Cardiff registered a fourth successive Championship win as they eased to a 2-0 victory over struggling Rotherham.
Second-half goals from striker Kion Etete and full-back Perry Ng were enough for the sixth-placed Bluebirds to claim all three points and continue their recent surge up the table.
It was not an encounter that will live long in the memory, but Erol Bulut’s home side were full value for the victory, with a dismal Rotherham team barely laying a glove on them all afternoon.
The first half could scarcely have been a drabber spectacle.
Both sides managed some neat and intricate passing, but largely in the middle third.
Cardiff enjoyed most of the territory and possession, but did very little with it.
Their best opportunity before the interval fell to captain Ryan Wintle who found space in the box in the 43rd minute, only for Rotherham goalkeeper Viktor Johansson to comfortably save his tame effort.
Before that, a scuffed attempt from right wing Yakou Meite and Etete’s speculative 20-yard shot was the closest the home side came to breaking the deadlock.
The Millers were even less threatening, ending the first half without creating a single opportunity worthy of note.
Their bluntness spoke volumes about their disappointing start to the campaign, but Cardiff fans will have expected more from the hosts.
Any momentum from the recent upturn in fortunes was nowhere to be seen, with the Bluebirds lacking urgency and attacking ideas.
With the second half came a marked increase in tempo from Cardiff – and they were rewarded with the opening goal in the 56th minute.
Left wing Karlan Grant exchanged passes with Joe Ralls on the flank and Grant’s cross was met by a downward header into the bottom corner from Etete, who outmuscled Rotherham full-back Cohen Bramall far too easily.
Cardiff’s dominance of the ball continued. Substitute Ollie Tanner – who replaced the injured Meite in the 18th minute – flashed a shot just wide, and Grant increasingly made his presence felt out wide.
Rotherham waited until the 80th minute to threaten an equaliser when substitute Arvin Appiah cut in from the right and sent a left-footed shot just over the crossbar.
It triggered a promising spell of pressure from the away side, but fashioning clear-cut chances remained a problem.
Cardiff, with centre-half Mark McGuinness outstanding, were rock solid at the back.
And just a minute before the end of normal time the Bluebirds counter-attacked for a second goal.
Ng rammed home a loose ball in the box after Rotherham botched an attempted clearance and the win was sealed.
Crew dedicate dramatic NYCFC victory to late NHL star Gaudreau
Cucho Hernandez dedicated Columbus Crew's dramatic last-gasp victory over New York City FC to the late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau.
The Crew struck twice in stoppage time to seal a 4-2 triumph and extend their winning streak across all competitions to eight matches.
Despite cancelling out Alonso Martinez's early strike through Diego Rossi and Maximilian Arfsten, Columbus were pegged back in the 86th minute by Mounsef Bakrar.
However, the hosts were not to be denied at Lower.com Field as DeJuan Jones and Jacen Russell-Rowe snatched victory in stoppage time, while Julian Fernandez was sent off for the visitors.
Striker Hernandez took to X to pay tribute to Gaudreau, who plied his trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, after the seven-time All-Star and his younger brother Matthew were killed in a bicycling accident in Philadelphia on Thursday.
"We would like to dedicate this victory to Johnny and his brother Matthew," he posted. "Our condolences to his family at this difficult time. May they rest in peace."
Championship: Brilliant Sunderland extend perfect start, comeback win for Oxford
Top-of-the-league Sunderland extended their perfect start to the season as they beat Portsmouth 3-1 at Fratton Park to secure their fourth Championship victory in as many matches.
The visitors went ahead 31 minutes into the match through a Zak Swanson own goal and never looked back.
It was an unfortunate moment for Swanson, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time when team-mate Jordan Williams’ clearance rebounded off him into the goal.
Republic of Ireland international Alan Browne added a second - his first since signing for Sunderland in the summer transfer window - six minutes into the second half, before Romaine Mundle made it 3-0 and killed the game as a contest in the 56th minute.
Portsmouth made four substitutions on the hour, including the introduction of deadline-day signing Mark O’Mahoney, but none were able to get their team back into the match.
The hosts managed just one shot on target before Luke O’Nien’s stoppage-time own goal gave them a consolation. They await their first victory of the campaign and sit 18th in the table.
Oxford United went up alongside Portsmouth, but enjoyed their afternoon a little more as they came from behind to beat Preston North End 3-1 at the Kassam Stadium.
It was a first defeat for Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom, who was appointed manager earlier in the month after Ryan Lowe was sacked.
The visitors started better, with Emil Riis Jakobsen opening the scoring after just three minutes. But in-form Mark Harris levelled after 20 minutes with a header as he scored for the fourth straight league game.
It was to get even better for Oxford in the second half when Tyler Goodrham put them into the lead with a spectacular strike. Preston were then reduced to 10 men, with Liam Lindsay picking up a second booking in the 70th minute, and Greg Leigh wrapped up the points a minute later.
The win takes Oxford to eighth, while Preston are in 21st, one place below Sheffield Wednesday who were beaten 3-0 by Millwall at the New Den.
Josh Coburn scored on his debut for the hosts in the second half, before goals from Duncan Watmore and Jake Cooper secured Millwall’s first win of the season. For Wednesday, it’s now three straight defeats.
Unbeaten Leeds United went fourth in the table following a 2-0 victory over Hull City, who sit 19th and are still waiting for their first victory of the campaign.
Second-half goals from Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe at Elland Road helped Leeds secure back-to-back victories for the first time this season.
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life after Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
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