Yet the top two in England's second tier look increasingly likely to be the pair promoted to the Premier League, with third-placed Fulham suffering a damaging home defeat against Brentford.
In the first matches following the league's three-month coronavirus suspension, a new hero emerged for mid-table Derby County as 18-year-old Louie Sibley scored a hat-trick in their win at Millwall.
And Rhian Brewster, a striker on loan from Liverpool, gave Swansea City's play-off hopes a boost by netting twice at Middlesbrough, as well as making a powerful political statement.
POINT A MIXED BLESSING FOR BAGGIES
With Leeds in action at Cardiff City on Sunday, West Brom had an opportunity to go two points clear of Marcelo Bielsa's team as the league resumed.
Bilic's players dominated the derby clash and had a host of chances but could not find a breakthrough, and a stalemate at the Hawthorns potentially plays into the hands of Leeds.
The top two are now level on points, with West Brom top on goal difference, but Leeds will have the chance to go three clear before the next round of games.
BEES STING NEIGHBOURS
Said Benrahma and Emiliano Marcondes scored late for Brentford in a 2-0 win at promotion rivals Fulham, a result that leaves West Brom and Leeds seven points clear with eight games remaining for the play-off pack.
Nottingham Forest were heading for victory at Sheffield Wednesday after Joe Lolley gave the visitors a 69th-minute lead, only for Connor Wickham to grab a stoppage-time leveller for the Owls.
Forest sit fifth, four points clear of a Preston North End side who were held 1-1 at Luton Town, Callum McManaman firing a late equaliser for the hosts, who nevertheless fell to the foot of the table.
KING LOUIE
Blackburn Rovers beat Bristol City 3-1 in a battle between teams fighting with Preston for sixth place, but the individual performance of the day came from Sibley, whose heroics guided Derby to their 3-2 win at Millwall.
"I'm absolutely buzzing," Sibley told Rams TV. "To get that hat-trick was just unbelievable. When the third goal went in, I couldn't stop smiling."
Brewster was not far behind, his double steering Swansea to a 3-0 victory at lowly Middlesbrough.
Brewster held up a shirt that read "our colour is not a crime" after his first goal, expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
TIGERS ON THE SLIDE
Wigan Athletic were 2-0 winners at fellow strugglers Huddersfield Town, while Hull City slipped into the bottom three after losing 1-0 at home against Charlton Athletic.
Barnsley climbed off the bottom by winning 1-0 at QPR, and Stoke City drew 1-1 at Reading.
Former England striker Les Ferdinand, who is director of football at Championship side QPR, expects the English Football League (EFL) to leave no stone unturned with its health guidance.
Figures released last week by the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics showed black people are almost twice as likely as white people to die with coronavirus.
Ferdinand is aware of the concerning numbers but is confident football will provide "a safe environment", with regular testing to be implemented within any leagues that are allowed to resume during the COVID-19 crisis.
He told Stats Perform: "I know the statistics out there at the moment suggest it's worse for people of ethnicity, but at the moment I would expect our [club] doctor to have those things in hand and conversations to be had around that.
"Because sometimes when you just listen at what's put out there, it's a little bit of scaremongering and people can get scared off the back of it.
"The EFL have to still give us guidelines, and if they're giving us guidelines they have to give us guidelines about that as well if it's a problem."
Speaking on Tuesday, Ferdinand proudly detailed the efforts being taken on the medical side at QPR and said it was important to listen to government instructions.
Football in the United Kingdom could resume in June, with the Premier League keen to start up again and a possibility clubs from the EFL will get back to playing games too.
"In young, healthy people, I think we have to look at the guidelines the government have set us... because they're not saying to ethnic minority, BAME representatives that you can't go to work," Ferdinand said.
"If they're still going to work in the National Health [Service] or whatever jobs they're in, I think it's pretty safe to say that it's a safe environment for footballers to go back into, their environment.
"We have to keep an eye on it, but the advice my doctor is giving to the football club is holistic and it's based around everybody. It's about everybody going back to work in a safe environment."
Game creators EA Sports said they hoped his selection in the QPR squad would help to bring more attention to the Kiyan Prince Foundation, which was founded by the boy's father and former professional boxer Mark Prince with the objective of addressing and attempting to prevent knife and gun crime.
The announcement came 15 years to the day since Kiyan was murdered.
Kiyan, who played for the QPR academy and was tipped as a future professional, is portrayed in the popular game as a 30-year-old thanks to the use of AI technology. He would have turned 30 in November 2020 and wears the number 30 shirt in the game.
"It's absolutely amazing. This is an incredible journey," said Mark Prince. "It's difficult for people to understand - how do you get purpose from so much pain?
"That's why this story has to go global. Everybody has to hear about this story. It has to impact their lives. Whether you're old or young, it will inspire you and it could direct the path of your life based on how you process the story."
The hope is that youngsters playing the game are touched by the story of Kiyan and motivated not to become involved in violent crime.
A video billing his inclusion in the game features a voiceover, that says: "My name is Kiyan Prince and I am a professional footballer, or at least I would have been had I not been killed when I was 15."
Mark Prince told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's been an incredible journey. It's bigger than me and it's bigger than my son. I feel like we're being used to be able to impact and make change because change has to happen.
"Someone has to have a solution and a system that helps to break this cycle. It's about the mind, it's about what's happening mentally. It can't just be about knives and [the attitude of] 'Let's put them in prison, harder sentences'."
Kiyan Prince lost his life after being attacked with a pen knife outside his school in Edgware, north-west London. He was stabbed in the heart while trying to break up a fight, and his teenage attacker was jailed for murder.
Former England striker Les Ferdinand is director of football at QPR, whose Loftus Road home was renamed the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium two years ago.
Ferdinand said: "He was a fine young man, a fine footballer, and unfortunately he was taken away too soon.
"If we can save any lives and get people to make different decisions about what they do when they leave their home, instead of picking up a knife doing something very different, it will have been worth it."
Prior to his appointment, Hall was the B-team manager at Loftus Road where he had spent more than a decade coaching from the U14 to U23 levels. He assumed the new role on Tuesday after Beale’s surprise exit on Monday after only six months on the job.
His first match, a friendly against Scottish Premier League side Livingston, saw QPR winning 2-1 in a behind closed doors encounter.
“It is really important I get this job right, the club is the most important thing here,” Hall told English media. “I’ve been here 10 years and seen a lot of managers come and go. But my focus now is just for us is to attack Burnley.”
QPR play Burnley on December 11.
“We need everyone to focus on it, not just the staff but the supporters too, because although these players are resilient, they need everyone to get behind this team as they have got what it takes.”
Hall represented the Jamaican national side in 48 matches between 1997 and 2003 scoring 14 goals. He was recently in charge as interim head coach during the latter stages of the Reggae Boyz failed World Cup campaign before he was replaced by Icelandic coach Heimir Hallgrimmson.
The English Football League (EFL) announced on Sunday that the Championship is set to return on the weekend of June 20, following in the footsteps of the Premier League, which will be back three days earlier.
In both divisions, all matches will be played behind closed doors as the threat of coronavirus remains and the EFL stressed that fixtures could only resume on the hoped-for date if "all safety requirements and government guidance is met".
But Hoos has suggested multiple teams, including QPR – who sit 13th in the table - are unsatisfied with the development, citing the lack of consultation ahead of the announcement and insufficient time for players to get themselves ready.
"I am absolutely stunned by this announcement, as is our Director of Football Les Ferdinand and our manager Mark Warburton," Hoos said to his club’s website.
"Incredibly, there has been absolutely no consultation with individual clubs nor with the Championship doctors' working group by the divisional representatives - or anyone else in the Football League – regarding this matter.
"On top of that, we were only made aware of the statement 40 minutes before it was made public."
Hoos added: "Having spoken with Les and Mark, they share my views. We are vehemently opposed to this schedule.
"The players haven't even returned to full-contact training at this moment and yet they are now expected to be in a position to play at a competitive level in just three weeks' time.
"I have made our feelings known to the EFL and, having spoken with a number of CEOs at other Championship clubs, I am not a lone voice on this matter.
"We are absolutely appalled."
