Heading into the first international break of the season, fans of the EFL Championship can start to envision what their campaigns might look like, with each side having played four matches, and some sides yet to pick up their first points. After another intense round of fixtures, here’s everything you might have missed from matchweek four of the EFL Championship.
Middlesbrough narrowly beat Sheffield United, earning their fourth win in a row
It was a battle between two teams on polar opposite ends of the table when Rob Edwards’ unbeaten Middlesbrough hosted Sheffield United on Saturday. The visitors were still without a point following the first three EFL Championship matches, despite only narrowly missing out on promotion last campaign.
Rob Edwards made one change to the side that beat Norwich City. After central midfielder Finn Azas left the club to join Southampton, he moved Hayden Hackney further back to partner Aidan Morris and gave new signing Sontje Hansen his first start in attacking midfield. The change suited Hackney, who finished the game with the most chances created of players on the field, and also put in a good defensive shift.
Middlesbrough dominated the first half, finishing with eight shots to Sheffield United’s three. But the goal didn’t come until the 63rd minute, when newly signed Newcastle loanee left-back Matt Targett, who came on at half-time, played a perfectly weighted through ball to striker Tommy Conway. The ball bypassed all four recovering Sheffield United defenders, and Conway needed just one touch to take the ball in his stride before sliding it past the keeper with his left foot.
Sheffield United managed to keep the margin at one, thanks largely to some brilliant individual defending from Japhet Tanganga, who recently signed from Millwall. They also had several chances to score an equalizer: substitute Danny Ings saw an effort deflected wide in the 82nd minute, and Sam McCallum had a golden opportunity at the back post in the 94th minute, but completely miscued his strike and blasted the shot over the bar.
The scenes at full-time were jubilant for Middlesbrough, who now sit top of the EFL Championship after four games with four wins, and despairing for the visitors, who are rock bottom and yet to put a single point on the board.
“[We] will keep fighting for that moment, to change the dynamic,” Sheffield United manager Ruben Selles said in his post-match comments.
Ipswich Town scores in the 105th minute to scrape back a point against Derby County
After three games without a win, Kieran McKenna’s recently relegated Ipswich Town hosted fellow strugglers Derby County at Portman Road, the away side also without a win in the EFL Championship.
Ipswich Town opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, when 40-year-old Ashley Young whipped a nice corner into the box and found the head of central defender Jacob Greaves. The home side’s defense was sloppy, with several players and the goalkeeper missing the ball.
But Derby came out much improved in the second half, getting their equalizer in the 50th minute after the referee awarded a penalty for a handball on Leif Davis, whose arm blocked a chipped effort from Rhian Brewster. Carlton Morris buried the spot kick comfortably, his second penalty goal of the season.
Derby were lucky not to give away a penalty themselves when Matthew Clarke appeared to clip George Hirst’s heels with a sliding challenge in the area, but the referee booked Hirst for simulation.
Derby added insult to injury in the 70th minute, going back to front from a goal kick. Rhian Brewster doggedly won the ball in the Ipswich final third and drove into the box, holding off Jacob Greaves and drilling the ball across to give his side the lead.
Ipswich were given a lifeline with 16 minutes of added time after several stoppages in the second half, but even then, some supporters were seen vacating the stadium early, flooding out despite the one-goal deficit.
It was in the 105th minute that Ashley Young hoofed the ball into the Derby penalty area in what looked like Ipswich’s last chance. Jack Taylor did well to win the second ball before Derby’s David Ozho clattered into him, and the referee awarded a penalty, which Jack Clarke finished coolly.
Derby County will be devastated at letting slip a first EFL Championship win of the season just seconds away from the final whistle. “It’s hard for me to comment on what I want to say, but to get 14-15 extra minutes that might be a world record for time added, but what an effort from the group,” John Eustace said at full-time.
For Ipswich, while a late equalizer always lifts spirits, it’s another game that a team of their quality should win, and entering the international break just one point off the relegation zone is not how fans would have envisioned the start of their return to the second division.
16-year-old Jeremy Monga impresses again for Leicester
It’s been an interesting start to the season for Leicester City, whose off-the-field issues, with rumors of points deductions swirling, have overshadowed the solid start on the pitch in their first few games since relegation to the EFL Championship.
They hosted Birmingham City at the King Power on Friday night, the only change to the side from their win against Charlton being the absence of 16-year-old wonderkid Jeremy Monga, who scored his first goal for Leicester a fortnight ago.
Ghanaian winger Abdul Fatawu opened the scoring in the eighth minute. It was a quick transitional move from the Foxes, and Birmingham City’s defenders weren’t decisive enough in their challenges. Ethan Laird stepping off his man and allowing Fatawu to cut onto his left and curl in a shot.
The first half was uneventful after that, with just two shots for both sides, but Birmingham City came out in the second half looking much improved, outshooting Leicester nine to three.
As it looked like we were heading for a nervy finish for Leicester, manager Marti Cifuentes put on the 16-year-old Monga. In the 88th minute, the ball found Monga out on the left-hand side. The 2009-born Englishman teased his man with several faints before playing a one-two with Patson Daka. After getting the ball back, he drove to the byline and cut back on his right foot to loop a cross over the defense and into the path of onrushing Ricardo Pereira, whose first-time finish put an end to Birmingham City’s hopes of a comeback.
It was another impressive moment in the span of just a few weeks for the young man, whose future looks very bright.
EFL Championship MD4 results
(4) Leicester City 2-0 Birmingham City (10)
(1) Middlesbrough 1-0 Sheffield United (24)
(18) Queens Park Rangers 3-1 Charlton Athletic (16)
(3) Stoke City 1-1 West Bromwich Albion (2)
(19) Blackburn Rover 0-2 Norwich City (11)
(6) Bristol City 4-2 Hull City (17)
(20) Ipswich Town 2-2 Derby County (21)
(12) Millwall 0-2 Wrexham (15)
(22) Oxford United 2-2 Coventry City (5)
(8) Portsmouth 1-0 Preston North End (9)
(23) Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Swansea City (7)
(14) Watford 2-2 Southampton (13)
