Ipswich Town 1–1 Millwall

🏟️ Portman Road

A pulsating draw between third and fourth that settled nothing in the automatic promotion race. Jack Clarke gave Ipswich a deserved lead late in the first half with a clinical low finish, but Millwall improved dramatically after the break and levelled within five minutes through Josh Coburn, who sidefooted home Camiel Neghli’s brilliant cross for his eighth goal of the season. Ivanovic then crashed a substitute’s shot against the underside of the bar as Millwall pushed for a winner that never came. Both sides missed a huge opportunity to strengthen their automatic promotion credentials.

⚽ Goals: Clarke (41′) | Coburn (50′)

Key Moment: Ivanovic’s shot rattling the crossbar in the closing stages — had that gone in, Millwall would have moved two points clear of Ipswich heading into the international break.

What It Means: Both sides remain level on points, level on goal difference. The race for second automatic spot is still a coin flip with seven games remaining.

Derby County 1–0 Birmingham City

🏟️ Pride Park

Rhian Brewster’s back-post header in the first half secured Derby’s fourth successive home win and kept John Eustace’s side right in the play-off picture. Brewster guided the ball home as Birmingham goalkeeper James Beadle misjudged the flight — a costly error in a game Birmingham needed to win to stay in touch with the top six. Derby moved level on points with Southampton and Wrexham, though both could leapfrog them with wins later in the day. Szmodics flashed wide from the edge of the area as Derby pressed for a second that never came.

⚽ Goals: Brewster (43′)

Key Moment: Beadle’s misjudgement at the back post — a clean catch would have kept Birmingham in a game they were otherwise coping with reasonably well.

What It Means: Derby have real momentum at the right time — four home wins in a row and an attacking armoury that can hurt anyone. Birmingham’s third successive away defeat leaves them at real risk of falling 10 points off the top six.

Charlton Athletic 0–1 Norwich City

🏟️ The Valley

Pelle Mattsson gave Norwich a first-half lead that proved enough for Philippe Clément’s side to claim their eighth away win of the campaign. Ali Ahmed drove at the Charlton defence before laying back for Mattsson, who was given too much time and picked his spot from 20 yards. Charlton had their moments — Ramsay’s header struck the bar — but Mannion was the busier goalkeeper, making several smart saves to protect the Canaries’ narrow lead throughout a tight second half.

⚽ Goals: Mattsson (5′)

Key Moment: Ramsay’s header striking the bar — the kind of moment that swings games at this stage of the season.

What It Means: Norwich move to within nine points of the play-offs with seven games left — mathematically alive but requiring a near-perfect run. Charlton remain in a comfortable mid-table position but need points to confirm safety.

Watford 0–0 Leicester City

🏟️ Vicarage Road

Goalkeeper Egil Selvik was Watford’s hero, saving Patson Daka’s first-half penalty — awarded after Mendy brought down Fatawu — and then going on to deny Mavididi, Mukasa and Nelson after the break. Leicester had the better of the game and will be frustrated not to have taken three points from a side they must be targeting. The draw moved the Foxes up to 22nd and within a point of Portsmouth above them, but a 10-game winless away run continues and the psychological challenge of mounting a great escape appears formidable.

⚽ Goals: None

Key Moment: Selvik’s penalty save from Daka — had that gone in Leicester might have gone on to win comfortably.

What It Means: Leicester edge closer to Portsmouth but the quality of their performances remains deeply concerning. Watford’s play-off hopes are modest but this was a battling point against a side fighting for their lives.

Blackburn Rovers 0–0 Middlesbrough

🏟️ Ewood Park

Middlesbrough failed to take advantage of Ipswich and Millwall drawing with each other, dropping two precious points at Ewood Park as Blackburn held out for a goalless draw. Strelec came closest in the first half, denied by keeper Balazs Toth, but Michael Hellberg’s side ran out of ideas after the break. Boro maintained their two-point cushion over the Portman Road pair but this was a missed opportunity — two wins in their last eight is a concerning statistic for a side hoping to reach the Premier League.

⚽ Goals: None

Key Moment: Strelec’s late first-half chance — a goal there and Boro would have gone into the break with a lead they could have managed.

What It Means: Blackburn gain another crucial point in their survival battle. Middlesbrough’s automatic promotion form is deeply unconvincing — they are being chased hard and their home form at the Riverside remains the bigger worry.

Bristol City 0–1 West Bromwich Albion

🏟️ Ashton Gate

George Campbell’s first-half header from Callum Styles’ corner gave West Brom a second successive victory and moved them four points clear of the relegation zone. It was their first away league win since October and the timing could not be better — with Portsmouth and Oxford both beaten on the same afternoon, the Baggies’ survival picture improved dramatically in 90 minutes. Bristol City, coping with significant injury problems in defence, are now without a win in eight games and home supporters voiced their displeasure before the end.

⚽ Goals: Campbell (26′)

Key Moment: Campbell’s corner-kick header — powerful, decisive, the kind of set-piece goal that wins relegation battles.

What It Means: West Brom are starting to look like a side that will survive. Bristol City’s season is meandering towards a disappointing conclusion.

Queens Park Rangers 6–1 Portsmouth

🏟️ Loftus Road

One of the most brutal afternoons in Portsmouth’s torrid Championship season. QPR required just six touches inside Pompey’s box to score six goals — a stat that perfectly encapsulates the ruthlessness of their clinical masterclass. Smyth opened the scoring after seven minutes via a deflection, Kolli added a stunning 30-yard second, Smyth slotted a third before Swift briefly raised visiting spirits with a fine effort off the post. But QPR were unstoppable — Kolli’s second, Kone’s penalty and a sixth from the substitute sealed an emphatic 6-1 victory. The travelling Portsmouth fans were furious, chants directed at the ownership throughout. With a single point separating Pompey from the drop zone, this was a defining afternoon.

⚽ Goals: Smyth (7′, 29′), Kolli (24′, 55′), Kone (86′, 87′) | Swift (38′)

Key Moment: Kolli’s extraordinary 30-yard strike for QPR’s second — a goal of genuine quality that knocked any remaining belief out of Portsmouth before half-time.

What It Means: Portsmouth are in the gravest danger. A fan view published post-match put it starkly: this may be the moment many stopped believing. QPR’s finishing was historically clinical — six touches, six goals. A statistic that will be talked about long after this season ends.

Sheffield United 1–2 Wrexham

🏟️ Bramall Lane

Wrexham completed a first ever league double over Sheffield United with a deserved comeback win at Bramall Lane. The Blades were wasteful in the first half — Bamford missing an open goal on 11 minutes — and after Brooks headed in the rebound from Okonkwo’s save to put the home side ahead early in the second half, Windass quickly equalised before Smith headed home Kabore’s cross with 12 minutes remaining to seal a famous away victory. Phil Parkinson’s side recorded a 17th league win of the season and head into the international break in excellent shape.

⚽ Goals: Windass (54′), Smith (78′) | Brooks (49′)

Key Moment: Bamford’s open-goal miss in the first half — had the Blades gone ahead then, the game might have been very different. Wrexham were given a lifeline they fully exploited.

What It Means: A significant result for Wrexham’s play-off ambitions. For Sheffield United, Wilder’s side head into the break mid-table and unable to string results together consistently.

⭐ Hull City 3–1 Sheffield Wednesday (Hull City)

🏟️ MKM Stadium

Hull City came from behind to record a convincing 3-1 win over already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday — a result that keeps their play-off hopes very much alive. Wednesday took a shock lead in the 23rd minute through Jamal Lowe’s deflected effort, but Hull’s response was immediate — Kyle Joseph’s sweet low cross was tapped in by Matt Crooks just 94 seconds later. The hosts then went ahead six minutes into first-half stoppage time when Paddy McNair’s free-kick was deflected into his own net by Dominic Iorfa. Joseph sealed the win with a cool finish from Oli McBurnie’s pass for his eighth goal of the season.

⚽ Goals: Crooks (25′), Iorfa OG (45+6′), Joseph (58′)

Key Moment: The 94-second turnaround — Wednesday led through Lowe’s deflected effort and Hull were level almost before the groans from the home fans had subsided. That immediate response set the tone for a dominant second half.

What It Means: Three crucial points that keep Hull in fifth and within three points of Ipswich and Millwall in third and fourth. The gap to Middlesbrough in second is now five points — slim enough to keep automatic promotion dreams alive with seven games remaining.

📖 Read our full match report here

⭐ Player of the Week: Paul Smyth (Queens Park Rangers)

In a gameweek where Coventry scored three and Hull came from behind with real quality, it is hard to look past the QPR demolition of Portsmouth for the individual award. Paul Smyth was at the heart of it — scoring twice, constantly intelligent in his movement, and the beneficiary of Harvey Vale’s outstanding creative work throughout. Six touches in the box, six goals is a team achievement, but Smyth’s two finishes and relentless pressing movement defined an historically clinical afternoon for the R’s.

🎯 Goal of the Week

Matt Grimes (Coventry City) vs Swansea City — The skipper returning to his former club and volleying home a crisp 20-yard effort that bounced in off the post — a goal of real technical quality amid an 11-minute Coventry blitz that effectively ended Swansea’s afternoon.

💪 Performance of the Week

Queens Park Rangers‘s 6-1 win against Portsmouth — Six touches in the opposition box. Six goals. Nine shots, eight on target. A performance so statistically extraordinary it may never be replicated in the Championship. Manager Julien Stephan called it clinical — that may be the understatement of the season.

🔥 Under Pressure

John Mousinho (Portsmouth) — A single point above the relegation zone after a 6-1 hammering at Loftus Road. The travelling fans chanted about ownership throughout and were furious at the final whistle. Mousinho has worked miracles at Fratton Park before — keeping them up last season when others would have failed — but the performances have become alarmingly poor and time is running out.

⚽ Championship Top Scorers

What This Gameweek Means for Hull City

Result: Won 3–1 at home vs Sheffield Wednesday — A controlled recovery after an early shock — Wednesday’s early goal was the only real alarm in what became a comfortable afternoon.

League Position: 5th (unchanged)

Points: 66 from 39 games

Form: W L W L W

The promotion picture shifted again at the top — Coventry stretched their lead to nine points, effectively ending the title race. Below them, Middlesbrough dropped more points at Blackburn, and Ipswich and Millwall cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw. Hull are now within three points of the Portman Road pair and five points behind Middlesbrough — slim but live automatic promotion hopes remain alongside a strengthening play-off position. Hull sit three points behind Ipswich and Millwall in third and fourth, and five points adrift of Middlesbrough in second.

🔮 Predictions Review

Correct Results: 5/12

Correct Scores: 1/12

Season Record: 45/107 (42%)

Best Call: Coventry winning 3-0 at Swansea — three goals in 11 minutes and no real way back for the hosts.

Worst Call: QPR 6-1 Portsmouth — no prediction was anywhere near the scale of that result.

📚 Five Things We Learned

1. Coventry are champions in all but name. Nine points clear with seven games left and seven wins in eight. They could mathematically clinch the title before the end of April. Frank Lampard has built something genuinely special.
2. Ipswich vs Millwall will go to the wire. Level on points, level on goal difference — neither side could land the knockout blow in a direct head-to-head. The race for the second automatic promotion spot will be decided in the final weeks and it couldn’t be closer.
3. The QPR performance was historically extraordinary. Six touches in the opposition box. Six goals. It may never happen again in the Championship. Julien Stephan’s side are thrillingly efficient — and Portsmouth were utterly exposed.
4. Hull’s response shows they belong in this conversation. Coming from behind to beat Wednesday comfortably, with Joseph and McBurnie combining beautifully for the third, Hull sent a signal that last week’s West Brom embarrassment was an aberration. The play-offs are theirs to lose.
5. West Brom and Doncaster are making their great escapes. Back-to-back wins for Albion, Portsmouth still only a point above the drop zone, Leicester drawing again — the bottom of the table is alive heading into the final stretch. Don’t assume the three relegated sides are decided yet.

👀 Key Fixtures Next Week

• Coventry City vs Derby County (home, Fri 3 Apr) — Can Lampard’s side extend their lead further after the break?
• Ipswich Town vs Southampton (away, Tue 28 Apr) / Millwall vs Middlesbrough (away, Fri 3 Apr) — Both sides need to win their next fixture to apply pressure on Boro.
• Portsmouth vs Norwich City (away, Fri 3 Apr) — A must-win for Pompey after the 6-1 catastrophe at Loftus Road.
• Hull City vs Oxford United (away, Fri 3 Apr) — Hull need to keep winning to maintain both their play-off position and their slim automatic promotion hopes.

Hull City’s Upcoming Fixtures