Sheffield United secured a 2-1 win over struggling Portsmouth to move up to second in the Championship table, while Sunderland’s promotion hopes suffered a setback with a 2-2 draw against Watford at home.
The Blades are now just two points behind leaders Leeds and three points ahead of third-placed Burnley, thanks to Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s decisive goal 17 minutes before the final whistle. Portsmouth’s seventh consecutive away defeat leaves them precariously just two points above the relegation zone, although they nearly caused an upset at Bramall Lane. Sheffield United took the lead in the 24th minute when Gustavo Hamer scored with a low shot, but Portsmouth quickly equalised through Connor Ogilvie’s header. Despite more chances for the visitors, it was Rak-Sakyi’s 73rd-minute goal that sealed the win for the Blades.
In the earlier match, Sunderland appeared set to suffer their first home defeat of the season until Dennis Cirkin’s late equalizer salvaged a 2-2 draw. Sunderland took the lead early through Luke O’Nien, but Watford turned the game around with Tom Dele-Bashiru’s penalty and Imran Louza’s stunning strike early in the second half. Cirkin redeemed himself after conceding a penalty by scoring in the 89th minute to level the score. The draw leaves Sunderland in fourth, five points off the automatic promotion spots.
Meanwhile, Derby County, without a manager, earned a dramatic 1-1 draw against Norwich with Jerry Yates converting a stoppage-time penalty. Norwich had taken the lead through Josh Sargent’s second-half strike but were hindered by Jack Stacey’s red card for a high boot on Marcus Harness. Derby remained in the bottom three but moved closer to safety, while Norwich’s playoff hopes were dented.
West Brom also moved into the top five with a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday, featuring a late equalizer from Callum Paterson for the visitors before Jayson Molumby scored the winner in the 96th minute. West Brom finished the match with 10 men after Kyle Bartley was sent off following a post-match altercation.
