Ipswich Town hammered down their automatic promotion credentials with a gritty 2-0 victory over arch-rivals Norwich City at Carrow Road. First-half strikes from Jaden Philogene—via a contentious penalty—and George Hirst sealed a first league double over the Canaries in years, propelling Kieran McKenna’s men into the top two.
Norwich dominated possession but found themselves stifled by a resolute Ipswich defense that limited clear-cut opportunities. The defeat extinguishes any lingering playoff hopes for the hosts, though a top-10 finish remains a stunning turnaround for a side languishing in the bottom three at the start of 2026.
“This is a brilliant result,” McKenna declared. “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.”
Meanwhile, Coventry City squandered a prime opportunity to move within one point of Premier League promotion, held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday at home. Frank Lampard’s side could have sealed promotion with a win, coupled with a Middlesbrough loss later, but faltered against the league’s worst team.
Sheffield Wednesday, who set a Football League record by going 37 games without a win across all competitions, snatched just their third point of 2026. “We obviously created enough to win the game but we didn’t quite do it,” Lampard admitted. “You have to credit the opposition for making it difficult for you … 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 0-0 by West Brom at home, despite creating the better chances. Josh Coburn volleyed wide from five yards and Mihailo Ivanovic rattled the bar from distance, leaving the Lions ruing missed opportunities.
Middlesbrough failed to capitalize on Millwall’s slip, suffering a shocking last-minute 1-0 defeat to Portsmouth at home. Andre Dozzell’s volley deflected in off Conor Chaplin in the seventh minute of stoppage time, ending Portsmouth’s eight-game winless streak and boosting their survival hopes.
Boro are now winless in six and trail Ipswich by three points, with the Tractor Boys holding two games in hand. Portsmouth’s late winner lifted them a point and a place above the relegation zone, leaving manager Kim Hellberg “devastated” by his side’s display.
“First half was terrible,” Hellberg fumed. “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.”
Sheffield United staged a dramatic comeback to beat Hull City 2-1 at Bramall Lane, with late goals from Gustavo Hamer and substitute Danny Ings denying the visitors a chance to solidify their playoff position. Oli McBurnie’s early strike gave Hull the lead, but John Lundstram’s red card in the second half shifted momentum, allowing United to dominate and snatch three points.
Southampton extended their unbeaten run to 17 games, coming from behind to defeat Derby County 2-1 at St Mary’s. Léo Scienza and Taylor Harwood-Bellis struck in the second half to cancel out Carlton Morris’s opener, keeping the Saints firmly in playoff contention.
QPR and Bristol City played out a 0-0 draw at Loftus Road, maintaining their recent unbeaten streaks but doing little for their outside playoff hopes. Bristol City are unbeaten since Roy Hodgson took interim charge, while QPR have gone five matches without defeat.
Preston North End secured a 2-1 away win at Charlton Athletic, thanks to Brad Potts’s 65th-minute winner—his second goal of the season. Charlton took an early lead through Joe Rankin-Costello, but Lewis Dobbin equalized before halftime, setting the stage for Potts’s decisive strike.
Swansea City deepened Leicester City’s relegation fears with a 1-0 victory at the King Power Stadium, courtesy of Zan Vipotnik’s 21st league goal this season. The Slovenian striker blasted home from close range after a blistering counterattack led by Eom Ji-Sung, sending Leicester to second bottom, four points from safety with four games left.
“We just give a stupid goal away,” Leicester manager Gary Rowett lamented. “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.”
Oxford United boosted their survival hopes with a 2-0 win over Watford, thanks to goals from Myles Peart-Harris and substitute Mark Harris. However, Portsmouth’s late winner at Middlesbrough left Oxford in 22nd place, still in the relegation zone with four games remaining.
Blackburn Rovers inched closer to safety with a 1-1 draw at 10-man Stoke City, with Adam Forshaw scoring his first goal since February 2025—just his third in a decade. Jesurun Rak-Sakyi equalized for Stoke, who finished with 10 men after Ash Phillips was sent off late for a second bookable offense.
