Key Takeaways
- Middlesbrough beat Watford 5-1 to move within one point of the automatic promotion places
- Ipswich Town played out a goalless draw at West Bromwich Albion, leaving the race for the top two open
- Oxford United were relegated to League One after Charlton Athletic beat Hull City
Middlesbrough still have a chance of automatic promotion to the Premier League after beating Watford 5-1 at the Riverside Stadium. This big win puts them one point behind Ipswich Town in second place, though Ipswich have played one game fewer.
The 5-1 scoreline matched their biggest win of the season. Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway each scored two goals, and David Strelec got the fifth. Watford scored early in the second half through James Abankwah, but they could not stop Boro after the break.
Manager Kim Hellberg must now wait to see what happens when Ipswich play Southampton on Tuesday night. If Ipswich win that game, Middlesbrough will know they can only reach the Premier League through the playoffs. But if Ipswich draw or lose, the fight for the top two will go to the final weekend.
Hellberg said his players had thought their chance was gone. “Football is an unbelievable sport,” he said. “Last week we felt we had nothing to lose. We thought it was probably gone. But if Ipswich do not win their next game, it will go to the last day.”
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was not sure if the draw was a good result. “You do not know if today was a good point,” he said. “I will tell you next weekend. It is a brutal league.”
At The Hawthorns, West Bromwich Albion made sure they will stay in the Championship. They got a point against Ipswich to make it ten games without defeat. This was enough to keep them up, even after the club lost two points this week for breaking financial rules. Temporary manager James Morrison said the points penalty actually helped the team. “We had a cloud hanging over us, but finally we knew where we stood,” he said.
Hull City lost 2-1 at Charlton Athletic, which hurts their chances of making the playoffs. The Tigers have not won for six games now and failed to move back above Wrexham into the top six. Charlie Kelman scored for Charlton, and Jayden Fevrier got the winner. This result made sure Charlton will stay up next season.
Because Charlton won and West Brom got a point, Oxford United are now relegated. This happened before their match against Sheffield Wednesday started. However, Oxford still won their game 4-1. Will Lankshear, who is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, scored two goals.
In other Championship games, Derby County beat Queens Park Rangers 3-2. They had to come from behind twice, but Jaydon Banel scored the winner in the 88th minute. This means Derby can still make the playoffs on the final day, unless Wrexham win their match against champions Coventry on Sunday.
Norwich City drew 1-1 with Swansea City, which ends their hopes of reaching the playoffs. Preston North End won 3-2 at Sheffield United. Captain Liam Lindsay scored two goals in 15 minutes, which was the first time he had ever scored twice in one game.