Leeds United climbed to the top of the Championship table with a commanding 2-0 victory over struggling Stoke City on Thursday, thanks to a brace from Joel Piroe.
Piroe opened the scoring in the first half and doubled Leeds’ lead after the break, securing a seventh win in their last nine games. The result propelled Daniel Farke’s side to the summit on goal difference, overtaking Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United, who suffered a 2-0 defeat to Burnley earlier in the day.
Burnley’s victory at Bramall Lane also bolstered their own promotion push. Josh Brownhill’s header from a Bashir Humphreys cross put the Clarets ahead just before half-time, and Zian Flemming’s deflected strike sealed the win.
Sunderland, currently in fourth, saw their hopes of keeping up with the top three dashed by a dramatic 90th-minute equaliser from Blackburn’s Harry Leonard. The match ended 2-2 after Sunderland had turned an early deficit into a lead with goals from Chris Rigg and Wilson Isidor.
Elsewhere, Sheffield Wednesday staged a stunning comeback from 3-0 down at half-time to draw 3-3 against 10-man Middlesbrough at the Riverside. Goals from Svante Ingelsson, Josh Windass, and Yan Valery salvaged a point after Middlesbrough’s Rav van den Berg was sent off.
At the other end of the table, Coventry crushed bottom-club Plymouth 4-0, giving Frank Lampard bragging rights over former teammate Wayne Rooney.
In other results, Gary Rowett’s first game as Oxford manager ended in a 3-2 win over Cardiff, while Rocco Vata’s stoppage-time strike secured a 2-1 victory for Watford against Portsmouth. Swansea eased past QPR 3-0, Norwich edged out Millwall 2-1, and there were 1-0 wins for Preston against Hull and Bristol City against Luton.
Leeds now turn their attention to maintaining their form as the Championship race heats up, while Stoke face an uphill battle to climb out of the relegation zone.
