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• Niall Huggins stunner sets Sunderland on their way to win over Watford

  Niall Huggins’ brilliant first goal in professional football helped Sunderland to stay fourth in the Championship courtesy of a 2-0 win over Watford.

  It was a goal to remember for the 22-year-old full-back, who moved from Leeds two years ago, after his thunderous effort flew in off the underside of the bar two minutes before half-time.

  And this young Sunderland side went on to claim a sixth win from their last eight matches after Abdoullah Ba’s 62nd-minute header left Watford wondering when things will take a turn for the better.

  The Hornets, who handed head coach Valerien Ismael a contract extension on Tuesday, have only won once since the opening weekend of the season and sit 21st.

  Watford’s miserable night got worse with three minutes remaining when substitute Ryan Andrews was given a straight red card for a reckless tackle on Jack Clarke on halfway.

  Huggins’ opener arrived out of the blue. Even though Sunderland controlled much of the possession for the first half an hour they had very little to show for it.

  Patrick Roberts looked lively when he was on the ball but the only time the home side tested the goalkeeper was when Jobe Bellingham drove low into Daniel Bachmann’s arms.

  Other than that Watford grew in confidence as the half wore on and had worked Anthony Patterson from distance too.

  Tom Ince and Giorgi Chakvetadze, making his first start since moving on loan from Gent, both curled efforts into the arms of the Sunderland goalkeeper.

  Just when it seemed Watford might gain an advantage a crucial two minutes arrived just before the break and ended with the home side leading.

  Moments after referee Andy Davies allowed play to go on despite Sunderland captain Luke O’Nien appearing to consciously barge into Watford’s Francisco Sierralta at one end, there was a moment of brilliance at the other.

  Sunderland worked their way through the lines before Huggins took over on the right. He worked his way inside, beating Chakvetadze and then Wesley Hoedt, before his rasping 18-yard drive flew in off the bar.

  There were Watford complaints to the official as the two teams left the field and after the restart the visitors started the brighter without finding the net.

  Sunderland created the best of the second-half chances. Dan Ballard headed over from Roberts’ back post free-kick on the hour.

  Soon after that it was 2-0. When striker Mason Burstow clipped a cross to the back post, Bellingham headed back across the six-yard box where Ba was on hand to nod high into the net.

  After that it became a routine night. Substitute Adil Aouchiche had an effort cleared off the line by Ryan Porteous after he ran clean through and there was no way back after Andrews saw red.

• Haji Wright gives Coventry late win over Blackburn

  Haji Wright headed a late winner as Coventry made it consecutive wins with a 1-0 victory over Blackburn.

  The Sky Blues had hit the crossbar three times on the night, firstly through Matty Godden and Bobby Thomas, before Yasin Ayari’s effort rebounded off the woodwork only for Wright to nod home five minutes from time.

  The American’s second Sky Blues goal since his summer arrival from Antalyaspor condemned Rovers to their fourth straight defeat, with Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men having conceded 12 in the process.

  Rovers hit the crossbar themselves in the first half through on-loan Bournemouth defender James Hill, while Sammie Szmodics saw an early effort curl wide of Ben Wilson’s goal after good work from Tyrhys Dolan.

  Mark Robins’ Sky Blues pipped their visitors to a play-off place by one point last season, but the two came into the clash languishing in 14th and 18th in the league table after slow starts to the campaign.

  Hill went closest in a subdued first half when he crashed his thunderous effort against the crossbar, in what would have been a memorable way to mark the 21-year-old’s first league start for Rovers.

  Ellis Simms had opened his Sky Blues account with a brace against QPR in a welcome 3-1 win for Coventry at the weekend, but was kept quiet by the Rovers back-line which included former Sky Blue Dominic Hyam.

  Injury-plagued Coventry skipper Liam Kelly hobbled off 25 minutes into the contest and was replaced by Brighton loanee Ayari, who could have opened the scoring immediately for the hosts.

  He was picked out in acres of space in the box by Jay Dasilva, but scuffed his effort.

  Coventry rattled the crossbar for the first time merely 30 seconds after the restart when Sweden international Ayari cut back for Godden, but the Sky Blues’ top scorer could only lift his effort against the woodwork from close range.

  Blackburn had the ball in the net shortly after as Brighton loanee Andrew Moran celebrated what would have been his first career goal to a chorus of boos from the home crowd.

  However, after consulting his assistant, referee Jeremy Simpson deemed Moran had fouled goalkeeper Wilson by kicking the ball out of his hands and tapping home, keeping things all square.

  The goal in front of the traveling support was living a charmed life as Thomas was next to hit the woodwork, latching onto an out-swinging corner and firing his effort against Leopold Wahlstedt’s crossbar.

  Substitute Arnor Sigurdsson should have ended Coventry’s unbeaten home record when he found himself through on goal with two for company, but his tame effort was straight at the chest of the Sky Blues stopper.

  But on 85 minutes Coventry got the luck they felt they had deserved.

  Ayari’s effort rebounded off the crossbar before the Sky Blues’ record signing nodded home to secure Coventry’s second home win of the season.

• Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at the double as Leicester ease past Preston

  Leicester reclaimed the Championship summit after two second-half goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall either side of a Kelechi Iheanacho strike clinched a 3-0 win at home to promotion rivals Preston.

  The victory – the Foxes’ ninth in 10 Championship outings – lifted them back above Ipswich, who had moved a point clear on Tuesday by beating Hull.

  Referee Thomas Bramall took charge of this one after initial choice Darren England was stood down as a result of the fallout over his error as VAR in Liverpool’s Premier League loss at Tottenham on Saturday.

  Leicester bossed the early possession as third-placed Preston looked to catch them on a counter-attack but Abdul Fatawu’s shot – high and wide from a tricky angle – was all the hosts had to show for the first 10 minutes.

  Preston fancied their chances from set-pieces but Jack Whatmough, one of four changes following Saturday’s 4-0 loss at home to West Brom, saw his header from Robbie Brady’s free-kick drop well wide.

  Stephy Mavididi’s quick feet saw him skip past challengers to get into the Preston box on the left but when he slipped in Dewsbury-Hall he was denied by Liam Lindsay’s vital sliding block.

  Leicester were looking frustrated, prompting defender Wout Faes to have a go from distance and the Belgian scuffed it wide.

  Referee Bramall was the centre of attention in the 37th minute by ignoring home shouts for a penalty when Liam Millar barged Mavididi over.

  The half’s clearest chance fell to Preston but Duane Holmes, played through on the left by Ali McCann, fired wide with only goalkeeper Mads Hermansen to beat.

  The second period began with Wilfred Ndidi heading wide of the Preston goal and Dewsbury-Hall curling an effort that also failed to trouble North End goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.

  Holmes was soon back causing trouble at the other end however – and this time he forced Hermansen into a diving save with a low drive.

  Leicester broke the deadlock on the hour – and required a slice of good fortune to do so as Ndidi’s ball towards Jamie Vardy was inadvertently played towards his own goal by McCann, allowing Dewsbury-Hall to seize upon it and slot across Woodman.

  Leicester made sure of the points with a 76th-minute clincher from Iheanacho.

  Dewsbury-Hall moved swiftly to play Ndidi into a position where he could square the ball across the box for the striker to make a simple back-post finish.

  Preston thought they had pulled one back through Ben Woodburn but referee Bramall penalised the substitute for a pull on Faes’ shirt.

  Dewsbury-Hall made it 3-0 in the 90th minute on the rebound after Woodman had parried Iheanacho’s shot. Iheanacho had started the move himself with a ball to fellow sub Marc Albrighton.