if a striker doesn’t score, the whole system is not the same,” said Klopp.

“You question everything. It’s not just the outside world, but you question everything. But it was just in the moment and he has it so it’s all good.”

Jota’s return could not be more timely with top scorer Mohamed Salah set to depart to the African Nations Cup after the weekend’s visit of Newcastle.

“Diogo is an incredibly important player for us. Having him changed the whole dynamic, that’s true. The goal he scored today is the goal of a boy full of conviction,” Klopp added.

Victory returned Liverpool to the top of the table, with Arsenal not due to play until Thursday.

“So, 42 points, that’s really pleasing, to be honest. That’s really cool because the first part of the season (is) done and it was absolutely alright what we did. Not perfect but it was alright,” Klopp said.

“And if I’m right, we cannot be more than a point away from the top of the table, if Arsenal win (against West Ham on Thursday). That’s obviously in punching distance, let me say it like that.”

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany said deficiencies up front cost his side the chance of getting something from the game and admits the chance of him adding a proven quality striker in January are slim.

“We had our moments, we can’t prevent them from having their moments as they are a top side, but we had our moments as well,” he said.

“The team fights, the team is alive, the team is entertaining – it just lacks the little bit of final touch to reward ourselves.

“The problem is that final touch in the Premier League, what is that? Down the bottom it is (Dominic) Solanke, (Raul) Jimenez – that’s the level you need and it’s difficult to go out in the market and find that level of player for us.

“We have to see a progression in the players we have but if there is something smart we can do we will see.”

Birmingham manager Wayne Rooney admitted he could have replaced his whole team at half-time after a 3-1 Championship defeat to Stoke at St Andrew’s.

First-half goals from Jordan Thompson and Lynden Gooch put Stoke 2-0 ahead and Andre Vidigal made it three before Jay Stansfield’s 69th-minute consolation as Stoke ended a nine-match winless run and moved above Blues on goal difference.

Rooney has taken just nine points out of 39 since taking over, to leave Blues 19th in the table, just seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Rooney has suffered eight defeats and home fans began streaming out after Stoke’s third goal, while those that were left jeered the team off at the end.

“Ideally, you wish you could have 11 subs as I could have changed all 11 players at half-time,” said Rooney.

“We just weren’t doing the right things – the basics. It wasn’t lack of effort, that would be unfair to say. It was lack of game knowledge.

“It’s hard to put into words. I didn’t see that performance coming. I didn’t recognise the team out there on the pitch.

“It’s frustrating because over the last few games we’d made some real strides, so this was difficult to take.

“It wasn’t the result, or the performance, or anything we wanted to be honest. It was unrecognisable in the way we played.

“I felt the players didn’t want to take the ball, they didn’t press the way we wanted them to.

“The goals we conceded were crazy and we didn’t deserve anything out of the game.”

Stoke led in the 12th minute through Thompson’s 25-yard drive – his first strike for three years – which took a slight deflection off Juninho Bacuna.

Potter captain Gooch doubled their lead on the half-hour after darting down the left in a lightning counter-attack and poking the ball through goalkeeper John Ruddy’s legs.

The Potters made it 3-0 after 53 minutes when Vidigal beat Dion Sanderson before lifting the ball over Ruddy to send Birmingham fans heading for the exits.

The hosts pulled one back through Stansfield after goalkeeper Jack Bonham saved teenage substitute Romelle Donovan’s effort.

New Stoke head coach Steven Schumacher maintained his unbeaten start, making it four points from his first two games in charge and admitted a back-to-basics approach was working for him.

“What we’ve tried to do with the lads is just set some pretty basic, simple ground rules,” he said.

“These are about how we’re going to try to behave at the training ground and what we expect, what are the non-negotiables and how we’re going to try to play, with and without the ball.

“We showed some bits of quality so that was really pleasing and we managed to do enough to get the three points that we desperately wanted and needed.

“When you come into a job, you’re desperate just to get the first win and we’ve done that now.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has directly contacted fans after agreeing to buy a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United, telling them he takes his responsibility to put the club back on top of world football “very seriously” but also calling for patience.

United announced on Christmas Eve that Ratcliffe, the chairman of INEOS, had finalised a £1.25billion deal for a share of the Premier League outfit and will invest more than £236m to refurbish the debt-laden club’s infrastructure.

INEOS will also take over the management of United’s football operations. INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford attended United’s match against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

Ratcliffe has now written to the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust, the Fans’ Forum and the Fans’ Advisory Board insisting INEOS “are in for the long-term” but advising that success on the pitch “will require time and patience”.

“I wanted to write to you at this time given the critical role of the fans to the future of Manchester United as we recognise our responsibility as custodians of the club on your behalf,” Ratcliffe wrote, echoing various sentiments expressed in a Christmas Eve statement outlining his ambitions for the club.

“I believe we can bring sporting success on the pitch to complement the undoubted commercial success that the club has enjoyed.

“It will require time and patience alongside rigour and the highest level of professional management.

“You are ambitious for Manchester United and so are we. There are no guarantees in sport, and change can inevitably take time but we are in it for the long term and together we want to help take Manchester United back to where the club belongs, at the very top of English, European and world football.

“I take that responsibility very seriously.

“Please note that, as with any deal, it is subject to the usual regulatory sign-off process and therefore we do not expect to speak publicly about club matters until after the deal is completed.”

It is understood that Premier League approval for Ratcliffe’s investment could take between four and six weeks.

The 71-year-old Ratcliffe, a childhood United fan who was born in nearby Failsworth, agreed his stake in the club following an ownership saga that lasted 13 months.

The club’s United States-based owners, the Glazer family, revealed their intention to undertake a strategic review of their options, including the possibility of selling up, in November 2022.

Ratcliffe and Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim were both in the running to oversee a buyout of the club until October.

Sheikh Jassim withdrew his bid for full control of the club on October 14, with Ratcliffe’s focus shifting to taking a significant minority stake.

Stoke ended a nine-match winless streak to beat Birmingham 3-1 in the Championship and put manager Wayne Rooney into more trouble at St Andrew’s.

Victory for the Potters – secured by Jordan Thompson, Lynden Gooch and Andrew Vidigal before Jay Stansfield’s late consolation – was the first for new manager Steven Schumacher in his second match in charge, and the first since they beat Middlesbrough 2-0 on October 28.

Rooney can only look on in envy at the record of his former Everton youth team-mate as the former England and Manchester United captain has now taken nine points from a possible 39 available as Birmingham were jeered off.

Stansfield was twice denied as Birmingham started on the front foot.

But it was Stoke who stunned a raucous St Andrew’s by taking the lead after just 12 minutes.

Skipper Gooch’s shot was cleared off the line by Emanuel Aiwu after Vidigal’s cross was allowed to travel right across Blues’ box.

But the ball fell for Thompson, whose 25-yard bullet flew past goalkeeper John Ruddy into the bottom right-hand corner after being deflected off Juninho Bacuna.

Birmingham huffed and puffed as they tried to find a way back in to the game.

Boos rang out from frustrated home fans as Vidigal ballooned over on the half-hour mark when he should have scored as Birmingham’s back-four disappeared yet again.

The boos rang right around the ground just a minute later as Gooch darted down the left in a lightning counter before coolly slotting under Ruddy to double Stoke’s lead.

James held his head in his hands after coming within a whisker of sliding home Aiwu’s fantastic ball deep into the first 45.

But Vidigal nearly bagged a third for the visitors as he volleyed just over with Ruddy well off his line on the brink of half-time.

Marc Roberts wasted the chance to pull one back when he headed Bacuna’s dinked ball wide from five yards.

Birmingham were made to pay a heavy price as the Potters made it 3-0 after 54 minutes.

Wouter Burger fed Vidigal, who twisted inside skipper Dion Sanderson before lifting the ball over Ruddy to send shell-shocked Birmingham fans heading for the exits.

Stoke supporters chanted “You’re getting sacked in the morning” at Rooney as Blues struggled to lay a glove on them.

Ruddy smothered at the feet of Ryan Mmaee before the hosts grabbed a goal back after 69 minutes through Stansfield.

Teenage substitute Romelle Donovan, 17, saw his effort saved by keeper Jack Bonham after a brilliant mazy run before the loose ball was swept in by Stansfield.

Liverpool moved top of the Premier League after Darwin Nunez ended his goal drought in a 2-0 success at second-bottom Burnley.

Nunez fired Jurgen Klopp’s men into a sixth-minute lead at Turf Moor with his first strike in 13 matches in all competitions before substitute Diogo Jota sealed victory late on with his 50th goal for the club.

Mohamed Salah hit the crossbar and Harvey Elliott saw his second-half strike ruled out for offside with the score still 1-0, while Jacob Bruun Larsen almost snatched an equaliser for the Clarets.

Victory for the Reds lifted them two points above Arsenal, who host West Ham on Thursday, while lowly Burnley are five points from safety following a 14th defeat of the season.

Chris Wood retuned to haunt Newcastle with a stunning hat-trick as Nottingham Forest handed new boss Nuno Espirito Santo the first Premier League victory of his reign.

Wood, who joined Forest from the Magpies in January, produced two fine second-half finishes to secure a 3-1 comeback success at St James’ Park.

Newcastle went ahead through Alexander Isak’s 23rd-minute penalty but slipped to a sixth defeat in seven games in all competitions after Wood tapped home Anthony Elanga’s cross just before the break and went on to complete his treble in style.

Forest remain two points above the relegation zone after 18th-placed Luton pulled off a 3-2 success at bottom club Sheffield United thanks to two late own goals.

Blades pair Jack Robinson and Anis Ben Slimane each turned the ball into their own goal during the final 14 minutes of a chaotic clash at Bramall Lane.

Chris Wilder’s hosts had looked set for a vital three points after second-half strikes from Oli McBurnie and Anel Ahmedhodzic overturned Alfie Doughty’s 17th-minute opener.

In-form Bournemouth continued their remarkable resurgence by moving into the top half of the table thanks to a thumping 3-0 victory over Fulham.

Justin Kluivert put the Cherries ahead just before half-time at Vitality Stadium before Dominic Solanke’s eighth goal in seven games – a penalty after Joao Palhinha brought down Antoine Semenyo – doubled the lead.

Substitute Luis Sinisterra sealed an emphatic success late on as Andoni Iraola’s hosts made it 19 points from the last 21 available.

Derby manager Paul Warne watched his players reward him for giving them Christmas Day off as they picked up a 1-0 victory at League One strugglers Wigan.

Curtis Nelson headed home the only goal in the 19th minute, but only the brilliance of Wigan goalkeeper Sam Tickle kept the scoreline respectable.

And Warne – whose side have now won seven of their last eight matches – was a happy man after subjecting one of his former clubs to a third defeat on the spin.

“It was the most pleasing performance of the season, because it was away from home against good opposition and probably the best we’ve played collectively,” he said.

“Even at the end I was making substitutions just to help the lads out, not for any other reason.

“Wigan have taken a couple of good scalps here, so we knew we would have to do a lot out of possession.

“It takes a real understanding of the game, and they’ve been well coached this week to understand how we wanted it to look.

“But then they changed their shape which made it more difficult.

“I just liked the energy and the drive of the team. There were tackles and heads when it was needed. There was also a bit of creativity and some really good performances.

“I gave them Christmas Day off and I wanted them to show me it was the right decision. They paid back my trust in them.”

Warne’s only gripe would have been that the game was not put to bed during the utterly one-sided first half.

“Sometimes you perform at a level then it can all go wrong, so I was anxious,” he added.

“When one down, you throw the kitchen sink and that’s what makes football.”

Wigan boss Shaun Maloney took full responsibility for the disappointing first half that paved the way for the Rams’ victory.

Due to injuries, illness and unavailability, Maloney’s starting XI featured seven academy graduates – with an average age between them of just over 21.

Maloney made a double change at the break, sending on the more experienced Callum McManaman and Jonny Smith, which led to a second half that was far more even, but the damage had been done.

“It kind of felt like two performances in one game, one in each half,” he assessed.

“But I can’t be too critical of the players in that first half, I have to take that one.

“I think I was over-reliant on too many young players in that first half.

“Those young players have been brilliant for me and this football club since I’ve been here, and they’ll definitely come again, that’s for sure.

“Derby are a really good side, good squad, very experienced, a match for anyone at this level.

“Normally when you’re bringing young players in, you’re wanting to drip them in, when the team is in good form.

“In the second half – apart from the first five minutes, when they had a couple of chances – I felt it was much better.

“It felt like we went toe to toe with Derby, and there wasn’t much between the two teams in the second half.”

Chloe Kelly believes it's still all to play for in the Women's Super League title race, warning Manchester City's rivals: "It's not how you start the season, it's how you end it."

City went into the mid-season winter break three points adrift of reigning champions Chelsea, ahead of third-placed Arsenal by virtue of their superior goal difference.

Gareth Taylor's team suffered back-to-back defeats at the start of November as they went down to Arsenal and Brighton, but they have since responded with a four-game winning streak, which includes a 7-0 rout of Tottenham. 

Though Chelsea and Arsenal both boast experience of getting over the line, winning the last six WSL titles between them since City last triumphed in 2016, Kelly fancies their chances.

Speaking at the launch of the first ever Panini Barclays Women's Super League sticker collection at the National Football Museum, Kelly said: "It's been a great season so far. 

"I think it's very tight, both at the top and the bottom of the table. There's a lot to play for still. It was still really exciting coming up to Christmas, seeing what the table looks like, but we know there's still plenty of football to play.

"It'll definitely be a close one, it's all still to play for and I think it's about consistency throughout the season. 

"We need to make sure that us at City are doing just that and being consistent throughout the season. It's not how you start the season, it's how you end it."

Kelly, who famously scored England's winning goal in the Euro 2022 final against Germany at Wembley Stadium, also heaped praise on City boss Taylor, who has overseen league finishes of second, third and fourth in his three full campaigns at the helm.

"I think I've seen a lot of growth in myself since being at Manchester City, learning from a great manager in Gaz," Kelly said.

"I think from when I came to the club to where I am now, I can see massive growth. 

"I try to learn as much as I can and take a lot of information from him and the staff around him as well. We have Shaun Goater who works with the forwards, so the more information I can get off him, the better. 

"He was an unbelievable forward and I just try and learn as much as I can from the staff around me, and also the players."

Barnsley manager Neill Collins hopes his side learn from their mistakes in the second half after they held off a fight back from Port Vale to win 3-2.

Adam Phillips opened the scoring before John McAtee added a quickfire brace, including a stunning strike from 35 yards for his second, to make it 3-0 after 37 minutes.

But Vale fought back after the break, with Ethan Chislett and Jack Shorrock both finding the net to make the scoreline much more respectable.

Victory keeps the Tykes in seventh spot in the League One table, two points outside the play-offs.

However, Collins believes his team should have put the game to bed and pinpointed a good chance for Herbie Kane, which was well saved by Connor Ripley just moments before Chislett earned Vale a lifeline in the 72nd minute, as an opportunity to do that.

“In the first half, I thought we were outstanding,” he said.

“I thought the quality of our goals was excellent, I thought we looked a real threat, I thought we looked comfortable defensively.

“So everything that was probably good about the first half was negative about the second, particularly the last 20 minutes.

“I thought we started a bit slow coming out in the second half, then we had a little period where we looked like a threat again and we probably should have made it four when Herbie Kane goes through.

“Port Vale got their goal and we had to make certain changes – some we made decisions on and some were forced.

“And I thought once they got their tails up, we struggled to cope with it.

“But I can’t take anything away from a great three points. I think we tend to have games like this in the Christmas period, and hopefully we learn from it.”

Defeat for the Valiants brought their three-match unbeaten league run to an end and saw them drop one place to 16th.

Boss Andy Crosby was left to rue an extremely disappointing first-half display, but was pleased with how his side responded.

“What was happening in that first half, we looked devoid of anything,” he said.

“The second half reaction is more like I want us to be.

“We played with pride, we played with enthusiasm, we played with quality.

“I can’t mask over that first-half performance and it’s something that I have to apologise to the fans for, because it was really poor.

“There’s a number of things – if you don’t track runs into the box, if you don’t defend balls into your box, you’re going to get hurt because of the quality of the opposition.

“They’ve obviously got a number of really good attacking options. They’ve got a good team. That’s why they are where they are in the league.

“And when you’re giving that much space and freedom to play, they’re going to hurt you.”

Fulham boss Marco Silva insisted his goalkeeper Bernd Leno “touched” but “didn’t push” a ball boy during the Cottagers’ 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth.

The second-half incident occurred when Leno went to collect the ball from the youngster’s outstretched hand before using his own hand to make deliberate contact with the shoulder of the ball boy, who appeared to take a step back for balance.

Leno, who seemed to take issue with the speed at which the ball was being returned, and had already been booked, was subjected to a chorus of boos.

The 31-year-old German later returned to apologise to the boy for the encounter, though his manager was adamant the interaction had been exaggerated.

Silva said: “Have you seen him pushing? I didn’t see this. Yes, he apologised. I spoke with Bernd about it.

“It’s clear he went to speak with the boy after that moment as the top professional that he is, the really experienced player that he is as well.

“He wanted to play quick. The ball boys, I don’t know who gave them instructions to hold always the ball to delay the beginning of the game again. OK, we are losing, he ran to the ball. I didn’t see him pushing.

“He touched the ball boy, he didn’t push the ball boy. They are different things, when you touch a ball boy or you push a ball boy. I am not English but I know the difference between one word and the other, and we have to say the truth in that moment.”

The PA news agency understands no action will be taken over the incident.

It was a low point of a frustrating afternoon for Silva’s men, who fell behind when Justin Kluivert scored on the stroke of half-time and a penalty needlessly conceded by Joao Palhinha allowed Dominic Solanke to score his 12th goal of the Premier League season – already more than he registered in his first 96 appearances in the competition.

Luis Sinisterra added a third in stoppage time as the Cherries extended their unbeaten run to seven and consigned Fulham to a third straight loss following back-to-back 5-0 victories to start the month.

Asked if he had complained about what he felt was a deliberate delay by the ball boys, Silva replied: “I was really so upset with our performance that I didn’t even have the energy to start to complain.”

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, who watched on from the stands as he served a touchline ban, said he had not seen a replay of the incident but, when asked if the ball boys had been instructed to slow down, replied: “No, no, for sure there is no instruction, for sure. This I can guarantee.

“I don’t know what happened exactly, but I think everyone for sure has to be careful because they are boys that are trying to help everyone, not only Bournemouth.”

The Cherries travel to Tottenham on New Year’s Eve having now taken 19 points from the last 21 available and matching their longest unbeaten Premier League run set in 2017-18.

“We want to keep it going,” Iraola said. “We’re not as bad as we looked at the beginning of the season, we’re not as good as we look now probably today. We’re somewhere in the middle.”

Southampton manager Russell Martin admitted he took no joy in thrashing old club Swansea 5-0.

Martin took charge of the Swans for two seasons before leaving to join Saints last summer – where he has now overseen a 16-match unbeaten run and seen his side close in on the Championship automatic-promotion places.

The former MK Dons boss, who was making his first reunion with the Swans, did a lap of honour after the match and was applauded by both sets of fans.

“I don’t take any more joy out of beating them,” said Martin.

“That reception from the Swansea fans made me really emotional, it was really incredible and I hope the Southampton fans understand why I applaud them.

“I love some of their players on the pitch. My feeling towards the people who run the football club, who are not in Wales, is completely detached from the feeling I have for the people in Wales.

“I didn’t know what I was expecting, they could have booed, I hoped not but we left.

“I really buy into clubs and so does my family – my son wanted a Jan Bednarek signed shirt for Christmas and he wore it all day, it is down to his ankles.

“We are loving our time here but we also loved our time at Swansea.”

Saints took the lead in the 17th minute when Joe Aribo slotted in for the first time since October 2022.

Samuel Edozie capitalised on goalkeeper Carl Rushworth’s air-kick to back-heel his fifth goal of the season before Ryan Fraser came off the bench to emphatically finish twice, and Che Adams added a fifth.

The performance was a reward for Martin giving his players Christmas Day off.

He said: “I gave the players Christmas Day off because they are human-beings.

“If I’m going to preach to them about how important family is and being able to separate reality from this then to say they have to come in on Christmas Day is unfair.

“It would only have been the right thing if we won, if we lost then it would be the reason why we lost. They really repaid me today.”

Swansea interim boss Alan Sheehan is holding talks over his future later on Saturday.

The Irishman said: “I will be speaking to the owners after the game. Right now, I have to debrief that game.

“I understand everyone wants clarity but I can only get the team prepared.”

Swansea only had one shot on target.

Sheehan added: “We came here with the intention of going toe to toe with one of the best teams in the league.

“For large periods of the game we were massively in the game but the second goal kills us – it was a sucker-punch.

“I didn’t like a lot of the second half to be honest, it was unacceptable. We gifted them goals at times and made it hard for ourselves.

“It was unacceptable but I’ll take responsibility. We want to be brave but we caused ourselves problems at times.”

Norwich head coach David Wagner admitted he would be having words with Borja Sainz, whose early red card potentially cost his side in the 1-0 Championship defeat against West Brom at The Hawthorns.

Winger Sainz was sent off in the 34th minute for two bookable offences within five minutes – the second for a needless dissent – after twice going close to giving the Canaries the lead.

Brandon Thomas-Asante’s 50th-minute goal sealed the points for the Baggies, who cemented their place of fifth in the table

“When you’re on a booking, you can’t ask for another yellow,” said Wagner, whose side lost their five-match unbeaten run as a result.

“Everyone knows this – this rule has not been since yesterday and this rule exists all over the world.

“So it’s something you can’t do, especially if you’ve been booked and this is why – even if it’s a harsh decision – it was the correct decision and there is no one to blame but Borja himself.

“I have to speak with him and I will do, for sure, but officially and not in public.

“If he takes what’s right out of this situation – and I’ll make sure he takes what’s right – it will be another step in his progression.

“We’ll support him but it’s my job to speak about the truth as well.”

Wagner stopped short of saying the dismissal cost Norwich the game, but it made for a change of plan at half-time.

“On one side, yes it changed the game and cost us the game, but on the other side, it doesn’t mean that you are automatically not without an chance,” he added.

“I said at half-time: ‘Is it difficult? Yes, super difficult. Is it possible? It is, so let’s go for it’.”

West Brom wasted chances galore before Thomas-Asante’s winner, with John Swift missing six openings, including hitting the post and missing a kick in front of goal.

But Norwich could have snatched an equaliser but for goalkeeper Alex Palmer keeping out substitute Ui-Jo Hwang’s shot in the 77th minute.

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan felt his side were on top, regardless of the sending off.

“The result was fair, from the way the game was going against 11 players and the way it went when we were against 10,” he said.

“I know the group wanted to take responsibility when they think something hasn’t gone well and we never want to make excuses.”

Thomas-Asante has now eclipsed his Albion tally of seven goals last season and Corberan felt the striker was back to his best.

“I wanted to see a reaction from the previous game because in the last game, I didn’t see his real level,” he added. “Today I saw him competing much better.

“I think sometimes – depending on the context of the game – it switches towards the advantages of one player.

“He’s not good at every single thing, but the important thing for him is to know what type of striker he is and play with the maximum mentality that he needs to play with.”

Liam Manning promised that his Bristol City side will get even better after their 4-1 victory at Watford.

The Robins thoroughly deserved their triumph, their third straight win under former Oxford boss Manning, who arrived at Ashton Gate last month.

It was also their first on the road under Manning, and City’s first back-to-back triple since November 2020.

Manning said: “We’re going in the right direction but I told the players afterwards that we can play better than that.

“That’s what excites me about the group. The challenge is to strive every day to improve, but there were so many positives today.

“Three or four weeks ago, I was giving interviews saying how it would come together for us, and it would happen.

“I’m delighted for the players. They’ve stayed level and grounded, they haven’t got too flat when we’ve lost or super high when we’ve won, and that’s the most important bit – head down and work hard.

“The game plan worked, I’m very fortunate to have a staff who are as obsessive and intense as me.

“They put a lot of hours in to create what we want to do. And huge credit goes to the players in the way they implement it.”

That game plan saw City go ahead in the 28th minute. Watford midfielder Edo Kayembe’s attempt to head clear from Taylor Gardner-Hickman’s free-kick fell straight to Cameron Pring, who hammered home.

Then, two minutes into first-half added time, Watford skipper Wesley Hoedt put Tommy Conway’s cross into his own goal – without a City player anywhere near.

Substitute Giorgi Chakvetadze narrowed the lead four minutes into the second half, only for Mark Sykes to make it 3-1 almost from the restart.

City replacement Andreas Weimann killed off the game with City’s fourth in the 83rd minute against his former side as Watford stood vainly waiting for the offside flag after the Austrian had been set free by Joe Williams’ pass.

Watford boss Valerien Ismael had been hoping to see his side break into the top six, but he said: “It’s a big disappointment.

“We gave the game away from the first minute. We made too many mistakes, which made it difficult to give a fluid display.

“What summed up the match was when he came back into it at 2-1 and then conceded. That was sloppy. We beat ourselves. We have to take control of the ball more.

“We have to always stay on a level where we can win the game. But against City we beat ourselves – it’s as simple as that.

“We never had control. Fatigue is no excuse – it’s the same for every team. We know we have the solution, but on the other hand we must make sure that everyone can perform at the correct level.”

Bolton boss Ian Evatt hailed his side’s persistence after a last-gasp 1-0 win at 10-man Lincoln.

The resolute Imps looked to have held on for a hard-fought point after Danny Mandriou was sent off in the second half.

But Eoin Toal sent Evatt and the traveling Wanderers fans into scenes of jubilation with his dramatic 89th-minute winner.

“I thought we played so good,” said Evatt. “I thought we dominated from start to finish.

“We had moments we didn’t take, but we kept the belief and kept the faith.

“It shows you the value of set plays. It was easy to throw the ball in at that stage, but against 10 men it’s harder so we utilised the space around the edge and it worked.

“I wish I could bottle up that feeling because what a feeling that was in front of the away end.

“I was really pleased with the performance because I was delighted with the way we played.

“When you have the ball for so long and it’s wave after wave, it was just relentless and eventually we got what we deserved.”

The Trotters cut the gap with the top two after Portsmouth were stunned at Bristol Rovers and Peterborough were held to a late draw.

But Evatt, whose side are two points off Posh with a game in hand, stressed: “It’s getting tight at the top.

“Everyone spoke about the strength of the league, when you look at the pace the top five, six are setting and the points they’re stacking up, it’s large quantities of points.

“For us, we’re not even halfway through the season. There’s so much football to play.

“There’s no talk of this or that. We just focus on the next game. It’s really boring to say but that’s the way it has to be.”

Lincoln slipped to a second successive defeat and are four games without a win.

On Mandriou’s second sending off of the season, boss Michael Skubala said: “It’s a really tough one to take. We had 20 minutes with 10 men, the lads were digging deep and 89th minute, it’s hard to take.

“I thought we deserved something out of the game.

“The red card is a game-changing moment, there’s no doubt about that. I can’t stand here and say it’s not a game-changing moment.

“I don’t really want to talk about Danny if I’m honest, I want to talk about the warriors who for 20 minutes looked like they were going to get something out of the game.

“I thought they were brilliant to a man and we were so unlucky not to come away with something. Getting something out of that game would have been a proud performance from those 10 men.

“He will apologise. He knows. I don’t think it’s about Danny, these situations are about the other guys.

“I was really proud of the crowd, they were amazing. When we were under the cosh you could hear them and we will need that in the next few weeks and months as we’re depleted.”

Darren Moore wants Huddersfield to start looking up the Championship table rather than over their shoulder after putting distance to the relegation zone with a 3-0 win over Blackburn.

Jaheim Headley’s low strike handed the Terriers a first-half advantage which was added to after the break by Sorba Thomas and Delano Burgzorg as Moore’s men opened up a five-point gap to the bottom three.

There are a cluster of teams just above the Terriers in the second tier now and, with Middlesbrough visiting this Friday, Moore wants his side’s mindset to be looking upwards rather than down.

He said: “It’s about changing the mindset of the club and the perception and us as a group of players, fans, and everything else. We just want to continue looking up the league and seeing who we can catch above.

“That’s got to be the mindset really, in terms of it was a good three points today, and we focus on Friday for another real rough encounter, another good team coming into town and for myself and the group, we know we’re under no illusions how difficult that game is going to be.

“The biggest thing for us today, we knew Blackburn are a very, very good fluid team with the ball, they move it around really well but we knew the transitions would be massive today.

“We knew if we could get part one right in terms of our work off the ball, we knew when it turned over there would be areas to exploit and we managed to do that.”

Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson labelled his side’s performance their worst of the season so far, with one of the few positives being the fact they have a clash later this week against Hull to bounce back.

He said: “I think it was a disappointing result and a disappointing performance. We all knew coming here Huddersfield is around the relegation zone and they are fighting.

“You need a top performance and we didn’t do that, it was probably the worst performance during the season.

“It’s not a performance we’re used to seeing, so it’s of course extremely disappointing.

“I think when we conceded the first goal, initially there was nothing wrong in conceding the first goal, but it gave confidence to the crowd and for the Huddersfield players and then we were chasing the game. I must apologise to our fans, almost 3,000 fans that have travelled, it’s not positive today at all.

“The good thing with football is that there’s a game in a couple of days and I think that’s positive. That’s one of the things that is positive today, but the rest is not good.”