Ibane Bowat’s second-half goal was enough to give Portsmouth a 1-0 win at home to their relegation rivals Leicester. Bowat’s scruffy 63rd-minute strike from a corner earned Pompey a third straight win, with safety in sight.
Leicester’s Struggles Continue
It is now one win in 17 for Leicester, whose demotion to the third tier 10 years after winning the Premier League could be confirmed as soon as Tuesday night, when they host Hull.
Gary Rowett lamented his side’s lack of quality, adding: “I think it’s been rinse and repeat of what I’ve said after the last five games … I think a lack of fight is something that’s been labelled at the team over the course of a season. I don’t know whether that’s fair but I think we showed a lack of quality, a lack of composure. I thought we showed a lack of toughness to do the basics.”
Millwall’s Promotion Push
Millwall made a blistering start as they earned a 2-0 victory over QPR at the Den that lifted them to second. One win from their previous five games had stalled the Lions’ promotion push, but early goals from Derek Mazou-Sacko and Camiel Neghli meant they controlled this London derby almost from the first whistle. Ipswich’s draw with Middlesbrough meant the Suffolk side returned to second.
Alex Neil said his Millwall side’s fast start, with Mazou-Sacko’s goal coming on just three minutes, was what they needed after their poor run. “We needed to get the fans onside, we needed to be aggressive, we needed to try to pin them in, sustain pressure. We certainly got that monkey off our back. I thought we attacked it, I thought we were aggressive.”
Southampton’s Promotion Hopes
Cameron Archer struck a superb late winner to maintain Southampton’s remarkable surge towards the automatic promotion places with a 2-1 victory at Swansea. The Saints substitute volleyed home in the 90th minute to rack up a seventh successive league victory for Tonda Eckert’s men. That sequence has propelled Southampton to within a single point of Millwall and level with Ipswich, in third, who have two matches in hand.
It is now eight wins on the trot for Saints in all competitions after their recent FA Cup success against Arsenal. Swansea, who led at half-time through Marko Stamenic’s 20th-minute opener, drop one place to 15th.
Elsewhere in the Championship
A stunning equaliser from midfielder Tomoki Iwata dented Hull’s playoff hopes as Birmingham fought back to earn a 1-1 draw at the MKM Stadium. The Tigers looked to be heading for a valuable three points to cement their grip on sixth thanks to Joe Gelhardt’s 14th goal of the season midway through the first half, until the Japan international’s sweetly struck long-range effort flew into the top corner 13 minutes from time.
Defender Semi Ajayi blazed a close-range shot wide to spurn a chance to win it for Hull as stoppage time approached. A fourth league game without a victory represents their worst run of the season and leaves Sergej Jakirovic’s s