Millwall moved five points clear of Hull in the Championship playoff places and closed the gap on second-placed Middlesbrough with a 3-1 win at the MKM Stadium. Substitute Mihailo Ivanovic capitalised on a goalkeeping error by Ivor Pandur in the 70th minute, before Josh Coburn’s fierce strike eight minutes later secured victory for Alex Neil’s side. Jake Cooper had given Millwall an early lead with an instinctive volley, only for Joe Gelhardt to equalise with his 12th goal of the season.
Hull twice hit the crossbar in a dominant first half and had a Kyle Joseph goal disallowed after referee David Webb judged Oli McBurnie to have fouled goalkeeper Anthony Patterson. Hull head coach Sergej Jakirovic described the decision as shocking, saying: “A goal all day. I’m very shocked. When you watch it back, it is a goal. How has McBurnie fouled if he is in front of the goalkeeper? You can complain about VAR, about how long it takes to make a decision, but at least it’s fair.”
Coventry strengthened their position at the top of the table with a 2-0 win at Bristol City, despite ending with 10 men. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto headed them in front from Jay Dasilva’s cross, and Haji Wright added a second in first-half stoppage time. Joel Latibeaudiere was sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, and Bristol City’s Adam Randell received a second yellow card in the second half. Manager Frank Lampard praised “the spirit and determination” of his players.
Ipswich’s automatic promotion hopes suffered a setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester at Portman Road. Patson Daka put Leicester ahead, but Sindre Walle Egeli equalised for the hosts, who dropped to fourth, two points adrift of the automatic places. Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was unhappy at a late penalty appeal when Cédric Kipré was challenged by Hamza Choudhury, saying: “It couldn’t be any more clear.”
Derby kept their play-off hopes alive with a 2-1 win over relegated Sheffield Wednesday, whose 13th straight league defeat made them only the fifth team in Football League history to go 30 or more matches without a win. At the bottom, Hayden Carter’s stoppage-time equaliser earned Blackburn a dramatic 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Portsmouth, after Connor Ogilvie’s deflected strike had looked set to give Portsmouth the points.
