Sky Bet Championship round-up: Wayne Rooney's Derby thrash Birmingham to climb out of bottom three
Derby recorded their biggest win of the season as a 4-0 triumph at Birmingham saw them climb out of the Sky Bet Championship bottom three for the first time since the end of October.
Three goals in 10 first-half minutes, from Krystian Bielik, Graeme Shinnie and Colin Kazim-Richards, did the damage for Wayne Rooney’s side as they bounced back strongly from their stoppage-time defeat by Preston on Boxing Day, which had ended a previous six-game unbeaten run. Jason Knight completed the scoring.
Leaders Norwich dropped points for the second time in four days after being held to a 1-1 draw by struggling QPR at Carrow Road.
After losing 1-0 at Watford on Saturday, the Canaries slipped up again as the visitors recorded a hard-earned point in a game of two penalties.
A dominant Norwich side looked as though they had won it when Teemu Pukki scored his 11th goal of the season from the spot with 15 minutes remaining but were pegged back nine minutes later as Bright Osayi-Samuel followed suit for the visitors.
Sheffield Wednesday responded to the sacking of Tony Pulis by beating play-off chasing Middlesbrough 2-1.
Pulis left the club on Monday night having been in charge for just 45 days and 10 games.
First-half goals from Callum Paterson and Liam Shaw secured victory at Hillsborough, with the hosts holding on after Duncan Watmore pulled one back.
Huddersfield made it five home wins in a row as Naby Sarr inspired a dramatic 2-1 victory over Blackburn.
Rovers thought they had salvaged a point when substitute Sam Gallagher pounced with four minutes left to cancel out Sarr’s headed opener.
But the big defender had the final say as the game entered injury time as he ghosted on to Pipa’s floated pass to grab a stunning winner.
On-loan Leicester midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored his first goal for Luton as the Hatters ended a run of three games without a win by defeating Bristol City 2-1 at Kenilworth Road.
Glen Rea fired the hosts in front after 17 minutes, but Sonny Bradley’s own goal just after the hour restored parity.
Luton took only seven minutes after that leveller to find the winning goal, with Dewsbury-Hall netting a fine strike to clinch the three points.
Barnsley condemned Rotherham to their fifth defeat in six matches.
Cauley Woodrow put the visitors up inside eight minutes before Alex Mowatt doubled their advantage. Michael Smith pulled one back but Barnsley held on to win 2-1.
Elsewhere, Daniel Johnson and Sean Maguire were on target for Preston as they recorded a 2-0 win over Coventry, while Wycombe picked up a valuable three points in their fight against relegation as headers from Ryan Tafazolli and David Wheeler gave them a 2-1 win over Cardiff despite Junior Hoilett’s late goal.
James Chester scored a second-half own goal for Stoke to cancel out team-mate Jordan Thompson’s strike in a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.