IRISH INTERNATIONALS Aaron Connolly, Tom Cannon, Finn Azaz and Mark McGuinness were all on target in the Championship today.
Femi Azeez struck a late equaliser as Millwall earned a 1-1 Championship draw against leaders Sunderland in a match that was delayed following two medical emergencies in the crowd.
The Black Cats moved back above second-placed Sheffield United on goal difference in the table, but they came so close to going two points clear thanks to Connolly’s first goal for the club.
The match was notable for the significantly delayed finish due to the two medical time-outs for supporters that happened concurrently towards the end of the first 45 minutes.
Sunderland were ahead after 10 minutes when Chris Rigg’s free-kick was headed out as far as Connolly, who buried a superb controlled volley from the edge of the area to open his account for the club.
Elsewhere, Emmanuel Latte Lath netted a 12-minute hat-trick as Middlesbrough hammered Oxford 6-2 at the Kassam Stadium, with Azaz scoring two and making two.
It came after a stunning first-half turnaround from Boro after falling behind in the 24th minute – with Ivory Coast international Latte Lath at the heart of it.
Greg Leigh fired the U’s in front but three goals in eight minutes before the break turned the match on its head to see Boro suddenly 3-1 up.
Jamaica international Leigh scored from 12 yards at a corner when Elliott Moore turned the ball back from the far post.
Middlesbrough levelled in the 37th minute when Latte Lath converted a penalty after Ben Doak was tripped on the byline by Moore, who was booked for the rash challenge.
Azaz put Boro in front five minutes later, shooting right-footed into the bottom-left corner from 15 yards from Latte Lath’s pass.
The visitors completed their quickfire turnaround on the stroke of half-time as the pacy Latte Lath broke Oxford’s offside trap, running onto Azaz’s pass to beat goalkeeper Jamie Cumming.
Azaz was provider once more four minutes into the second half when Latte Lath drilled a left-footed shot between Cumming and his near post for his seventh goal of the season to complete his hat-trick.
Substitute Dane Scarlett pulled a second goal back with a low shot in the 72nd minute.
But Boro then went up a gear again and Tommy Conway struck a fifth goal with a low right-footed shot from 20 yards before the classy Azaz curled in number six seven minutes from time to complete the rout.
The U’s had welcomed back from injury midfielder Cameron Brannagan for the first time since September and he clipped the crossbar with an angled drive in the second half.
Boro’s win came despite them being without USA midfielder Aidan Morris, who sustained a twisted knee while on international duty ahead of their match against Jamaica.
A slick combination between Delano Burgzorg and Latte Lath almost brought Middlesbrough an early opening but Cumming reacted brilliantly to turn the latter’s close-range effort around the post.
With the wet and windy conditions, made even more testing by one end of the Kassam Stadium being open, Oxford made use of Will Vaulks’ long throw ability.
It was from one of these that the U’s forced a corner from which Leigh struck the opening goal.
However, United struggled to handle the pacy of Middlesbrough’s forwards, especially Latte Lath in the middle and Doak on the right.
It is the first time since 1947 that Middlesbrough have scored four goals or more in three consecutive league games.
In addition, Luton bounced back from their 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Middlesbrough before the international break with a welcome three points and clean sheet by beating a wasteful Hull 1-0 at Kenilworth Road.
The visitors made by far the brighter start as winger Abu Kamar’s pace was apparent, speeding away from Reece Burke with his low cross forcing Teden Mengi to stab over his own bar.
Town then began to try and get into proceedings, Carlton Morris’s shot deflected behind for a corner that Shandon Baptiste sent over, Mengi heading straight at Croatian keeper Ivor Pandur.
Hull maintained the ascendancy though, Xavier Simons slicing waywardly over the top from outside the box.
Despite Hull being the better team, it was Luton who took the lead on 33 minutes when another Baptiste corner caused problems, flicking off a defender’s head and landing at the feet of Mark McGuinness who was able to swivel and half-volley in his first goal for the club.
Finally, Ben Gibson’s own goal gifted a point to QPR, who remain bottom of the Sky Bet Championship and without a home win this season after a 1-1 draw with Stoke.
Tom Cannon put the visitors ahead in the 24th minute with his eighth goal of the season and fourth in his past five matches.
Zan Celar wasted a chance to score his first goal for QPR when he missed a penalty. However, Marti Cifuentes’ struggling side equalised in the 62nd minute when Koki Saito’s corner was inadvertently touched in at the near post by Gibson.
Rangers made a lively start but found themselves behind following an error by Jimmy Dunne.
After the defender gave the ball away, Eric-Junior Bocat set up Cannon, who cut inside and sent a superb curling strike beyond goalkeeper Paul Nardi.
Rangers almost equalised immediately, with keeper Viktor Johansson producing a fine save to deny Saito, and were then given a great chance to level when Bocat gave away a penalty by fouling Paul Smyth.
Despite Celar failing to impress since his arrival in west London, and fellow summer signing Nicolas Madsen having scored all 13 of the spot-kicks he has taken during his senior career, it was the Slovenian striker who stepped up – and dragged his kick wide of the target.
Rangers continued to threaten before half-time and Johansson gathered Madsen’s header from Dunne’s cross.
But they were on the back foot after the interval and Nardi needed to produce a double save to prevent a second goal, denying Cannon and then Bae Junho.
QPR responded with Sam Field’s strike bringing another save from Johansson, Smyth blasting over, and Harrison Ashby’s deflected shot hitting the outside of the post before the hosts eventually drew level.
Nardi kept them level by brilliantly tipping a shot from Cannon onto the post.
There was a late let-off for QPR when Junho fired in from 25 yards but the goal was disallowed, seemingly for a handball by the South Korean.
And Johansson then produced a fine save to push Alfie Lloyd’s shot onto the post after the youngster had been set up by fellow substitute Lucas Andersen.
QPR’s failure to go above second-from-bottom Portsmouth, whose match against Blackburn was called off, will disappoint under-pressure Cifuentes.
His team face a vital match at fellow strugglers Cardiff, who are currently five points clear of them, in midweek.
English Championship results on Saturday:
Bristol City 0 Burnley 1
Coventry 2 Sheffield United 2
Luton 1 Hull 0
Millwall 1 Sunderland 1
Oxford 2 Middlesbrough 6
Preston 1 Derby 1
QPR 1 Stoke 1
Sheffield Wednesday 1 Cardiff 1
West Brom 2 Norwich 2
Postponed
Blackburn v Portsmouth (waterlogged pitch)
Playing Sunday
Swansea v Leeds (1500 GMT)
Played Friday
Plymouth 2 Watford 2
