Ipswich Town delivered a massive blow to Norwich City’s playoff dreams with a gritty 2-0 victory at Carrow Road, solidifying their position in the Championship’s automatic promotion spots. Jaden Philogene converted a controversial first-half penalty, and George Hirst added another before the break, securing Ipswich’s first league double over their East Anglian rivals in years. Norwich dominated possession but managed only a handful of clear chances against a resolute Ipswich defense. The loss mathematically ends Norwich’s faint playoff hopes, though a top-10 finish remains a notable turnaround for a team that was in the relegation zone at the start of 2026.
“This is a brilliant result,” Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna said. “As soon as I came here I was told how important this fixture was and that it had been so long since we’d beaten them. We finally got a win at our place earlier in the season and now we’ve backed it up by completing a double.” Ipswich now sit second in the table, holding at least one game in hand over their closest rivals.
Meanwhile, Coventry City missed a golden opportunity to edge within one point of Premier League promotion, held to a 0-0 draw at home by already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday. Frank Lampard’s side could have sealed promotion with a win, coupled with a Middlesbrough loss later in the day. Sheffield Wednesday, who set a Football League record by going 37 games without a win across all competitions this season, earned just their third point of 2026.
“We obviously created enough to win the game but we didn’t quite do it, and you have to credit the opposition for making it difficult for you,” Lampard admitted. “I know there’s a pressure and everyone wants to release the pressure by getting it done and now we have to move on to the next one.”
Millwall’s automatic promotion push hit a snag as they were held to a 0-0 draw by West Brom at home, despite creating the better opportunities. Josh Coburn volleyed wide from five yards out, and Mihailo Ivanovic rattled the crossbar with a long-range effort. Overnight, Millwall had climbed to second, but this result leaves them vulnerable.
Middlesbrough failed to capitalize on Millwall’s slip, suffering a shocking 1-0 home defeat to Portsmouth in the dying seconds. Andre Dozzell’s volley took a deflection off Conor Chaplin and found the net in the seventh minute of stoppage time, ending Portsmouth’s eight-game winless streak. Middlesbrough are now winless in six matches and trail Ipswich by three points, with Ipswich holding two games in hand.
“First half was terrible,” a devastated Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg said. “I don’t know why, I must have failed with everything I told them before the game because we weren’t good enough. It was boring, it was lazy, there was no energy, except in the first 15-20 minutes in the second half. In the first half, it’s slow, it’s boring, it’s no energy. It’s passive. That is the disappointment.” Middlesbrough have scored only four goals in their last six games.
Portsmouth’s late winner lifted them one point and one place above the relegation zone, providing a crucial boost in their survival bid. Oxford United also boosted their hopes of avoiding the drop with a 2-0 win over Watford, thanks to goals from Myles Peart-Harris and substitute Mark Harris. However, Portsmouth’s result means Oxford remain in 22nd place with four games remaining.
In other key matches, Sheffield United came from behind to beat Hull City 2-1 at Bramall Lane, with late goals from Gustavo Hamer and Danny Ings denying Hull a chance to strengthen their playoff position. Oli McBurnie gave Hull an early lead, but John Lundstram’s red card in the second half shifted momentum, allowing United to dominate and secure three points.
Southampton extended their unbeaten run to 17 games with a 2-1 comeback win over Derby County at St Mary’s. Carlton Morris put Derby ahead, but second-half strikes from Léo Scienza and Taylor Harwood-Bellis sealed the victory for the Saints, who continue their climb up the table.
QPR and Bristol City played out a 0-0 draw at Loftus Road, maintaining their recent unbeaten streaks. Bristol City are undefeated since Roy Hodgson took interim charge, while QPR are unbeaten in five, though the result does little for either side’s outside playoff hopes.
Preston North End won 2-1 at Charlton Athletic, with Brad Potts scoring the decisive goal in the 65th minute for his second of the season. Charlton took an early lead through Joe Rankin-Costello, but Lewis Dobbin equalized before halftime, and Potts secured Preston’s first away win since January 4.
Swansea City added to Leicester City’s relegation worries with a 1-0 victory at the King Power Stadium, courtesy of Zan Vipotnik’s 21st league goal this season. Vipotnik struck in the 53rd minute, firing home via the crossbar after a blistering counterattack led by Eom Ji-Sung. The loss leaves Leicester second from bottom, four points from safety with four games left.
“We started OK and created some good moments without really getting into top gear and hurting the opposition as much as we’d like,” Leicester manager Gary Rowett said. “But we just give a stupid goal away. I don’t know how many times I’ve said it. It’s an absolutely ridiculous goal to give away, maybe we have to just go back to basics. To give a goal away of that sort is not only hugely frustrating, but when you’ve done it so many times it’s heartbreaking to see because it puts everything you’ve worked on out of the window. We didn’t react well enough after that. Our reaction after the goal was not what you would expect when you’re fighting for your lives down the bottom end of the table. We’ve struggled over a long period this season to do the basics well. The next game is going to define a lot. We’ve got to show more fight and show a little bit more desperation.”
In the day’s final match, Blackburn Rovers drew 1-1 with 10-man Stoke City. Adam Forshaw gave Blackburn the lead in the 21st minute with his first goal since February 2025, but Jesurun Rak-Sakyi equalized for Stoke after 56 minutes. Stoke finished with 10 men after Ash Phillips was sent off for a second bookable offense three minutes from time.
