Blackburn Rovers 1 – 0 Preston North End (Fri 20 Feb)

🏟️ Ewood Park | 👥 Attendance: 19,792

A drab Lancashire derby was settled in the most dramatic fashion, with substitute Yuki Ohashi heading home Eiran Cashin’s deep cross in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Michael O’Neill a winning start to his first home game as Blackburn boss. Preston, who had hit the woodwork twice through Alfie Devine, were left to rue their wastefulness in front of goal — registering only three shots across the entire match — as Rovers claimed a crucial three points in their survival fight.

⚽ Goals: Ohashi (90’+5)

Key Moment: Ohashi’s looping header from Cashin’s cross found the corner in added time, sparking wild celebrations on the Blackburn bench — including O’Neill slipping over on the turf in the excitement.

What It Means: Blackburn extend their cushion over the relegation zone to six points, while Preston miss a chance to strengthen their play-off credentials.

Stoke City 2 – 2 Leicester City

🏟️ bet365 Stadium | 👥 Attendance: 23,997

Gary Rowett’s first game as Leicester boss ended in a frustrating draw after Ben Wilmot denied the Foxes with an 89th-minute equaliser, poking home at the far post to cancel out Harry Winks’ earlier second-half strike. Leicester had been the better side after the break, inspired by on-loan 18-year-old Divine Mukasa’s curling equaliser, and came agonisingly close to a winner in added time — hitting the bar and the post as Stoke hung on.

⚽ Goals: Wilmot (3′, 89′); Mukasa (52′), Winks (76′)

Key Moment: Luke Thomas somehow headed against the post from point-blank range deep in injury time as Leicester were denied what would have been a morale-boosting winner for Rowett’s tenure.

What It Means: Leicester remain in the relegation zone, while Stoke extend their winless run to seven games — neither side will be happy with a point.

Swansea City 1 – 0 Bristol City

🏟️ Swansea.com Stadium | 👥 Attendance: 18,009

Championship leading scorer Žan Vipotnik notched his 16th league goal of the season — a clinical volley after Neto Borges headed a cross back across his own goalmouth — to secure a seventh win in eight home games for Swansea. Bristol City were perhaps unfortunate, hitting the woodwork twice through Sinclair Armstrong and Emil Riis and enjoying long spells of pressure, but were punished for poor finishing in front of goal. Vitor Matos’ transformation of Swansea continues to gather pace.

⚽ Goals: Vipotnik (26′)

Key Moment: Armstrong’s early near-post shot struck the post when it looked easier to score, setting the tone for a frustrating afternoon for Gerhard Struber’s side.

What It Means: Swansea climb to 15th, staying in touch with the play-off conversation, while Bristol City’s gap to the top six grows to four points.

West Bromwich Albion 0 – 2 Coventry City

🏟️ The Hawthorns | 👥 Attendance: N/A

Coventry City delivered a masterclass in professional away football at The Hawthorns, making it back-to-back wins over their promotion rivals. Ephron Mason-Clark lobbed a magnificent opener inside five minutes after Milan van Ewijk’s clever lay-off, before Jack Rudoni — ending a 21-game drought — unleashed a stunning left-footed rocket from 25 yards to double the advantage before half time. West Brom, who have not won since 29 December, remained toothless throughout and were booed off at the final whistle.

⚽ Goals: Mason-Clark (5′), Rudoni (32′)

Key Moment: Rudoni’s rocket — a first-time left-foot strike from outside the box that gave Max O’Leary no chance — was the moment that killed the game and summed up Coventry’s clinical quality.

What It Means: Coventry go three points clear at the top of the Championship. West Brom remain just one point above the relegation zone under Eric Ramsay.

Middlesbrough 0 – 0 Oxford United

🏟️ Riverside Stadium | 👥 Attendance: 28,918

A frustrating afternoon for Middlesbrough as they were held to a goalless draw by relegation-threatened Oxford, who twice rattled the frame of the goal in the first half through Stanley Mills and Myles Peart-Harris. Boro improved significantly after the break and created a glut of chances through Hackney, Conway and Whittaker, but Jamie Cumming produced a string of fine saves — including a point-blank stop to deny Conway twice — to earn Oxford a priceless point on the road.

⚽ Goals: None

Key Moment: Cumming’s second point-blank save to deny Tommy Conway in the second half — the type of stop that frustrates home sides and galvanises travelling ones.

What It Means: Boro now trail Coventry by three points and hold a six-point cushion over third-placed Millwall, while Oxford close to five points from safety.

Millwall 1 – 3 Portsmouth

🏟️ The Den | 👥 Attendance: 19,153

Portsmouth turned on the style in a 22-minute second-half blitz to inflict a damaging defeat on Millwall’s automatic promotion hopes. Gustavo Caballero’s powerful strike 30 seconds into the second half opened the floodgates, before John Swift’s piledriver from the edge of the box doubled the lead. Casper de Norre’s curling effort gave Millwall brief hope, but Marlon Pack’s instinctive finish settled matters. John Mousinho’s side recorded their second win in London in five days, following victory at Charlton.

⚽ Goals: De Norre (64′); Caballero (46′), Swift (55′), Pack (67′)

Key Moment: Caballero’s goal within 30 seconds of the restart was the spark that ignited the whole match — Pompey’s tempo simply overwhelmed Millwall for the next 22 minutes.

What It Means: Portsmouth move six points clear of the relegation zone. Millwall remain third but are now six points behind Middlesbrough and must bounce back quickly.

Norwich City 1 – 2 Birmingham City

🏟️ Carrow Road | 👥 Attendance: 26,537

Birmingham produced an electric first-half display to race into a two-goal lead at Carrow Road — their first win here since 2002 — and then showed tremendous character to hold on through a rousing Norwich fightback. New signing Carlos Vicente produced a sharp near-post finish inside five minutes and Marvin Ducksch added a composed second on 14 minutes to give Chris Davies’ side total control. Kenny McLean’s fine finish gave Norwich hope but keeper James Beadle was outstanding in the second half, making a string of crucial saves to preserve Birmingham’s eighth unbeaten game in the league.

⚽ Goals: McLean (67′); Vicente (5′), Ducksch (14′)

Key Moment: James Beadle’s double save from Anis Ben Slimane and Mathias Kvistgaarden in the dying minutes, which preserved a win that Chris Davies called one of the biggest of the season.

What It Means: Birmingham move up four places to seventh, two points outside the play-offs. Norwich drop a place to 10th.

Southampton 1 – 1 Charlton Athletic

🏟️ St Mary’s Stadium | 👥 Attendance: 29,476

Sonny Carey’s well-taken equaliser earned Charlton a deserved Championship point at St Mary’s, with former Charlton boss Nathan Jones returning to face his old side in difficult circumstances. Ross Stewart’s glancing header from Léo Scienza’s cross gave Saints the lead early in the second half, but Carey drilled a fine low finish into the bottom corner with 23 minutes remaining. A fiery end saw Flynn Downes and Conor Coady involved in an altercation — with both players immediately substituted — but neither side found a winner.

⚽ Goals: Stewart (48′); Carey (67′)

Key Moment: The Downes-Coady incident in the final 10 minutes added extra spice to what had been a fairly composed affair, and disrupted Southampton’s late push for a winner.

What It Means: Southampton drop to 11th, while Charlton climb a place to 17th — a useful away point for the Addicks.

Watford 2 – 0 Derby County

🏟️ Vicarage Road | 👥 Attendance: 19,211

Watford secured a comfortable home win over Derby County to strengthen their mid-table position, earning a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory at Vicarage Road. Full match details were not included in our coverage feed, but the Hornets made it a productive afternoon to keep the Rams under pressure further down the table.

⚽ Goals: Watford (2)

Key Moment: A controlled home performance that demonstrated Watford’s improving form on their own patch.

What It Means: A solid three points for Watford as they look to consolidate their Championship status.

Wrexham 5 – 3 Ipswich Town

🏟️ STōK Cae Ras | 👥 Attendance: 10,610

The match of the weekend, and arguably of the season so far. Wrexham and Ipswich served up a breathless eight-goal thriller at Stok Cae Ras, with the lead changing hands four times before Callum Doyle and Nathan Broadhead sealed a memorable home win for Phil Parkinson’s side. Kieffer Moore was back to his irresistible best against his former employers, Josh Windass supplied his usual moments of magic, and Lewis O’Brien ran the show in midfield — delivering a pin-point corner for Doyle’s header and a sublime through-ball for Broadhead’s late curler. Ipswich scored three perfectly good goals but gifted far too much space to Wrexham’s attackers.

⚽ Goals: Moore (6′), Windass (37′), Thomason (66′), Doyle (75′), Broadhead (86′); Mehmeti (20′), Azón (45’+3), Kipré (47′)

Key Moment: George Thomason’s equaliser at 3–3 on 66 minutes — after Ipswich had gone ahead for the first time — was the moment that showed Wrexham’s refusal to yield, and the crowd roared them on to two late goals.

What It Means: Wrexham move to sixth, two points clear of seventh-placed Birmingham. Ipswich sit fourth but eight points off the top two — their title hopes took a real dent.

Sheffield United 2 – 1 Sheffield Wednesday

🏟️ Bramall Lane | 👥 Attendance: 30,457

A day that will live long in Sheffield football history, and not for happy reasons for half the Steel City. Wednesday needed a win to stave off the inevitable relegation that their 18-point deduction had made near-certain; instead they fell to a 10th consecutive defeat that confirmed them as the earliest relegated side in English Football League history. Patrick Bamford finished clinically inside two minutes after dreadful Owls defending, and Harrison Burrows doubled the lead before the 20-minute mark. Kalvin Phillips’ red card immediately after half time changed the atmosphere entirely, and Charlie McNeil quickly capitalised to reduce the deficit and send Bramall Lane into nervous silence. But Wednesday, reduced to ten men themselves late on via Gabriel Otegbayo’s second yellow, could not find the goal they so desperately needed.

⚽ Goals: Bamford (2′), Burrows (19′); McNeil (53′)

Key Moment: Kalvin Phillips’ reckless tackle for a straight red card within four minutes of the restart transformed the match — what looked set to be a comfortable win suddenly became a frenetic, nervous occasion. Phillips will serve a three-match ban and United’s fifth red card since January is becoming a serious concern.

What It Means: Sheffield Wednesday are relegated to League One with 13 games to play. Sheffield United move to within six points of the play-offs in 14th, but their disciplinary record — five reds since the turn of the year — must be addressed.

⭐ Hull City 1 – 3 Queens Park Rangers (Hull City Focus)

🏟️ The MKM Stadium | 👥 Attendance: 21,928

A game that looked to be drifting to a scrappy draw turned into a painful afternoon for Hull City fans as QPR produced a clinical late show to claim all three points. The early exchanges were shaped by two soft goals — Paddy McNair turning Harvey Vale’s in-swinging corner into his own net under pressure from Jimmy Dunne, before Joe Gelhardt equalised with a neat tap-in after a fortunate sequence of deflections. With the score level and the hour approaching, it looked like a point apiece was the likeliest outcome. Then 19-year-old substitute Daniel Bennie, four minutes after coming off the bench, rifled an unstoppable first-time shot into the top corner for his first Championship goal — stunning the stadium. Kone squandered a one-on-one before composing himself to add a third in added time, and suddenly a frustrating draw had become a damaging defeat.

⚽ Goals: McNair (21′ OG), Gelhardt (39′); Bennie (84′), Kone (90’+5)

Key Moment: Bennie’s first-time strike from inside the area that bent past Ivor Pandur into the top corner — a goal of genuine quality from a teenager with a big future, but deeply frustrating from a Hull perspective, given the visitors had barely created the chance themselves.

What It Means: Hull remain in the top-half of the Championship table but this was the kind of defeat that can dent momentum — particularly the manner of it in the final ten minutes. Jakirovic will be frustrated by what he described as a collapse in balance and discipline, and the defensive fragility at set-pieces remains a concern. QPR move up to 10th, just one point outside the play-offs.

📖 Read our full match report here

⭐ Player of the Week: Jack Rudoni (Coventry City)

After going 21 Championship games without a goal, Jack Rudoni announced his return to form in the most emphatic way possible — a thunderous left-footed rocket from 25 yards that gave Max O’Leary absolutely no chance at The Hawthorns. But it wasn’t just the goal; Rudoni was industrious throughout a commanding away performance for the league leaders, winning second balls, pressing relentlessly and providing the kind of energy in midfield that Frank Lampard has been craving. For a player whose season had threatened to stall, this was a significant moment — and one that could galvanise his final-third contributions in the run-in. Coventry will need him if they are to hold off Middlesbrough in the title race.

🎯 Goal of the Week

Jack Rudoni (Coventry City) vs West Bromwich Albion — A first-time left-footed strike struck with absolute conviction from 25 yards that swerved away from Max O’Leary and nestled into the corner. A technically exceptional goal that ended a 21-game wait for the Coventry midfielder, and one that felt like a statement of intent from the Championship leaders in hostile territory.

💪 Performance of the Week

Portsmouth‘s 3–1 away victory against Millwall — Coming to The Den and outplaying one of the Championship’s form sides in the second half was a remarkable effort from John Mousinho’s team. Three goals in 22 second-half minutes — all of real quality — against a Millwall side that had lost just one of their previous 10 league games was a genuine statement. Their second win in London in five days and a performance that suddenly makes their survival look very much more assured.

🔥 Under Pressure

Eric Ramsay (West Bromwich Albion) — Eight games without a win as Baggies boss, and West Brom are now just one point above the Championship relegation zone. Their failure to score in four consecutive league matches is alarming, and the manner of the Coventry defeat — conceding within five minutes and never recovering — will have done little to inspire confidence. Ramsay spoke openly about there being “no easy answer” to the club’s position, and with a congested bottom section and a squad short on confidence, his position is under real scrutiny. The Hawthorns faithful are running short on patience.

⚽ Championship Top Scorers

* League goals only where confirmed. Check the live table for the latest official standings.

What This Gameweek Means for Hull City

Result: Lost 1–3 at home to Queens Park Rangers — A thoroughly frustrating defeat that was very much self-inflicted. Hull looked set for a point before QPR’s substitute Bennie changed everything with a brilliant individual moment, and the defensive fragility that allowed QPR to add a third in added time will concern Jakirovic greatly.

League Position: 4th (unchanged, pending full table update)

Points: Check updated table | from 33 games

Form:

Despite the defeat, Hull remain in the top five of the Championship. Other results were mixed for them — Wrexham’s win over Ipswich didn’t directly affect Hull’s position, and the teams directly above them (Coventry and Middlesbrough) are now three points apart at the summit. The concern is whether a dip in home form could undermine Hull’s top-six security — losing at MKM to a mid-table QPR side is not the profile of a play-off side at home, and the manner of the collapse in the final 10 minutes will linger.

🔮 Predictions Review

Correct Results: 5/12

Correct Scores: 2/12

Season Record: [UPDATE WITH RUNNING SEASON TOTAL]

Best Call: West Brom 0–2 Coventry — called the exact scoreline perfectly, and backed the right team in what looked like a tricky away fixture for the league leaders.

Worst Call: Middlesbrough 4–0 Oxford United ⭐ — our starred prediction that went spectacularly wrong. We backed Boro to hammer a relegation side at home; instead Oxford twice hit the woodwork and Jamie Cumming was outstanding in a 0–0 that left Boro frustrated. Completely the wrong call.

📚 Five Things We Learned

1. Coventry City are serious title contenders. Back-to-back wins over Middlesbrough and West Brom in four days, with clean sheets and goals of real quality, shows a team that knows how to win the big games. Frank Lampard has this group believing.
2. Relegation-threatened sides can cause upsets against anyone. Oxford United should have beaten Middlesbrough. West Brom looked utterly toothless. The bottom of the table is dangerous, and there are no easy games in the Championship.
3. Hull City’s defensive vulnerability at set-pieces is a growing concern. The QPR own goal came from an in-swinging corner, and Jakirovic himself said the opener was “unacceptable.” It’s a pattern that needs fixing before the play-off run-in.
4. The Wrexham vs Ipswich thriller proved this division is unlike any other. Eight goals, four lead changes, and a 19-game-without-a-goal striker back at his best — that’s Championship football at its most chaotic and compelling.
5. Portsmouth’s survival is firmly in their own hands. Two London away wins in five days, six clear of the drop, and a genuine team spirit under Mousinho — they are not a club that looks like going down.

👀 Key Fixtures Next Week

• Middlesbrough vs Leicester City (Tue 24 Feb) — Boro, stung by their 0–0 draw with Oxford, welcome a Leicester side that showed great character in the second half at Stoke. Vital points at both ends of the table.
• Swansea City vs Preston North End (Tue 24 Feb) — Swansea continue their remarkable home form; Preston will be desperate to bounce back from the Blackburn heartbreak and target the top six.
• Sheffield Wednesday vs Norwich City (Wed 25 Feb) — Already relegated, Wednesday aim to avoid a Championship record 11th consecutive defeat. Norwich will want a reaction to their home defeat to Birmingham.
• Oxford United vs Stoke City (Tue 24 Feb) — Two sides with contrasting recent form meet in a crucial mid-table fixture; Oxford’s resilience this weekend will have boosted confidence ahead of a home game.
• Full Gameweek 34 fixture list TBC — Check back for our full preview later this week.

Hull City’s Upcoming Fixtures

No upcoming fixtures found.