Scott Smith’s first goal in senior football was enough to send Wigan into the top half of Sky Bet League One thanks to a 1-0 victory over play-off chasing Blackpool.

After a keenly contested opening 20 minutes, Wigan came closer to opening the scoring when Jordan Jones’ left-wing cross was headed just wide by Thelo Aasgaard.

But the home side did hit the front after 26 minutes, with Jones again crossing from the left and this time 23-year-old Smith popping up from right wing-back to force the ball over the line.

Blackpool’s immediate attempts at a leveller were foiled when George Byers’ shot was comfortably saved by Sam Tickle, who then made a brilliant stop to deny substitute Shayne Lavery – who had replaced the injured Jordan Rhodes.

The visitors showed they had not given up the fight early in the second half when Matt Pennington went right through the back of Stephen Humphrys, only to escape with a yellow card.

Indeed, Wigan boss Shaun Maloney was so angered he was shown a yellow card by referee James Linington.

Blackpool sent on Kyle Joseph in search of an equaliser, and the Wigan Academy graduate almost found a leveller when he nodded a deep cross just wide of the far post.

Tom Cleverley celebrated his first match in interim charge of Watford with three points thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win against strugglers Birmingham.

Emmanuel Dennis’ 44th-minute strike, following an error from the home side, proved enough for Watford to leave St Andrew’s with maximum points.

The Hornets steer further clear of the relegation zone and leave Birmingham embedded in the battle to stay up.

Blues made a bright start to the match, applying early pressure on the Watford defence, and Koji Miyoshi dragged wide the hosts’ first chance of the match.

Ethan Laird then narrowly flicked over Juninho Bacuna’s near-post corner before Bacuna found space in the penalty area and had a goal-bound shot blocked.

An energised Birmingham side continued to press for the breakthrough and Bacuna again had a shot blocked inside the penalty area when well placed.

Watford managed to momentarily threaten the Blues goal when Tom Dele-Bashiru curled a left-footed effort over the crossbar.

A second corner fashioned another chance for the hosts as Daniel Bachmann was forced to dive across his goal line and claim an Emanuel Aiwu header.

Birmingham were the masters of their own downfall as they gifted Watford the opening goal.

Aiwu could not control Cody Drameh’s throw-in across his own penalty area and Dennis got the better of the defender before finishing ruthlessly past John Ruddy.

The goal lifted the visitors and Dennis forced Ruddy into a smart low save to deny the striker a quick second goal before half-time.

Watford started the second half the brighter of the two sides and Lee Buchanan had to clear a Mattie Pollock effort off the line before Yaser Asprilla’s shot was cleared over the crossbar.

Birmingham managed to get back into the ascendency and Ivan Sunjic had a good chance to draw the hosts level.

Jay Stansfield drove forward and Sunjic picked up the loose ball in the penalty area but sliced a shot wide from close range.

Blues continued to search for an equaliser and Bachmann made an excellent save to beat away Miyoshi’s drive at goal after an initial effort from Aiwu was blocked.

Substitute Vakoun Bayo nearly made an instant impact for the visitors as his stretching shot flashed across Ruddy’s goal and wide.

Miyoshi spurned another opportunity for the hosts as they continued to apply the pressure on the Watford defence.

Tyler Roberts had a late chance on goal, but Bachmann got down well to save and preserve the points for the visitors.

Kilmarnock scored three goals in an incredible seven-minute spell to complete a breathtaking 5-2 comeback win over St Mirren at Rugby Park.

More than 2,000 away fans travelled through to Ayrshire and they were singing about playing in the Europa League at half-time as they led 2-0 courtesy of goals from Charles Dunne and Michael Mandron.

The hosts were miles off the pace in the first half but they were unrecognisable after the break as they blew the Saints away to win.

Kyle Vassell got them back into the game on the hour before Danny Armstrong and Marley Watkins completed the comeback with goals in quick succession to leave St Mirren shell-shocked.

The home support were in complete disbelief at Kilmarnock’s barnstorming turnaround and they were sent into dreamland when Vassell scored his second before David Watson added the icing on the cake with a sensational solo effort.

Both sides entered the encounter with realistic European ambitions but the home win moves fourth-placed Kilmarnock two points ahead of their opponents.

In stark contrast to the second-half madness, it was an uneventful opening to the game before Charles Dunne opened the scoring for the visitors in the 20th minute.

Kilmarnock failed to clear Greg Kiltie’s corner and the ball fell invitingly for Dunne to powerfully rifle the ball past Dennis for his first goal in six years.

The hosts struggled to respond but they almost equalised in the 35th minute when Watkins’ looping header from Armstrong’s free-kick was brilliantly tipped over by Zach Hemming.

St Mirren had a strong penalty claim denied in the 38th minute but they were not frustrated for long as they scored from the resulting corner. There was a sense of deja vu as Kiltie’s corner was not dealt with and Mandron bundled home from close range.

Derek McInnes’ message to his players during the interval clearly had an impact as Killie threatened on multiple occasions before captain Vassell scored their first on the hour, wriggling clear of two defenders in the box to prod the ball past Hemming.

Vassell’s goal galvanised Killie and they were back on level terms just four minutes later when referee Ross Hardie awarded them a penalty. Ryan Flynn clumsily barged into Watkins and Armstrong confidently converted.

Killie were rampant and Watkins scored their third goal in a crazy seven-minute spell with a deft header from Armstrong’s cross in the 68th minute.

Vassell doubled the hosts’ advantage five minutes later when he raced onto a long-ball before producing an excellent drilled finish into the bottom corner.

Watson saved the best for last as he embarked on a mazy run before slotting post Hemming in the 79th minute to complete a dream second-half for Kilmarnock.

Aberdeen recorded their first cinch Premiership victory of 2024 with a 1-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park.

Leighton Clarkson slammed home the decisive goal after 25 minutes to end a run of 12 games without a league win for the Dons and move them three points clear of second-bottom Ross County.

Motherwell thought they had drawn themselves level when Lennon Miller found the net five minutes before half-time but they were denied following a lengthy VAR check.

Aberdeen leapfrogged St Johnstone into ninth, while Motherwell’s chances of a top-six spot are fading fast after losing ground on sixth-placed Hibernian.

There was a controversial moment inside the opening 40 seconds when Junior Hoilett was shown a yellow card for a dive inside the box.

Dons striker Bojan Miovski came close to ending his run of seven games without a goal with a deft chip that sailed just past the post.

Motherwell almost opened the scoring with their first opportunity. Blair Spittal’s free-kick was only partially cleared and it required a vital block by Jack MacKenzie to divert Dan Casey’s close-range effort behind for a corner.

Dons caretaker Peter Leven was forced into an early change as Nicky Devlin hobbled off and was replaced by Jack Milne in the 22nd minute.

Aberdeen made the breakthrough thanks to a controlled finish from Clarkson after Miovski’s shot had cannoned off the post.

Motherwell responded in a positive fashion. Sam Nicholson passed up a good opportunity to level after superbly controlling Stephen O’Donnell’s pass from deep inside his own half before firing against the legs of Kelle Roos.

It looked like Miller had found an equaliser when he angled a low drive that deflected beyond Roos. However, his goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check deemed Theo Bair to have handled in the build-up.

An eventful first half ended with further chances. Connor Barron should have doubled Aberdeen’s lead after he rose unmarked to meet Hoilett’s corner and Liam Kelly was then forced into a good stop to turn Miovski’s goal-bound shot over the bar.

Stuart Kettlewell made a double change at half-time as he introduced Georgie Gent and Andy Halliday in place of Bevis Mugabi and Nicholson.

The hosts were struggling to break through the stubborn Dons defence and they almost found themselves two goals behind when Miovski brought out a fantastic one-handed save from Kelly.

Spittal had a tame effort gathered, before Casey took the brunt of a fizzing Jamie McGrath shot in the face.

Two fine saves from Roos in quick succession kept out Bair and the Canadian striker then glanced wide from his third chance in the space of a minute.

Halliday was next to force a crucial save from Roos with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

The away side were still offering a threat on the counter-attack, and Kelly produced some heroics of his own to deny Dante Polvara.

Luton salvaged a critical point in their bid for Premier League survival as substitute Luke Berry struck in the 89th minute to rescue a 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest at Kenilworth Road.

Rob Edwards’ side were facing slipping six points behind Forest, staring down defeat near the end of a cagey, nervous game that looked to have been settled by Chris Wood’s first-half goal for the visitors, brilliantly set up by Morgan Gibbs-White.

After capitulating when 3-0 up against Bournemouth on Wednesday, Luton were in dire need of a psychological uplift and it duly arrived in the final moments.

Reece Burke headed the ball goalwards from a corner and there responding quickest to lash it home from inside the six-yard box was Berry to keep Forest looking nervously over their shoulder in the table.

Luton had made by far the stronger start. Three times in the opening 15 minutes Ross Barkley tried his luck from range, the first two efforts requiring saves from goalkeeper Matz Sels before a third whistled by his left-hand post.

After the pain of defeat at the Vitality Stadium, it was a dominant start during which Luton rarely allowed Forest to advance out of their own half.

The visitors did eventually get a grip and carve out two chances of their own. Divock Origi dashed through and attempted a chipped finish over Thomas Kaminski but failed to apply the requisite power, before Willy Boly glanced a header wide from a free-kick when firmer contact was needed.

Forest were increasingly a threat. They should have led on the half-hour mark but for a sensational sliding clearance off the line from Burke to deny Origi. It would be a momentary reprieve.

They took a deserved lead soon after and it owed much to the vision and delivery of Gibbs-White. Neco Williams – quiet until this point – picked him out after finding space with the ball on the right, but there was much work still to do.

Gibbs-White did it with aplomb, taking a touch with his right foot, turning and chipping it up for Wood to meet with a long, hanging right leg to nudge Forest in front.

Williams might have undone his team-mates’ fine work had his clearance from Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu’s cross not cleared the crossbar by a fraction. From the corner, Teden Mengi muscled the ball into the net but was rightly denied an equaliser by a handball decision.

Defeat for freefalling Luton would be their sixth in seven in the league. They had not won since beating Brighton late in January and things threatened to get worse for them after the break.

Anthony Elanga linked with Origi and rocketed through on goal, dinking the ball just beyond Kaminski, who got the faintest yet critical touch. There to deny him with a heroic clearance from the goal line was Mengi, a stunning intervention to keep Luton fighting.

Edwards needed a strong finish from his side, but as the second half rolled on there seemed little sign it would come. Forest were comfortable, the early harrying with which Luton had tormented them doused by tired legs and tired minds.

There were the odd signs of life. Jordan Clark never gave up down the right, running hard with and without the ball, determined not let his team go down easy. Barkley, quieter after some early creative energy, always looked like he could reignite at any moment.

Then with time almost up and all hope with it, Burke headed on at a corner and Berry whacked the ball in to salvage a point.

Hibernian moved back into the cinch Premiership’s top six with an emphatic 3-0 win at home to Livingston.

Jordan Obita, Myziane Maolida and Adam Le Fondre were on target within the first 22 minutes as the hosts blew away their struggling visitors.

Livingston were in danger of suffering an even heavier loss but managed to regroup to at least put up a fight for the rest of the game.

The result left Hibs two points clear of Dundee, who face Rangers on Sunday, in sixth place.

Bottom side Livingston, who were hit by a bug that swept through the squad earlier in the week, slipped 10 points behind second-bottom Ross County and now seem certain to be playing Championship football next season.

The hosts flew out of the blocks as they stormed into a commanding two-goal lead inside seven minutes.

Livingston had barely had a touch of the ball by the time Obita stroked home the first after five minutes, such was the home side’s dominance.

Nectar Triantis burst forward from midfield and found Le Fondre in the box.

The forward’s teasing pass was cut out by Jamie Brandon at the front post, but Obita was left with a simple tap-in.

There was no let-up from Hibs and they soon doubled their lead.

Joe Newell’s pass picked out Elie Youan and the Frenchman’s square ball was tucked away by Maolida from 12 yards.

Any game plan Livingston had of trying to frustrate Hibs was ripped up and even at such an early stage the game appeared set to become a damage limitation exercise for the away team.

To Livingston’s credit, they regained some sort of composure and at least asked questions of the Hibs defence by getting crosses into the box.

The third goal from Hibs in the 22nd minute actually came when Livingston were on the attack.

Chris Cadden led the counter and found Youan with a sliding pass and the forward’s ball across the box was gratefully dispatched by Le Fondre.

Livingston goalkeeper Shamal George denied Hibs a fourth before the break when he pushed Le Fondre’s stinging drive from an angle behind for a corner.

Livingston at least got a shot away in the second half when Mo Sangare saw his effort tipped behind by substitute goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott.

But the second period was largely a non-event as Hibs eased their way to the points.

Daniel Udoh’s first-half goal secured Shrewsbury their first home win in seven league games with a 1-0 victory over rock-bottom Carlisle.

After a quiet opening 40 minutes, Shrewsbury broke the deadlock just before the interval through leading scorer Udoh.

The 27-year-old received a ball into the box and did well to hold off a defender before spinning and firing past Harry Lewis at his near post.

Shrewsbury nearly doubled their lead three minutes later when Carl Winchester struck from inside the box, but Lewis tipped the ball out for a corner.

Carlisle came close to an equaliser through Dan Butterworth just before the hour.

He won the ball high up the pitch before dancing around the Shrewsbury defence and attempting a shot from close range, but Marko Marosi did well to save and clear the danger.

Butterworth went close again soon after from a free-kick on the edge of the box, but his effort whistled past the post.

That was as close as the visitors would come and Udoh almost snatched a second late on with an effort from the edge of the box which flew over the bar.

Rotherham ended their harrowing losing streak in the Championship by holding 10-man Huddersfield to a 0-0 draw.

The Millers avoided a 10th straight loss with the stalemate but they remain rooted to the bottom of the Championship and are 19 points adrift of safety with their last win back on Boxing Day.

The result did little to ease Huddersfield’s own relegation fears and they failed to create a golden chance in the match and will now see Sorba Thomas suspended after he picked up two yellow cards.

They remain in the bottom three with just eight league wins all season.

The first opportunity came the way of the visitors with Delano Burgzorg working hard for the ball in the final third and slipping a pass to Jack Rudoni, who fired straight at Viktor Johansson.

Rotherham were inches away from going in front when Andy Rinomhota’s curling effort rebounded off the post and Charlie Wyke’s follow-up went over the bar.

Thomas then flashed an effort across the box after a promising counter-attack.

Huddersfield have relied on their defenders to chip in with the goals and Matty Pearson headed just off target from Thomas’ free-kick.

The visitors then threatened from a corner with David Kasumu firing through a host of bodies but his effort was gathered by Johansson.

Peter Kioso’s powerful cross was then met at the back post on the volley by Seb Revan but it was off target.

Huddersfield were dealt a blow after 59 minutes with Thomas picking up a second yellow card for fouling an onrushing Ollie Rathbone.

Cafu almost added further punishment as he lashed the resulting free-kick just over the bar.

The game had become pretty open and Rudoni looked to take advantage when he latched onto a quickly taken free-kick and shot from the edge of the box, but again it was easily gathered by Johansson.

A chance fell to Rathbone on the edge of the box but his powerful effort was straight at Lee Nicholls.

Johansson was brought into action again by Burgzorg after Jaheim Headley had teed up the striker down the left side of the penalty area.

Huddersfield’s best weapon appeared to be from set-pieces and a couple of corners had to be dealt with by strong goalkeeping from Johansson.

Another corner was headed away strongly by Sean Morrison deep into added time and Tom Edwards lashed the follow-up well over the bar.

Matt Butcher bagged a brace as Wycombe made it a hat-trick of league wins with a 2-0 victory over Northampton.

The mid-table clash looked destined to peter out into a dour draw before Butcher lit up Adams Park with his first and second league goals for the club.

Home goalkeeper Franco Ravizzoli was the first to be tested as he kept out Tony Springett’s effort low to his left.

Louie Moulden denied Freddie Potts a goal to savour from 25 yards after Gideon Kodua headed the ball into his path.

After the break, Dale Taylor was denied by the visiting keeper.

But the deadlock was broken in the 69th minute as Kieran Sadlier took a quick throw to Butcher, who drove into the box and fired into the far corner.

Down the other end, Ravizzoli kept out Kieron Bowie one-on-one.

Butcher’s second was even better as he curled home a fine strike, after being found by Sadlier again, with five minutes to go.

Massimiliano Allegri wants Juventus to get their rapidly derailing Serie A season back on track against Genoa on Sunday before the international break gives their title rivals chance to breathe.

Juve have won only one of their last seven league matches, losing three, and last weekend’s 2-2 home draw with Atalanta allowed AC Milan to take over as top side Inter’s closest challengers for the Scudetto.

Next opponents Genoa have been less than impressive away from home this term and Bianconeri head coach Allegri hopes this offers his team an opportunity to put a match to bed and make a statement before his players disappear on international duty.

He told a press conference: “We’ve had a good week, we all understand the period we’re going through.

“We’ve decided to stay together as a team for one more evening, knowing that we need to get back on track. We have goals to reach and we know tomorrow’s importance.

“In the last few games we haven’t given up many chances, but have conceded a lot of goals.

“At times that can happen. We need to improve defensively as a team, not just as individuals. There are some mistakes that we need to resolve and we’re working on it.”

On his selection issues, the Tuscan boss added: “We’re without (Arkadiusz) Milik and we’ll have to re-evaluate him after the international break, but (Mattia) Perin and (Mattia) De Sciglio are back. We have all of our forwards available, like (Moise) Kean.

“(Adrien) Rabiot doesn’t have 90 minutes in the tank just yet but just having him available is a positive.”

Genoa head to the Allianz Stadium on the back of two straight defeats, the first to Inter, while a 3-2 home defeat by Monza is still stinging a week later.

Head coach Alberto Gilardino, the former AC Milan and Parma striker, told reporters: “Allegri is a really great manager and Juve have a very strong squad full of world-class players.

“They’ve won a lot and are on an arc of improvement with lots of young stars coming through alongside plenty of experienced, quality players. They started the season among the favourites to win the title this year.

“They’re a difficult team to go up against as they have players who can change the game at any moment. But, as we saw in the first game, what counts is what we can do out on the pitch.

“We need to maintain great balance and pay even more attention to the fine details so we can maximise what the team, and the individual players, are trying to do.”

Barcelona boss Xavi said on-loan forward Joao Felix is “super motivated” for Sunday’s LaLiga clash against his parent club Atletico Madrid.

Portugal international Felix, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Chelsea, will return to the Metropolitano Stadium for the first time since joining Barca in September.

Felix has scored eight goals in all competitions for Xavi’s side, including the winner against Atletico in Barca’s home fixture in December, since arriving on a season-long loan.

Xavi told a press conference: “He likes fiery atmospheres to show his worth. Joao has a strong personality. He is not afraid and really wants to show what he can do and his character.

“He has all he needs for a great performance, just like the one from earlier in the season (when Barca beat Atletico 1-0) – he’s super motivated.”

Atletico pair Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay are also hoping to face their former club in a game Xavi described as a “vital one, like all the ones that remain because we need to pick up points in the league”.

Barca currently sit third in the table and are running out of chances to cut the sizeable gap to leaders Real Madrid.

Atletico, in fourth place, six points adrift of Barca, are unbeaten at home in the league in 14 matches this season.

Diego Simeone’s side bounced back from last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Cadiz by beating Inter Milan on penalties in midweek to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Xavi, whose side also progressed to the last eight of the Champions League in midweek after overcoming Napoli, added: “The game is against a Champions League rival and they showed that the other day (against Inter). It will be a really tough away game and I think both sides are in good form.

“I’m sure it will be a great game and let’s hope we can pick up three points, although I don’t think they have lost at home in the league since we won there last season (January 2023).”

Xavi said he was hopeful both Marcos Alonso and Ferran Torres can recover from injury in time to feature in his squad.

Wolves boss Gary O’Neil described the behaviour of Coventry counterpart Mark Robins “disgusting” after he celebrated his side’s remarkable FA Cup quarter-final win in the face of a 13-year-old ball boy.

The Championship outfit stunned their Premier League opponents with two goals in added time to seal a 3-2 victory and book a first semi-final in this competition since they won it in 1987.

It was after Haji Wright’s winner at the death that Robins showed a rare sight of emotion by celebrating in front of a ball boy, who had irked him moments before.

Robins offered an unprompted apology in his press conference after the game, but O’Neil said the teenager was left distressed.

“I was disappointed, I waited for Mark downstairs and spoke to him because I was really respectful at the end, having lost a massive game, waited for them to finish their celebrations, shook everyone’s hands, congratulated them on a real good performance, reaching Wembley and what a fantastic achievement it was,” O’Neil said.

“And he apologised, but to celebrate in a young boy’s face like that I thought was disgusting, the boy is really upset. It shouldn’t happen, but I don’t have too much to say about it because we have lost and it’s going to seem bitter.

“But I thought it was really important to speak to Mark about it because they are just kids doing a job.”

Robins was regretful afterwards and admitted to letting his emotions get the better of him.

He said: “I have an apology to make, before the winner went in, the ball boy has the ball, a young kid, so I am apologising to him, he has the ball in his hand, drops it and walks away smiling.

“It really annoyed me, but he’s a kid, at the end of the day I have reacted, we scored the goal and I went and celebrated in front of him.

“I apologise to him. I do not show emotion very often and before that happened I apologise to him, I don’t show emotion very often but that is what the FA Cup does to you. I apologise to him unreservedly to him.”

It is little surprise Robins was emotional given the manner of an unbelievable climax at Molineux.

It looked like they would be leaving with broken hearts after two goals in the final 10 minutes from Rayan Ait-Nouri and Hugo Bueno overturned Ellis Simms’ opener and seemed to set a Wembley date for Wolves.

But the Sky Blues were not done and in nine minutes of time added on they turned the last-eight tie around again, with Simms grabbing a second and then Wright earning himself folklore by grabbing the winner.

They are into just a second semi-final in this competition, with the last one coming en route to lifting the cup 37 years ago.

With some of the teams still left in this year’s edition, Robins is not overly optimistic of a repeat of that famous win over Tottenham.

Asked if he thought they could win the competition, Robins said: “Did you say win the competition? You do realise who is left in?

“Well, we have got a small chance. We are going to Wembley and we are going to enjoy that game, I don’t want to go there and just make the numbers up. We know, are not stupid, the levels go up all of the time.”

Luke Williams believed Swansea produced the “most complete performance” of his tenure so far as they claimed a 2-0 Championship victory over derby rivals Cardiff.

Liam Cullen put Swansea ahead in the 34th minute before missing a penalty six minutes into the second half.

But Jamal Lowe bagged his seventh goal of the season – in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage-time – to cap off a fine win for the Swans, who ended the Bluebirds’ four-game winning streak.

It was Swansea’s fifth win from six matches against Cardiff and went some way to avenging their 2-0 loss in the reverse fixture last September.

“We won in a really positive way, I can’t argue with the way we went about it today,” said the Swansea boss.

“I think the combination of intensity and aggression combined with calmness and clarity is something we’re all striving for.

“I think it’s fair to say we’ve seen one or the other in recent performances or we’ve seen periods where we’ve done both well.

“But today felt like the most complete performance so far.

“It’s unrealistic for us to expect to not have any pressure (against us), but we were very dominant for the majority of the game and the big chances in the game, we created all of them.”

Meanwhile, opposite number Erol Bulut admitted some of his players went “hiding” as Cardiff failed to cope with the hosts’ intensity in the first-half.

The Bluebirds failed to register a single shot on target in the opening 45 and – on the whole – flattered to deceive as they missed out on securing a first-ever league double over the Swans.

And Bulut was less than impressed with the way his players started the contest at the Swansea.com Stadium.

“With the pressing Swansea made against us, we had to keep the ball in midfield, but we didn’t ask for the ball in midfield, we were hiding too much in the midfield,” he said.

“If you are hiding, you cannot get out of the press. You have to ask for the ball, this was not there in the first half.

“That’s why in the second half I made the changes, bringing two players in and we managed it a little bit better and the rest who came in, I think it was quite good.

“We will not put our heads down and make big trouble of this because we lost.

“When we see the last weeks, how we worked and how we came back when we’ve been on the bottom, we will be back again.

“We still have eight games to play, we have the international break, we will rest well, train well and come back strong again.”

Swansea were dealt a blow as Ben Cabango missed out with a calf injury and is now poised to be unavailable for Wales’ Euro 2024 play-off campaign.

Cabango’s fellow defender Kyle Naughton was withdrawn during the derby due to a hamstring issue, with Williams stating the injury “doesn’t look good”.

Swansea claimed the south Wales derby bragging rights with a 2-0 win over Cardiff.

Liam Cullen volleyed beyond Ethan Horvath – his sixth goal of the season – after 34 minutes in what was a dominant first-half showing from Swansea.

Cullen then missed a penalty in the 51st minute as Cardiff improved in the second half, but Jamal Lowe struck in injury-time to earn Luke Williams’ men all three points.

It ensured the Swans earned back-to-back home wins for the first time under Williams, while defeat ended Cardiff’s four-game winning run.

The Swans clearly meant business as they sought to avenge their 2-0 loss in the reverse fixture – with Harry Darling and Cullen having decent efforts early on.

Cardiff looked nervy and almost fell behind in the 16th minute when Jamie Paterson’s lofted cross found Darling unmarked, although the centre-back’s header crashed off the crossbar.

The hosts were left incensed moments later when Yakou Meite escaped a red card for pushing his head into the face of Darling.

The Bluebirds eventually showed signs of settling and saw Dimitrios Goutas poke wide from a David Turnbull corner.

But Swansea got the breakthrough their efforts warranted just after the half-hour mark following sublime work from January signing Ronald.

The Brazilian winger lifted the ball over Josh Wilson-Esbrand before darting 40 yards upfield and laying off to Kyle Naughton.

The experienced defender’s floated delivery found Cullen, who coolly volleyed beyond Horvath at the back post to send the home fans into raptures.

Ronald himself then rifled over as the Swans looked for a second, and Erol Bulut will no doubt have been pleased to reach half-time with his side only a goal down.

The Cardiff boss sent Rubin Colwill and Callum O’Dowda on for Turnbull and Meite, although they made a disastrous start to the second-half as Perry Ng conceded a penalty for dragging down Ronald.

However, first-half goal hero Cullen could only fire the spot-kick wide to give Cardiff hope.

The miss certainly lifted Cardiff’s spirits, with Nat Phillips heading at Carl Rushworth before Colwill lashed over as the visitors finally threatened.

Bulut’s men enjoyed more periods in possession as Ollie Tanner and Josh Key replaced Josh Bowler and Naughton respectively.

Ronald – now on the left flank – continued to show his quality though and beautifully picked out Cullen who headed wide.

Ollie Cooper, Lowe and Jay Fulton were all summoned from the bench, while Wales star Aaron Ramsey returned after a month on the sidelines with 19 minutes left on the clock.

The final stages were cagey as Horvath comfortably gathered Matt Grimes’ free-kick before Goutas headed over at the other end.

But Lowe rounded Horvath before drilling into the net in the sixth minute of added time as Swansea clinched a third successive home win over their neighbours, who lost ground in the race for a Sky Bet Championship play-off spot.

Coventry stunned Premier League Wolves with two goals in injury time to seal an amazing 3-2 win and book a first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 1987.

The Sky Blues went on to win the competition that year in one of the most famous finals ever and they kept their hopes of another unlikely triumph this season alive after a remarkable climax at Molineux.

It looked like they would be leaving with broken hearts after two goals in the final 10 minutes from Rayan Ait-Nouri and Hugo Bueno overturned Ellis Simms’ opener and seemed to set a Wembley date for Wolves.

But the Championship side were not done and in nine minutes of time added on they turned the quarter-final tie around again, with Simms grabbing a second and then Haji Wright earning himself folklore by grabbing the winner.

It was a dramatic ending to a breathless derby, which the Championship side probably deserved to win.

Coventry survived a couple of early scares as Mario Lemina and Nelson Semedo missed chances, but having absorbed the pressure, the visitors missed a golden chance of their own to go ahead and Simms will not want reminding of it.

After Jose Sa had palmed Kasey Palmer’s shot into the path of Jake Bidwell, the wing-back set up a simple tap-in from close range after rolling the ball across goal, but Simms got his feet in a mess and somehow put his shot straight at Sa.

The momentum had suddenly switched and two more glorious chance came for Coventry before half-time as Simms played in Milan van Ewijk, who looked prime to score until Sa made a fine block and the Wolves keeper was grateful to an unmarked Palmer for cushioning the ball straight at him.

The Sky Blues finally made the breakthrough eight minutes after the restart as Simms made amends for his earlier howler.

Liam Kitching headed a free-kick back across goal to the far post where Simms appeared to bundle the ball in with his arm.

But it survived a lengthy four-minute VAR check to give the travelling supporters a second chance to celebrate.

They should have been celebrating another goal soon after as their side bombarded Wolves’ goal.

Sa had to make a double save, first keeping out Wright’s effort with his feet and then parrying away Josh Eccles’ effort from the rebound.

After Sa then rolled the ball to Matt Doherty, the Republic of Ireland wing-back was dispossessed in a dangerous area and Palmer put a shot agonisingly wide.

They could have done with one of those chances going in as the inevitable Wolves onslaught came in the final 20 minutes.

Joao Gomes saw a vicious effort tipped onto the post by Bradley Collins and then Ait-Nouri hit the other post with a header soon after.

But Wolves remained ragged at the other end and only a one-man show from Sa stopped Coventry from killing the tie.

The Portugal keeper pulled off three big saves to keep the score at 1-0, palming away efforts from Simms and Callum O’Hare and then denying Kitching at close range.

And he was rewarded as Wolves levelled in the 83rd minute when Joel Latibeaudiere could not clear a cross and Ait-Nouri slammed home the loose ball.

The writing appeared on the wall for Coventry as Ait-Nouri surged forward, playing in Bueno, who made no mistake.

But in the sixth minute of time added on Simms headed home at the far post after Bobby Thomas had flicked on Bidwell’s cross.

There was time for more drama as in the 10th minute Simms teed up Wright to steer Coventry to a famous victory.