Championship (England)

Dunne headed on goalkeeper Asmir Begovic’s long kick and then, after Sinclair Armstrong had challenged Deon Sanderson, the defender controlled the loose ball near the edge of the penalty area and sent a spectacular left-footed volley into the top corner.

It consigned Blues to defeat in their first match since Gary Rowett’s return as interim boss.

Juninho Bacuna’s 62nd-minute goal had put the visitors within sight of a first win in seven games, but Steve Cook equalised three minutes later and Dunne’s late cracker gave Rangers the points.

Rowett, back at the club he played for and previously managed, will have been encouraged by a spirited performance, but the result means Birmingham remain above third–from-bottom Huddersfield only on goal difference.

QPR created a number of openings in the first half and almost went ahead when Kenneth Paal’s cross from the left just evaded Michael Frey and was nudged on to the bar by Lucas Andersen.

Danish playmaker Andersen also missed a great chance when he shot wide of the target from near the edge of the six-yard box after being found by Ilias Chair.

Another Chair delivery from the left led to Dunne’s header being saved by keeper John Ruddy, who also produced a fine stop to keep out Chair’s header from Chris Willock’s cross.

At the other end, Tyler Roberts sent an effort narrowly over and the home side survived a scare when Begovic had to scramble to clear after seemingly failing to anticipate Cook’s back-pass.

There was another let-off for the hosts early in the second half when Jay Stansfield shot wide of the near post from close range.

With his team needing some impetus, Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes made a change up front on the hour mark, sending on youngster Armstrong in place of the ineffective Frey.

But it was Birmingham who broke the deadlock. Bacuna played the ball to Ethan Laird on the right and collected the full-back’s return pass before firing into the top corner.

Rangers quickly hit back. Andersen’s lofted free-kick was headed down by Dunne and, after Birmingham were unable to clear their lines, Cook blasted home after his first effort had been blocked.

Cifuentes’ side should then have gone ahead when Willock volleyed over from eight yards out after Chair’s ball in from the left had been headed on by Cook and then Dunne.

However, they eventually found a winner, with Dunne the unlikely hero.

The 34-year-old, who retired from playing last year, has been in Lancashire this week to enjoy Burnley’s final game of the season and take part in Tuesday’s trophy parade after he and his wife Kealia, a former United States international, became investors in the club.

Watt has previously said he was a Chelsea fan but that is in the past for the three-time NFL defensive player of the year.

“I’m a massive football fan and I’ve been looking for the right opportunity for a long time,” Watt told the PA news agency.

“Burnley is a club that has been around since 1882, it’s got incredible support in a great town and I’m very much looking forward to helping create the vision that Alan (Pace, chairman) and Vincent (Kompany, manager) have for the club.

“With a club like Chelsea if I got involved, I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t have any impact in what is a $6billion club. But if you come to a club like Burnley you have the chance to make a difference, the chance to make an impact.

“I don’t hide the fact I used to be a Chelsea supporter but I’m all Burnley now.”

While the Premier League is now awash with investment from around the world, most of that is channelled into the big six clubs or those in London. Turf Moor is a long way from the more glamorous image of the top flight, but Watt, who grew up in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, said that appealed to him.

“I’m from a small town in Wisconsin and I grew up watching the Green Bay Packers,” said Watt, who spent 10 seasons with the Houston Texans and two with the Arizona Cardinals.

“Every bit of evidence says Green Bay is not a big town and there’s no reason for them to be great but I think that something special can happen in a small town, especially when you have a manager like Vincent Kompany and a chairman like Alan Pace, and supporters like we have here.”

Watt admitted he felt a bit of out of place at Tuesday’s parade – “I don’t feel like I deserve to be here because I just joined” – but he has quickly got involved in several aspects of the club, even sitting in on a meeting looking ahead to the summer transfer window.

Having taken some inspiration from the impact Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have had at Wrexham, just promoted to League Two, Watt said he wanted to take Burnley global.

There will also be a particular focus on improving the women’s team at Burnley, who play in the National League North, the third tier of the pyramid.

“I’m going to be helping to increase the global brand,” Watt said. “We want to help create interest and excitement around Burnley Football Club and tell the story of the town and get people to understand how great of a place it is.

“(The women’s team) is a big part of what we want to do. Women’s football is on the rise globally and we want to make sure Burnley is a part of that rise.”

Goals from Tom Bradshaw and Murray Wallace proved enough for all three points against their capital rivals on Boxing Day, halting the Lions’ sequence of seven matches without a win.

The result lifted Millwall six points clear of the drop zone and left Edwards pleased with the way his side ground out a victory against a relegation rival.

“I’ve got a lot of belief in this team but when you’re on a difficult run then you do really have to dig in and keep going,” he said.

“That was what the performance showed today because these games – when they are London derbies and two teams in a difficult position – it creates a bit of tension around them.

“You aren’t always going to get free-flowing, attractive games but we showed enough quality in spells to see signs of where we want to head.

“It’s definitely a relief – relief at the end of the run and relief when you know there is going to be that much added time going on (10 minutes), particularly after the way the last home game went (conceding stoppage-time penalty in draw against Huddersfield on December 16).

“Ultimately it was about our spirit today and we were difficult to play against. QPR played some nice football without ever really hurting us too much. I don’t think Matty Sarkic has made a save really.

“Those basics we want to be about, the fundamentals before we talk about playing any football, they need to be there.

“It was there today and gets us a clean sheet. Two consecutive clean sheets means four points. We need to remember that and keep building on it.”

The result condemned Marti Cifuentes’ QPR to a third loss on the bounce and the Spaniard acknowledged not much went right for his side.

“It’s a poor performance – perhaps the worst since I’ve been here,” he said.

“We didn’t start the game well. Millwall pressed really, really high – very aggressive – and we didn’t find a way to beat that pressure.

“We lacked the capacity to understand the space today was behind their back line. We had to activate the runs from behind.

“We tried to adjust this in the first half. From minute 30 we started to understand this a little bit better but then in a minute we should
never concede a goal, we concede a goal.

“We concede because we try to do it but then the team doesn’t travel in a compact way, so the space for the second ball is too big.

“We had the quality to break lines and travel together at the start of the second half and got some situations inside the box through Lyndon (Dykes) and Illy (Chair).

“Perhaps through the second half we start to drop a little bit and the last 15 minutes before injury time were not great. When we concede a second goal from a set-piece then obviously the game is over.

“When you win games then everything is much easier. When you do not get those wins, you need much more personality to go through.”

The Lions were within seconds of just a second victory in 12 games and their first at The Den since September after Brooke Norton-Cuffy had bundled in an untidy opener that was in keeping with a lot of the action.

Instead, they were left cursing their luck after Delano Burgzorg buried a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time to earn the Terriers an equaliser they had hardly threatened.

The draw moved both teams two points clear of the relegation zone, thanks to more late drama elsewhere between fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday and QPR.

Edwards said: “We looked like we could have got the second but as we know whenever that scoreline is 1-0 you’re at risk, particularly when you’re in this run that we’re in.

“To lose it like that to probably an unnecessary set-piece down in the corner, then a deflection onto someone’s hand, without feeling sorry for ourselves, it feels like that’s how it’s going for us at the moment.

“We’ve conceded goals at Ipswich and Leicester where we’ve got six bodies in front of the ball and it’s deflected in or going through and it’s in our net.

“The ball goes in our box and that [the penalty] happens and it’s incredibly frustrating because I thought, in what was probably a poor game, we were the better team that looked like the home team going to try and win it.

“I thought we deserved to in general and it feels like two points dropped, for sure.”

In a tense first half that lacked quality, the closest either team came was when Millwall’s Zian Flemming had an effort from 25 yards pushed away by Huddersfield goalkeeper Lee Nicholls.

It was the Lions who broke through after 57 minutes when Nicholls saved Tom Bradshaw’s header before getting down to Norton-Cuffy’s follow-up but he couldn’t prevent the Arsenal loanee forcing in his second attempt.

Soon after Nicholls was forced off with a head injury, his replacement Chris Maxwell made a double save from fellow substitutes Duncan Watmore and Joe Bryan.

This turned out to be vital as Huddersfield were awarded the latest of penalties when George Saville handled Josh Koroma’s shot and Burgzorg held his nerve.

Huddersfield boss Darren Moore said: “The boys faced a bit of adversity but such is the character and the spirit within the team to keep the commitment and endeavour and keep pushing forward.

“I took the captain off [Jonathan Hogg] to get another attacker on the pitch and it’s always nice when you get your just rewards.

“I know it was late in the game but we always showed an attacking intent to come here and respond from Tuesday night [against Preston].

“I suppose it was points shared but from our point of view it was what we deserved.

“We didn’t feel we did ourselves any justice on Tuesday night in terms of how we approached the game, so we wanted to be more on the front foot today.

“We wanted to be showing more of ourselves and I thought they showed that but it was the right response from our perspective from Tuesday night.”

The experienced centre-back went forward for a 92nd-minute corner and, when City failed to clear, sent a sweet left-footed volley beyond the dive of goalkeeper Max O’Leary to clinch a 1-0 win.

It was Hutchinson’s first goal since March 2021, which meant he took a fair bit of stick from celebrating team-mates in the dressing room after the game.

Head coach Edwards said: “The lads are saying sarcastically that it was all part of the game plan to stay level and work the ball on to Shaun’s left foot at the end.

“Fans not at the game looking at the score sheet will probably think he netted with a header. In fact, it was a quality strike with his weaker foot.

“I hope we don’t have to wait as long for his next goal. Because of injury, Shaun hasn’t played as much as he would have liked since I arrived at the club.

“But I never doubted his value. He is a leader by nature and that’s why he is captain.

“Bristol City are one of the Championship teams capable of dominating possession. But we came prepared for that and restricted them to very few chances.”

City head coach Liam Manning said his side should have come away “with at least a point”.

He said: “To concede so late makes the result doubly frustrating, as does the fact that we can play so much better.

“We have had four games in 11 days without being able to change the back four because of injuries, but I don’t want to use tiredness as an excuse.

“If anything, I thought it showed in our mindset, rather than physically. We could have been more positive and in the second half we dropped too deep.

“We weren’t brave enough with our passing at times and didn’t play our normal game. Millwall showed the respect due to us after our recent run and were prepared to sit back.

“I am under no illusion that we are still at the start when it comes to players’ understanding how I want us to play. Because of Christmas, we have still only had three weeks training together since I arrived.”

The game ended in a melee involving numerous players from both teams, but neither coach saw much amiss and referee Tom Nield took no action.

Edwards said: “It looked as though a player got pushed over the advertising boards and it provoked a reaction, but it was nothing serious.”

Matt Godden’s close-range header gave the Sky Blues the advantage midway through a closely fought first half at The Den.

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto doubled the visitors’ lead in the 67th minute before Ben Sheaf made sure of things with two minutes remaining.

The result was Edwards’ first defeat as Millwall manager and leaves his team 18th in the table.

He said: “Overall, I would still say that we should be pretty disappointed with the performance because I think there were a lot of the basics, basics that this team are usually good at.

“There were a lot of duels in the middle of the pitch, second balls and players running off us in transition.

“It is just basic work ethic and basics of the game regardless of what kind of style of play you deploy as a team.

“We did not do well enough and they looked sharper than us, so I am still disappointed.

“3-0 was probably a harsh scoreline, but we were on the other end of that ourselves in our last game, we were clinical and won 4-0 so that is how it can go.

“There are definitely positives to take, we have spoken about being on the front foot and being aggressive here at The Den.

“The big thing for me today was us with the ball, we had a lot more of the ball than a Millwall team would typically have, and at times we looked composed and like we had a clear idea of how we wanted to build up.

“But in the opponent’s half and particularly in the final third we did not ask nearly as many questions as you need to ask of an opponent’s back four here at The Den, that was the disappointment.”

The result was Coventry’s first win since the start of October, only their second away triumph of the season, and leaves them 20th in the table.

However, manager Mark Robins felt it was well earned after some unfortunate results on the road.

“We have been in every game this season, we went to Leicester away on the first day of the season and could have won that,” he said.

“We have got good players but it does dent confidence a little bit, that’s just been it.

“They have trained really well in the last nine days, and you could see that they had the bit between their teeth, they were really courageous with the ball.

“The fact that we have kept two clean sheets on the bounce is another positive, we have got a tough run of games before the run into Christmas which is really heavy.

“Everybody has got to be ready, we have got a decent squad there that are all fit, that is a positive and the performance and the result today were also positives.

“I felt we were really good today, it is a difficult place to come at the best of times and on the back of not too many wins.

“When you have got the bit between your teeth, the players are all on the front foot, you could see that they were confident today.

“There was no lack of confidence, they’re good players, they’re positive and when they’re positive and have that courage they can hurt teams at this level.”

The midfielder’s second-half strike – Rovers’ only on-target attempt of the afternoon – condemned the Bluebirds to a third straight defeat on the road.

It also meant the Welsh club are now without a win on their last nine trips to Ewood Park, stretching back to December 2012 when Craig Bellamy was on target for the visitors in a 4-1 triumph.

During the early stages, Blackburn dominated possession without penetrating the visitors’ backline while Josh Bowler shot just wide from the edge of the box following Ike Ugbo’s lay-off at the other end.

After Joe Ralls also called home keeper Leo Wahlstedt into action from 20 yards, the Blackburn faithful urged their team to show more forward momentum and, at the first-half’s midway point, Arnor Sigurdsson volleyed wide of the far post after Callum Brittain’s cross from close to the corner flag.

Moments later, Sammie Szmodics lifted a shot over from just outside the penalty area after effective harassing by Sondre Tronstad and Rankin-Costello turned another Brittain centre from the right wide of the near post.

Cardiff thought they had taken the lead in the 35th minute when Dimitrios Goutas met Ralls’ corner with a thumping header but the effort was ruled out due to Karlan Grant standing in an offside position and blocking Wahlstedt’s sight line.

Following that let-off, Szmodics found the side-netting from an acute angle and Tyrhys Dolan prodded wide with the last kick of the half following a rapid counter attack started by Dominic Hyam’s brilliant recovery tackle on Ugbo and built upon by Sigurdsson’s positive raid down the left.

After the break, Goutas again climbed highest to meet another corner – this time delivered by Ryan Wintle – only to clear the crossbar.

Rovers then forged ahead in the 53rd minute after Hayden Carter’s forward pass picked out Dolan.

With the Bluebirds’ defence standing off him, Dolan chested the ball before turning and picking out Rankin-Costello’s run in behind Mark McGuinness.

The Ewood Park Academy graduate went on to keep his composure to find the net from 15 yards despite Jak Alnwick getting a glove to his effort.

Rankin-Costello was subsequently denied a second in the 67th minute by Perry Ng’s brilliant sliding challenge as he bore down on the away goal and pulled back his right leg to shoot.

For Cardiff, sub Callum Robinson tried his luck from distance but Wahlstedt safely gathered his hopeful drive.

But the Republic of Ireland international should have then done better when he pulled a 12-yard chance wide after good probing down the left by Ng and Wahlstedt went on to make a superb save to push Ollie Tanner’s diagonal drive wide of his far upright and safeguard the three points.

The 23-year-old has committed his long-term future to the Ewood Park outfit, having joined as a youth player in 2014.

Rankin-Costello made 24 appearances and scored twice in the Sky Bet Championship last season, as Blackburn narrowly missed out on the play-off places to Sunderland on goal difference.

The right-back, who has also played in midfield, told Blackburn’s website: “I’m buzzing. Last season was a bit of a breakthrough for me in terms of staying fit and playing well, so I’m happy.

“We were near the play-offs last year and we seem to be improving year-on-year and moving in the right direction, so hopefully we can push for the play-offs again this season.”

The academy graduate has now made 71 appearances for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side.

The Rovers manager was also full of praise for his “unplayable” front four of Sam Gallagher, Sammie Szmodics, Tyrhys Dolan and Ryan Hedges.

Szmodics’ double – his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season – set Blackburn on their way in the first half, with Dolan and Hedges then putting the game out of sight of the hosts within 10 minutes of the restart. Substitute Andrew Moran wrapped up the convincing win after Chris Rigg’s consolation.

It was Eustace’s first win at the 10th time of asking in charge of Rovers, who are now five points clear of the drop zone.

“It was an outstanding performance,” he said. “It’s been coming. The performances have been excellent over the time I’ve been here. You could see the togetherness was there.

“We’ve had some really difficult games but been competitive and rolled our sleeves up. The most important thing was we won playing our style of football but we also showed that level of commitment and desire to defend the box.

“The front four were awesome, they were unplayable at times and the most important thing for me was what they did without the ball, that was outstanding and was the platform.

“It was an all-round perfect performance.”

Furious Mike Dodds hammered his Sunderland players after what he described as a “pathetic” display.

The Black Cats ended a seven-game winless run with a 2-0 win at Cardiff on Good Friday but failed to build on that showing and were booed off at half-time and full-time by the home supporters.

Hopes of another top-six finish have disappeared in recent weeks and Sunderland are now 13 points shy of the play-off places.

Dodds said: “It’s a bad result and an even worse performance. It’s completely unacceptable and I don’t say that lightly. That’s probably the best word I can find.

“Blackburn were deserved winners and I don’t like saying that on our own patch.

“As head coach I have to take responsibility for it, when they’re back in for training there are going to be some uncomfortable conversations but they need to be had if we’re to move forward.

“The players haven’t had much of a chance to talk in there, they’re under no illusions as to my thoughts: if they want to play for this football club then they’re going to have to deliver a better performance than that. If they don’t, they won’t play.

“I could have subbed the whole team when I made the changes in the second half. We’re going to have to reflect and use it as motivation, use it as a huge learning curve – it’s completely unacceptable.”

It was a sixth draw in eight games for Rovers since Eustace replaced Jon Dahl Tomasson in the dugout and their third on the bounce – with Blackburn still three points above the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.

Middlesbrough are now unbeaten in four league games and have kept three clean sheets on the bounce, but their hopes of a top-six finish are hanging by a thread. Norwich’s win at Stoke means Michael Carrick’s side are now seven points adrift of the play-off places with eight games to play.

Both teams had their moments at the Riverside but lacked the clinical touch needed in front of goal.

Middlesbrough almost made the perfect start when Emmanuel Latte Lath was denied by the feet of Aynsley Pears inside two minutes. And the home side should have taken the lead when a corner from the right was glanced on by Luke Ayling into the path of Marcus Forss, who looked certain to score from just two yards out but somehow missed the target.

Blackburn threatened early on as well, with the Championship’s top scorer Sammie Szmodics unsurprisingly looking the away side’s best route to goal. He saw one low drive well saved by Seny Dieng and had another opening soon after but was denied by a fine slide tackle from Paddy McNair.

Boro were dealt a blow when Forss went off injured and lost their way a bit afterwards, but they almost forced a breakthrough on the stroke of half-time when Ayling’s header was blocked on the line by Dominic Hyam.

Sensing an opportunity, Blackburn started to grow in confidence and Sam Gallagher stung the hands of Dieng with a fierce strike from the edge of the area.

Riley McGree scored a stunning winner for Boro at Birmingham on Tuesday night and looked to repeat it here but his shot from distance flashed wide. Defender Matt Clarke then headed wide from a Jonny Howson free-kick.

A Blackburn corner caused Boro problems and, after Scott Wharton’s header was blocked, substitute Tyrhys Dolan looked to turn in the rebound but was crowded out before the hosts managed to scramble clear.

Boro almost snatched a dramatic last-minute winner through Isaiah Jones when his shot was deflected onto the bar and substitute Sammy Silvera miskicked the rebound.

The 42-year-old former Manchester United defender, who is Ireland’s assistant coach, joined the Potters last July.

O’Shea told Stoke’s official website: “I would like to thank everyone at Stoke City for their help and guidance last season and wish the club good luck for the future.”

Brittain’s first goal for Rovers – his first for anyone in over four years – was enough to ensure his side recorded three wins in a row for the first time since Tomasson took charge 16 months ago.

It lifted Blackburn up to 10th in the Championship, above their opponents, who let an early lead slip in what was their first home game since Gary Rowett’s departure as manager last week.

Tomasson said: “He [Brittain] hadn’t scored – maybe in training once – it’s his first goal in four years, so it’s great to see a finish like that after a switch of play from James Hill.

“So, I’m delighted but I’m almost extremely happy to give our fans a good journey back.”

When asked if Brittain had shown signs that he had a goal of such quality in him, Tomasson said: “I’d be lying if I said yes.

“It was an excellent switch of play, we knew there was space opposite and of course the finish was also excellent.

“We probably could have made it a little bit easier for ourselves and take one of those chances [later in the game] so the game was over, but in the end I think we defended our box against a difficult side who bring a lot of balls into the box.

“I thought we were fighting and showing the right attitude.”

Millwall were ahead after just three minutes when Wes Harding’s header slipped through Blackburn goalkeeper Leopold Wahlstedt, but his opposite number Bartosz Bialkowski was then at fault for Joe Rankin-Costello’s equaliser.

Brittain struck what turned out to be the winner six minutes into second half when he curled into the top corner after running onto Hill’s long pass.

Millwall interim boss Adam Barret said: “I thought the second half was much better.

“I wanted the lads to play quickly, to move the ball quickly with a little bit of spark and the first half at times just looked a bit edgy.

“I thought the shape was good, you’ve got to be careful against this side because, as we know, they’ve got some very good players and if you get it wrong, they can open you up.

“With the second goal, Joe [Bryan] takes the free-kick, goes down with a groin injury and all of a sudden, they break and score down that side where he would have been.

“Little things just didn’t go for us tonight, but there were a lot of positives, especially in the second half.

“We’ve put a good spell in the game, we’ve now got to do it for longer periods.”

A total of 35 attempts on goal were shared by both teams as Sammie Szmodics’ brace secured a 2-1 triumph over bottom-of-the-table Middlesbrough.

Matt Crooks replied in an incredibly open game, but Tomasson insisted afterwards that he would “rather try and win 5-3 than 1-0” every week.

Former Premier League-winning defender Colin Hendry and 89-year-old Bryan Douglas, who played in the 1958 and 1962 World Cup finals for England, were among the luminaries paraded onto the pitch before kick-off and ex-Denmark striker Tomasson said: “It was good to see us win the club’s 5,000th game and to see all of the legends before the game.

“I hope they enjoyed it and all the fans did too. It was great to see that amount of chances and we should probably have been 3-0 up at half-time, so it was frustrating not to convert more of the opportunities.

“We then scored a difficult one early in the second half but Middlesbrough got one back, which I think the referee and his assistant will be disappointed by when they look back at it because
their player was totally alone three metres from goal and was offside.

“It was then a tough period for us.

“Their goal changed the momentum after all those chances we had missed, but we play football for the fans because they pay a lot of money and you have to give them something back, so I would rather try and win 5-3 than 1-0.”

Midfielder Szmodics’ brace took his tally for the season to four, with Tomasson confessing that such a haul is a boost after a summer in which Rovers lost attacking duo Ben Brereton Diaz and Bradley Dack.

He added: “Sammie went close to his first hat-trick in a Rovers shirt and he’s started this season on fire for us. That’s important because we haven’t got a proven goalscorer in the squad, so everybody needs to chip in.”

Boro more than played their part in an absorbing and pulsating contest, but have now collected just one point from their opening six games and, including last season’s two-legged play-off defeat to Coventry, have failed to win any of their last 11 league matches – a sequence that equals the club’s longest outside of top-flight football since January 1925.

Manager Michael Carrick insisted, though, that the mood in his squad remains “good”.

“The changing room was quiet after the game, but it’s not a horrible atmosphere by any stretch of the imagination,” he said. “The mood is good.

“We’re not hiding from the fact that we need to get results, but there’s spirit and inner-belief in the group. It’s easy when people are telling me that I’m fantastic and the players that they are fantastic, but we knew a tough time would come at some point.

“Then, it’s how you deal with it and overcome it and, although this was an open game that probably suited them, I think we have controlled a lot of the other matches and it wouldn’t have taken much to tip the scales and turn the results in our favour.

“There were chances everywhere in this game and I thought we were right in it in the second half, but we are having to come back from setbacks too much at the moment.”

Rovers delivered what turned out to be the knockout punches in a clinical three-minute spell as Dilan Markanday’s tidy finish from a narrow angle set the hosts on their way in the 20th minute before they suffocated their opponents straight from the kick-off and academy graduate Harry Leonard slammed in a second two minutes later on their first league starts for Blackburn.

The Baggies struck back in fine style just after the restart through Matt Phillips’ stunning 25-yard effort but Blackburn finished strongly and better finishing would have made the margin of victory more comfortable for the hosts.

West Brom’s frustration was summed up by boss Carlos Corberan being sent to the stands for dissent late in the second half.

Tomasson gave his goalscorers special mentions but was also pleased to see the attitude of his young side, which contained four academy graduates in the starting XI.

He said: “It’s great to see, and especially to see all those young lads. I think actually we were just below 24 in average age today but to see the development of those players and the joy and also getting a goal. I think Harry started at the academy when he was 10. After the game, I said ‘well done Harry, you played a good game, scored a great goal’ and he said ‘I should have had a hat-trick’. That’s the ambition of the boy.

“It’s also good to see Dilan. We all know Dilan had a difficult period. He came back in pre-season with the right attitude, he’s been working hard and doing the right things. I’m also pleased for him.

“I think it was an exceptional win and performance. We scored two great goals, really good goals and should probably have had a third, fourth or even fifth goal against one of the best teams in the league. The intensity of the team was very good. I think we played some good football as well.”

Corberan’s dismissal meant he was not allowed to speak to the media after the game, in accordance with new EFL rules. In his place was new Baggies captain Jed Wallace, who felt there were ‘positives’ in the performance.

He said: “I thought first 20 minutes we were in control of the game, definitely looked the better team. It’s the Championship, quickly, the ball goes in the channel, probably don’t do as well as we’d like with it and from our own kick-off, within the blink of an eye we’re 2-0 down and give ourselves a mountain to climb.

“The gaffer got behind us at half-time and then I think we responded really well second half. Had a couple of goalmouth scrambles to get that second goal after Matty scored a great goal. Just couldn’t quite manufacture that yard in the box to get that shot off. Then they’re naturally going to have their chances on the break.

“It was a typical wide open Championship game at the end and like I say, we just couldn’t get that goal but on the whole I think there were positives to take from the game.”

The 24-year-old, who won his first senior cap for Sweden earlier this year, got his right glove to a powerful drive from Bluebirds substitute Ollie Tanner in the game’s dying embers.

It was a big moment for the 6ft 3in keeper, who was starting only his fourth EFL fixture following a summer move from Norwegian outfit Odd Grenland, as his heroics ensured Joe Rankin-Costello’s 53rd-minute strike bagged all three points.

An impressed Tomasson said: “Leo made a brilliant save late on to make sure we won the game. It can be quite difficult as a keeper when your team are in control, then suddenly you’re facing a shot, but it was a top-class save and it was a brilliant win against a very good Cardiff side, who are tough to play against.

“It can be difficult after an international break to get started again, but we had an excellent win before it at QPR and backed that up in front of our own fans. The back-to-back wins should give us confidence, as should consecutive clean sheets.

“We have been giving unnecessary chances away before and, if you do that with the opponents you come up against in this league, they can score goals against you. It wasn’t the best game we have played and we were a little bit slow on the ball.

“We needed to go forward with a bit more speed but we spoke at half-time about getting runs in behind them, so it was really pleasing to see how we scored our goal. The boys also had to dig in to win, but we could have scored more goals because I thought we had five good chances and it was a well-deserved win.”

Cardiff had earlier seen Dimitrios Goutas’ first-half header ruled out as Karlan Grant was stood in an offside position and deemed to be obstructing Wahlstedt’s view of the ball.

Whether Wahlstedt would have got anywhere near the powerful effort was highly debatable but away manager Erol Bulut agreed with Tomasson that it was the right decision.

His only argument was why it took the officials so long to chalk it off.

The Cardiff chief said: “I spoke with the referee after the game and all the officials said it was offside, but the linesman did not seem to know that at the time. I think, for him, it was a clear goal because why did it take him 30 seconds to put his flag up?

“But, after the game, I watched it back and he was offside. It was just a bit strange how they got to that decision.”

Bulut was more displeased with the manner in which his side defended for Rankin-Costello’s decisive strike.

“It was a game between two teams that didn’t create many chances and always looked like one in which the first side that scored would go on to win,” he said.

“We had more shots on goal than they did, but they scored from a small mistake by us, which was down to our concentration and communication not being good enough down the middle of the pitch.

“We have to be more focussed, sharp and aggressive in those situations and areas of the pitch. In the last 20 minutes, we tried hard to score, but it wasn’t enough.”

Rowe took his tally for the season to a dozen in all competitions and underlined why several Premier League clubs are rumoured to be sniffing around him with a breathtaking individual first-half goal.

Fassnacht came off the bench to net in the 88th minute and while Tyler Morton pulled one back in added-on time, Norwich held on for the final few moments to record a 2-1 win – their first in five matches.

The Canaries now sit just one point and place behind seventh-placed Hull, who only really sprang into action in the final half hour at the MKM Stadium.

They started brightly but were met with robust resistance from Norwich, with two bruising challenges on Aaron Connolly leading to Billy Sharp being brought on within a quarter of an hour.

Borja Sainz should have done better with the first clear cut chance as he lifted over with only Hull goalkeeper Ryan Allsop to beat while Scott Twine was similarly wayward at the other end.

A moment of magic was needed to enliven a drab affair and Rowe, who has been linked with West Ham and Aston Villa in the January transfer window, provided it in the 36th minute.

After nudging Tyler Morton off the ball, Rowe jinked forwards, ghosted past a couple of opposition defenders and though space was running out and he was off-balance, the winger sent a shot with the outside of his right boot arcing past Allsop.

Norwich were perhaps fortunate to still have their full complement by then as a couple of minutes earlier, Giannoulis was only yellow carded for an apparent swing of the arm at Coyle.

Hull’s sense of injustice rose after half-time as Ozan Tufan and Twine were booked for simulation within moments of each other although the former grazed the post from just outside the area.

A sustained spell of Hull pressure followed but it still took until the 65th minute for them to test Angus Gunn, who did brilliantly to parry away Sharp’s snapshot inside the area.

Sharp’s effort from 20 yards seemed destined for the top corner but was pushed away by Gunn, which seemed decisive when Fassnacht, who replaced Rowe in the 81st minute, reacted quickest at the back post to convert with his thigh from Onel Hernandez’s teasing cross.

Morton set up a grandstand finish in the first minute of injury-time by rifling home from 25 yards as Gunn was finally beaten, but Norwich clung on.

The Canaries found themselves on the back foot for long periods at Carrow Road but made two of their chances count to stay on the fringes of the play-off picture.

Josh Sargent scored his second goal since returning from an ankle injury to set the ball rolling early on before top scorer Jon Rowe doubled their advantage midway through the second half with his 13th strike of a highly productive campaign.

The Baggies had plenty of opportunities to get themselves back in the game after the interval but failed to take advantage of them and now find a number of sides breathing down their necks in what looks like being a tight race for a place in the top six.

The visitors enjoyed most of the possession in the early stages but it was Norwich who took the lead after 13 minutes through their first incisive attack of the game.

Kenny McLean was quick to spot Sargent’s run when a Baggies attack broke down and the American burst into the box before beating Alex Palmer with a shot that appeared to go through the keeper.

Norwich twice went close to doubling their lead on the half-hour mark with Rowe twice trying his luck from just outside the box with efforts that were well saved by Palmer.

West Brom had a couple of reasonable shouts for penalties turned down by referee Sunny Singh Gill as first Brandon Thomas-Asante and then Darnell Furlong went tumbling in the box but struggled to create clear-cut openings in a tight first half.

They did have the ball in the net just before the break but Thomas-Asante had clearly used his arm to control the ball before tucking Conor Townsend’s low cross past Angus Gunn.

John Swift and Jed Wallace both fired presentable opportunities just wide as Albion made a strong start to the second period but Norwich were defending well to keep them at bay.

Thomas-Asante then saw his flicked header well clutched by Gunn before Norwich made another breakaway count to make it 2-0 after 71 minutes.

Gabriel Sara found space in a central area before switching it left to Dimi Giannoulis and the Greek’s first-time cross was turned in from close range by Rowe to put some distance between the two sides.

Baggies substitute Daryl Dike failed to make the most of two good openings as the visitors kept pressing but David Wagner’s saw the game out to seal an important win.

Young winger Jonathan Rowe maintained his record of scoring in every game so far this season to make it 1-0 and further goals from Josh Sargent and Ashley Barnes early in the second half effectively sealed the points.

For the Lions a late strike from substitute Aidomo Emakhu proved little consolation for the big travelling contingent, who expressed their displeasure with manager Gary Rowett during the game.

Norwich have picked up seven points from a possible nine and the quality of their performance suggests there could be plenty to excite the Norwich faithful this season.

The hosts were soon into their stride on a sunny afternoon at Carrow Road and Sargent was only inches wide with a first-time drive after just six minutes.

The pressure continued, with Gabriel Sara’s curling free-kick being tipped around the post by Matija Sarkic, before the Canaries made early dominance count in the 25th minute.

Excellent first-touch passes from first Sara and then Barnes saw the ball fed into the path of Rowe just inside the box and the in-form winger produced a sublime rising finish into the top corner to open the scoring.

Millwall were producing little at the other end, with a blocked shot from Kevin Nisbet their best moment of the first half, and Norwich almost doubled their lead just before the break when Rowe sent a powerful header narrowly wide from Christian Fassnacht’s deep cross.

The Canaries wasted no time in doubling their advantage after the break, Sargent netting his second of the season in the 49th minute.

Millwall were guilty of some poor marking as Sara’s inswinging free-kick came into the box, and the American frontman had little trouble heading past Sarkic, with his close-range effort going in off the far post.

Strike partner Barnes quickly got in on the act, making it 3-0 after 56 minutes following more ragged defending from the Lions.

This time Shaun Hutchinson and Jake Cooper got in each other’s way as they attempted to clear Jack Stacey’s low cross from the right, and the ball fell kindly for Barnes to turn and fire home from just outside the six yard box.

The game fizzled out after that, with the destination of the points clearly decided, although substitute Emakhu tucked home a neat consolation in stoppage time.

Both sides missed chances in the first period when it looked easier to score, firstly the visitors came close when Isaiah Jones fluffed his lines from close range before Josh Koroma hit the woodwork in front of an open goal for Town.

Second-half substitute Josh Coburn opened the scoring nine minutes after the break but the hosts pulled level thanks to Michal Helik’s strike from the edge of the box.

Another chance presented itself to Boro from the penalty spot but Howson saw it saved by Jacob Chapman, only for him to net moments later as Michael Carrick’s side returned to winning ways.

Middlesbrough missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring in the 18th minute as Jones lifted the ball over Chapman inside the area and only needed to tap into an empty net but he miskicked the ball and Huddersfield somehow recovered.

Huddersfield had a chance of their own as Koroma burst into the area but hit his effort straight at Tom Glover in the Boro goal.

On the half-hour mark, it was the hosts’ turn to spurn a chance with the goal at their mercy as Koroma latched onto a through ball from Sorba Thomas, rounded the goalkeeper but crashed his effort off the crossbar.

Town were the quickest out of the blocks following the interval and almost hit the front when Koroma’s curling effort was palmed narrowly wide of the target by Glover.

The deadlock was broken by the visitors in the 54th minute when Morgan Rogers fed Coburn, with the substitute cleverly dinking over Chapman from close range.

Huddersfield were not behind for long and levelled six minutes later as the ball fell to Helik outside the area and he let fly from distance to find the net via the post.

Town thought they had turned the game on its head with a quarter to go when Thomas rifled into the top corner only for the assistant referee’s offside flag to cut celebrations short.

Middlesbrough were given an opportunity to hit the front from the penalty spot when Ben Wiles brought Rogers down inside the area, but Howson stepped up and saw his spot-kick saved by Chapman and go out for a corner.

Howson made up for his error as the resulting corner fell to the Boro skipper inside the area and this time he made no mistake with a volley which bounced into the net, condemning Huddersfield to their third defeat in five outings.

Thomas made the first goal for Koroma before capping an inspirational display with a goal of his own to put the game to bed 20 minutes from the end.

The Millers are still searching for a first away win this season as Neil Warnock got the better of his former employers at The John Smith’s Stadium.

Both sides started brightly and it was the home side who struck first inside 18 minutes with the game’s first shot on target.

An inviting Thomas delivery wreaked havoc in the Rotherham defence and Koroma capitalised, converting first time on the volley.

The Millers responded positively as they searched for a quick equaliser, but Matty Pearson’s crucial intervention preserved Town’s slender lead.

A bright half by the hosts nearly improved when Ben Wiles’ enticing cross was flicked inadvertently by Delano Burgzorg out of the waiting Thomas’ path.

The dangerous Koroma then threatened to double his account for the afternoon, only to see his swerving strike held well by stopper Viktor Johansson.

Huddersfield should have increased their advantage shortly before the interval, but Wiles – who joined from Rotherham last month – scuppered a golden chance.

Burgzorg advanced purposefully and his pinpoint pull-back found the onrushing Wiles, only for the Terriers’ new recruit to fire his effort wide.

Matt Taylor’s half-time instructions nearly prompted an instant impact as Fred Onyedima’s flicked header drew an impressive reflex stop from Lee Nicholls.

But Rotherham’s bright start to the second period proved short-lived as Huddersfield gradually began to flex their attacking muscle in the final third.

First, the tenacious Wiles dispossessed Oliver Rathbone in a dangerous position, but the Millers’ midfielder reacted quickly with an important block.

The hosts’ strike partnership of Burgzorg and Kian Harratt then wasted two glorious opportunities in quick succession to double their advantage.

The former – a summer loan arrival from Mainz – dragged a strike well wide, while the latter – making his first league start – could not convert on the volley.

However, their combined blushes were soon saved when roles were reversed as goalscorer Koroma repaid Thomas’ favour for Huddersfield’s second.

A piercing counter ended with Koroma delivering a precise ball to find the onrushing Thomas, who slotted home from close range.

Substitute Tom Eaves had a gilt-edge chance to halve Rotherham’s arrears, but he sent his free header straight at Nicholls in what summarised a dismal afternoon.