Championship wrap: Middlesbrough, Leeds close gap on leaders
3 December 2011 22:01
Southampton and West Ham both lost in the Championship on Saturday while Middlesbrough claimed a 1-0 win over Bristol City.
Table-toppers Southampton were strong favourites to defeat the bottom-placed Doncaster Rovers but a surprise was in store for Nigel Adkins' men at the Keepmoat Stadium.
Billy Sharp struck the only goal of the game on the hour-mark and despite Southampton's efforts to grab an equaliser, they were kept at bay by Rovers who recorded a 1-0 victory.
West Ham, who sit second, were also surprised as Burnley made it three wins on the trot with a 2-1 success at Upton Park.
Kevin Nolan put the hosts in front after 52 minutes but Eddie Howe's side fought back, with Chris McCann equalising just five minutes later before Sam Vokes struck a late winner.
Middlesbrough closed the gap on the leaders in third spot after a fantastic long-range strike from Malaury Martin in the 91st minute lifted them to a 1-0 win at Bristol City.
A Robert Snodgrass double helped Leeds United to a 2-0 win over Millwall on an emotional day at Elland Road.
Former Leeds favourite Gary Speed was farewelled by the 27,161-strong crowd with his widow Louise, father Roger and sons Edward and Thomas in attendance in West Yorkshire.
And after a moving pre-match tribute to Speed, it was fitting that a left-footed midfielder would decide the game, with Snodgrass scoring from a free-kick on 62 minutes before heading home for his second just three minutes later.
Barnsley claimed an amazing 4-3 win at Peterborough, with Craig Davies scoring the winner with 12 minutes remaining.
Strikes to James O'Brien, Jacob Butterfield and Ricardo Vaz Te had Barnsley up by three goals with just half an hour to play, but George Boyd, Ryan Bennett and Lee Frecklington all equalised in a six-minute spell to set up an exciting finish, with Davies' late strike his sixth in as many games.
Marvin Sordell and Troy Deeney scored in the last 20 minutes for Watford as they won 2-1 at Ipswich Town, who lost their seventh match in a row, while relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest were beaten 1-0 by Brighton, with William Buckley scoring a stoppage-time winner.
Robert Koren bagged an 88th minute winner for Hull City who beat a 10-man Leicester City 2-1 and Portsmouth beat Coventry City by the same scoreline, while Callum McManaman's second-half goal was enough to give Blackpool a 1-0 home win over Reading.
