Championship Review: Wolves up, Cardiff second as Fulham are frustrated

Wolves’ promotion to the Premier League was sealed without them kicking a ball thanks to Fulham’s costly home draw with Brentford.

Neil Maupay dramatically headed home in the 94th minute to force a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage that confirmed the Championship leaders’ return to the top flight.

The result also allowed Cardiff City to reclaim a grip on second spot as they netted twice beyond the 85th minute to see off Norwich City.

Elsewhere, Middlesbrough overcame the sight of Patrick Bamford on a stretcher to secure a key result against Bristol City in the battle for the play-off spots.

The Moment.#ThePackIsBack pic.twitter.com/yVbzv1Ptdq

— Wolves (@Wolves) April 14, 2018

COTTAGERS COUNT THE COST

Fulham’s failure to beat Brentford was compounded by Cardiff’s earlier success at Carrow Road.

Bluebirds substitute Kenneth Zohore broke the deadlock at the second attempt in the 86th minute before Junior Hoilett made three points safe with a second deep into stoppage time.

Those goals saw them leapfrog Slavisa Jokanovic’s side into second and that is the way it remained after Fulham were on the wrong end of a late leveller.

Aleksandar Mitrovic’s 70th-minute strike looked to have made it five wins on the trot but, following Maupay’s last-gasp response, they are now a point outside the automatic places, having played a game more than the Welsh club.

Warnock: “I couldn’t fault anything today, you can see what my team are like, they’ve got big hearts. It makes you feel so proud as a manager.”

Read more from the Gaffer here  https://t.co/gBLhCXbSBs#CityAsOne  pic.twitter.com/dUU71o4zis

— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) April 14, 2018

BORO BANK BIG WIN AFTER BAMFORD CONCERNS

Tony Pulis’ Boro enhanced their play-off prospects by coming from behind to edge Bristol City 2-1 in a match that was partially overshadowed by Bamford’s concerning injury.

The 24-year-old was knocked unconscious following a sickening collision with Robins defender Aden Flint and received oxygen as he was taken off on a stretcher and wearing a neck brace. 

Pulis allayed fears over the severity of the blow by confirming Bamford was in good spirits after the match, while the player himself posted a positive update of his condition on social media.

Great win today from the boys. Thanks for all the support and kind messages, I’m back home recovering, concentrating on getting ready for the next big match  enjoy your weekend! #utb #boro

— Patrick Bamford (@Patrick_Bamford) April 14, 2018

George Friend had cancelled out Milan Djuric’s opener prior to the worrisome first-half incident and Pulis’ side were unnerved by the long delay, eventually securing a win that moves them fifth thanks to Daniel Ayala’s 66th-minute header.

Millwall are their nearest competitors, the Lions hanging onto sixth after Steve Morison quickly responded to a Leon Clarke header to earn a 1-1 draw at Sheffield United and extend their unbeaten run to 17 league matches. 

CLOUDS GATHER OVER BLACK CATS

Sunderland’s slim hopes of avoiding back-to-back relegations are just about over after they were made to settle for a 2-2 draw at Reading.

Paddy McNair and Lee Cattermole scored after half-time to overturn Liam Kelly’s penalty and put Chris Coleman’s within reach of a vital victory.

But Yann Kermorgant stepped off the bench to earn the Royals a draw and leave Sunderland six points shy of safety at the bottom of the division.

Fellow strugglers Burton Albion, who also have three games to save their season, are a point closer than the Black Cats after registering a surprise 3-1 win over play-off hopefuls Derby County.

Also at the wrong end of the table, 22nd-placed Barnsley left it late to secure a 2-2 draw at home to Bolton Wanderers to remain within two points of the Trotters.

“The fans drove us on”

Watch the manager’s post-match interview in full  https://t.co/0mxkAFr8Vd pic.twitter.com/CtNdjUp6BO

— Sunderland AFC  (@SunderlandAFC) April 14, 2018