With the Premier League starting this weekend, you may have missed some of the action from matchweek 2 of the EFL Championship. Here’s a complete review from a goal-laden weekend in England’s second tier.
Coventry complete comeback against Derby County
Both sides were on the hunt for a first win of the season when Frank Lampard’s Coventry City traveled to Pride Park to face Derby County. After a disappointing 0-0 draw against Hull City in their first match of the EFL Championship season, Coventry made up for that lack of goals by putting five past Derby to win 5-2 on the road.
Both sides scored from free kicks within the first 15 minutes. Coventry defender Bobby Thomas netted in the seventh minute, when a free kick parried by the goalkeeper smashed off his face and in. But Derby County’s Callum Elder equalized just a few minutes later, whipping a lovely free kick from a tight angle into the top left corner.
The two sides finished the half locked at 2-2 after strikers Carlton Morris and Haji Wright converted penalties for Derby and Coventry, respectively.
It was Derby who took the lead next, last year’s player of the season Ebou Adams scoring from a long-throw in routine in the 50th minute.
But that wasn’t the last twist in the tale, as a remarkable spell saw the visitors score three times in less than ten minutes. Brandon Thomas-Asante forced the first over the line in the 72nd minute, the Ghanaian first to react when Thomas’s headed effort from a corner came off the post.
Three minutes later, opposite winger Ephron Mason-Clark headed in at the back post from Milan van Ewijk’s lovely first-time cross. The Dutch right-back got his second assist of the match in the 79th minute, laying the ball off to central midfielder Victor Torp on the outside of the box, who drilled it low and across the goal for Coventry’s fifth.
Frank Lampard praised his side’s belief after the match, especially noting that his team, which had struggled to create goals in pre-season, managed to score five goals from five different players.
A disappointed John Eustace described his side as having “a soft underbelly” after looking shaky defending in their box, and capitulating after a promising start to the second half.
Birmingham City leave it late to earn their first win back in the Championship
Birmingham City drew 1-1 with Ipswich Town in their season opener last weekend, a George Hirst penalty in the 95th minute putting a dampener on a positive start to life back in the EFL Championship.
But they were on the other end of late action this week, winning 2-1 away at Blackburn Rovers thanks to goals from Jay Stansfield and Lyndon Dykes.
An uneventful first half saw almost no goalmouth action; Blackburn were shut out with zero shots, while Birmingham managed just two, with one on target.
However, the home side took the lead early in the second half. A corner which Birmingham struggled to clear bounced out to Todd Cantwell, who blasted home a lovely left-footed volley.
Birmingham City had to be patient, as they spent the rest of the half knocking on the door, controlling possession but failing to create any clear-cut chances while Blackburn threatened on the counter
It wasn’t until the 89th minute that substitute left-back Ethan Lair made a driving run into the Blackburn penalty area, getting past three defenders before Lewis Miller clipped his heels, giving away a penalty. Jay Stansfield converted from the spot for his third goal in as many games.
The home side then had a period of pressure in injury time, but Birmingham City broke quickly from a corner in the 98th minute. Blackburn recovered, but winger Demarai Gray beat his man on the right wing, got to the byline and delivered a cross which found substitute Lyndon Dykes at the front post, who directed it in for the winner.
Birmingham City now sit sixth in the table after two League games, while Blackburn have lost their first three competitive games, also losing midweek in the EFL Cup.
Isaac Price scores twice as West Brom beat Wrexham
West Bromwich Albion were the first side to visit Wrexham in the EFL Championship, and came away with a 3-2 win thanks to two goals from 21-year-old attacking midfielder Issac Price.
The former Everton academy player, who joined West Brom from Standard Liege in January of last season and scored the winner against Blackburn in West Brom’s season opener last weekend, opened the scoring in the 20th minute, finding space at the front post and swiveling to finish first time across the keeper from Tom Fellows’s cut back.
Wrexham equalized shortly before half-time, new signing Lewis O’Brien scoring in the 42nd, but West Brom regained the lead in the 75th minute, a quick counter-attacking move ending in a goal from substitute Jed Wallace.
It was Price who settled the game for West Brom, heading home the third in the 81st minute. Wrexham managed to get a second in the 95th minute, but it was too little too late.
Price finished the game with two goals from just three touches in the opposition box. The 6′ 2” number ten showed a knack for finding space in the box and some confident finishing ability.
The youngster will be one to watch this season in a West Brom side that has a few exciting young talents under manager Ryan Mason.
EFL Championship MD2 results
- (22) Derby County 3-5 Coventry City (5)
- (13) Portsmouth 1-2 Norwich City (11)
- (19) Wrexham 2-3 West Brom (3)
- (21) Blackburn 1-2 Birmingham City FC (6)
- (4) Bristol City 0-0 Charlton (10)
- (16) Millwall 0-3 Middlesbrough (2)
- (7) Preston 2-1 Leicester (12)
- (23) Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Stoke City (1)
- (15) Swansea 1-0 Sheffield United (24)
- (14) Watford 2-1 QPR (18)
- (17) Ipswich Town 1-1 Southampton (8)
- (9) Hull City 3-2 Oxford United (20)
