Captain Jarrod Bowen struck twice as West Ham defeated Bolton 3-2 to move to the top of the Championship on goal difference. The England forward broke the deadlock in the 13th minute before scoring again with 13 minutes remaining to secure his team’s first victory at Bolton in 31 years.
Wanderers, who suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, initially responded through midfielder Ethan Erhahon’s first goal for the club. Ruben Rodrigues then converted a penalty in the 27th minute, putting the hosts on course for a ninth straight league win against the Hammers. However, Konstantinos Mavropanos equalised with a header four minutes later, setting the stage for Bowen to seal the turnaround.
Cyle Larin registered his fifth goal of the campaign as Southampton secured a 3-1 victory over Swansea, overcoming the league leaders at home for the second successive match. Larin, now level as the Championship’s leading scorer, found the target alongside Finn Azaz and Leo Scienza as Southampton extended their unbeaten run at St Mary’s to 13 games.
Watford recovered from a dreadful opening half to claim a 2-1 win against Preston, condemning the visitors to their fifth loss in six league fixtures. Callum Lang gave Preston a sixth-minute lead as they threatened to overwhelm the Hornets, but second-half goals from Edo Kayembe and Mamadou Doumbia, scored seven minutes apart, transformed the contest.
Wrexham remain without a home victory after being held to a 1-1 draw by winless Burnley, who are one position above the foot of the table. Jacques Ekomie headed in his second goal since completing a £7m transfer from Angers, cancelling out Zeki Amdouni’s first-half strike. The result at least brought Burnley’s sequence of seven consecutive away defeats, stretching back to last season, to an end.
The outcome offered little assistance to either club’s promotion ambitions. Wrexham have been unable to maintain the momentum generated last season, while relegated Burnley have deeper concerns after recording only one league victory since October. Former England forward Jamie Vardy joined the club this week, but the 39-year-old missed the match through suspension after accumulating yellow cards while playing for Italian side Cremonese.
Sheffield United ended their winless spell with clinical finishing in a 2-1 victory at Blackburn. Every goal arrived during a first half largely controlled by Rovers, who deservedly went ahead through Kristi Montgomery’s first goal for the club in the 20th minute. The Blades reversed the scoreline with their only two attempts of the half. Tom Cannon calmly scored in the 35th minute, his second goal at the venue in two weeks, before Sydie Peck fired in his first of the season shortly before half-time.
Cardiff are still searching for their first win of the campaign after Stoke earned a 1-1 draw in the Welsh capital, collecting their first away point since January. Ben Johnson’s goal midway through the opening half raised hopes that Stoke could end a run of nine consecutive Championship losses on the road. The visitors faced sustained pressure after the interval, however, and Joel Colwill headed in Cardiff’s equaliser on an afternoon when the hosts also struck the post three times. Cardiff’s fourth draw in six matches lifted them out of the relegation places, while Stoke dropped to 15th.
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