Roundup of the penultimate matchweek of the 2024-25 Sky Bet Championship season as the relegation battle took centre stage.
Mustapha Bundu and Callum Wright’s goals helped Plymouth keep their faint survival dreams mathematically alive in a 2-1 victory away at Preston, despite Emil Riis Jakobsen’s 90th-minute consolatory goal for the Lilywhites.
Cardiff consequently slipped to rock bottom of the table and were relegated following a goalless draw at home to West Bromwich Albion.
Shandon Baptiste’s 90th-minute winner saw Luton move out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 home win over sixth-placed Coventry, although both teams finished a man down after red cards for Liam Walsh and Jay Dasilva respectively.
Hull consequently slipped into the bottom three with a single-point deficit after they fell to a 1-0 home loss against Derby as Nat Phillips’ header lifted the Rams above Ruben Selles’ Tigers.
Stoke’s fate is still in the balance as they sit just two points above the drop after they stuttered to a lacklustre 2-0 loss against Sheffield United in front of a sparse home crowd, as Sam McCallum and Andre Brooks netted for Chris Wilder’s Blades at the BET365 Stadium.
Across in the play-off race, Bristol City failed to wrap up a play-off spot in fifth place after a brutal 4-0 loss at league leaders – Leeds, as Ao Tanaka and Wilfried Gnonto opened the scoring before Largie Ramazani came on from the bench to score twice.
Millwall currently miss out on the final play-off spot on goal difference in seventh after George Saville’s 38th-minute winner sank Swansea at The Den.
Blackburn kept their play-off dreams alive with a single-point deficit in eighth place after they fought back to beat Watford 2-1 at home, in which Tyrhys Dolan netted the winner after Todd Cantwell cancelled out Mattie Pollock’s 47th-minute header.
Middlesbrough were left needing a final-day miracle to secure a play-off spot after they stuttered to a goalless draw at home to Norwich.
Elsewhere, promoted Burnley kept their title aspirations alive with a ruthless 5-0 triumph away at QPR as Josh Cullen opened the scoring, before Zian Flemming and Jeremy Sarmiento both netted braces either side of half-time.
Ben Nelson’s header and Michal Helik’s close-range finish saw Oxford United secure their second-tier status with a 2-0 home win over Sunderland.
Harvey Blair cancelled out Calum Paterson’s opening goal as Portsmouth battled back to a 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday.
