Crysencio Summerville and Dan James struck two late goals as Leeds beat Hull 3-1 at Elland Road to climb back into the Sky Bet Championship’s top two.

Summerville picked himself up after being bundled over in the box to convert from the spot in the 88th minute and James fired home from fully 40 yards with visiting goalkeeper Ryan Allsop stranded in the closing moments.

The win extended Leeds’ unbeaten home run to 20 matches this season, left them unbeaten in the league in 2024 and lifted them up to second above Leicester in the table.

Sam Byram had headed Leeds into an early lead before Fabio Carvalho struck a deserved equaliser for Hull, who will feel aggrieved to have left West Yorkshire empty-handed after another impressive away display.

After a minute’s applause before kick-off in tribute to Leeds fans Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight – both killed in Istanbul before a UEFA Cup game against Galatasaray in 2000 – the home side went straight on the offensive.

Archie Gray lashed an angled drive over the crossbar before Byram gave Leeds a ninth-minute lead.

Georginio Rutter’s jinking run from deep scattered Hull’s defence and when Crysencio Summerville’s shot was parried by Hull goalkeeper Ryan Allsop, Byram charged in to head home the rebound.

Hull enjoyed a fair share of possession without troubling home goalkeeper Illan Meslier before Patrick Bamford should have doubled Leeds’ advantage.

Summerville burst into the box and his low cross from the left was inch-perfect, but Bamford scooped the ball over the crossbar from close in.

Leeds were made to pay for that miss in the 34th minute. Hull midfielder Tyler Morton darted on to a loose ball and his cross from the left was buried by Liverpool loanee Carvalho.

Allsop made two point-blank saves to deny Rutter in quick succession just before the break, but Hull had looked the better side for long spells in the first half.

The Tigers threatened twice more early in the second period when Jaden Philogene and Abdulkadir Omur fired shots from the edge of the area inches wide.

The visitors maintained their level, which had seen them win at both Leicester and Southampton this season, as Leeds tried to build some momentum.

Gray went tumbling in the box under Jean Michael Seri’s challenge and home fans were furious as referee Josh Smith was unmoved.

Mateo Joseph, a 72nd-minute replacement for Bamford, struck a post following Junior Firpo’s cut-back and Hull centre-half Alfie Jones’ well-timed tackle denied Dan James a clear run on goal.

With Leeds appearing to be running out of time in their bid to climb back into an automatic promotion slot, Summerville came to their rescue.

The Dutch winger was brought down by Regan Slater and after arguing with Leeds substitute Joel Piroe over who would take the penalty, he made no mistake from the spot.

Hull poured forward in search of an equaliser and when the ball was cleared to James, the Wales winger saw Allsop off his goal-line and rifled a shot into an empty net.

Kieran McKenna hailed his comeback kings as Ipswich dug deep to seal a jaw-dropping 3-2 stoppage-time victory against Southampton to go back top of the Sky Bet Championship.

A pulsating Easter Monday clash at a packed Portman Road went down to the wire after Che Adams and Adam Armstrong had put Saints in the driving seat, having been hit by a Leif Davis’ stunner.

Nathan Broadhead levelled for Ipswich and, after Southampton full-back James Bree was sent off, fellow substitute Jeremy Sarmiento snatched victory in the seventh and final minute of stoppage-time.

That goal sparked bedlam, sending Town back to the Championship summit as McKenna’s men took their points tally from losing positions to a remarkable 31.

“It was right up there,” the Ipswich boss said. “It was another brilliant day, brilliant match to be involved in.

“A really high level, fantastic performance. Both teams did so many good things and a great day to be involved in.

“Of course when you win it with the last-minute winner like that, it’s a moment to really cherish.

“A great moment. I think everyone got a little bit lost in it – subs, staff, everyone.

“My radar still probably thinks ‘there’s 30 seconds to go so you have to get organised again’.

“We’ve had it happen to us, we’ve done it to Rotherham a month ago, so you still have to see the last ball or two out.

“But, yeah, a wonderful moment for everyone involved and one that I’m sure everyone will remember for a long time.”

Put to the former Manchester United coach that Fergie time is fast becoming McKenna time, he said with a laugh: “It’s a good habit. It doesn’t happen by chance.

“I’ve spoken with that before, everyone knows that doesn’t happen by chance and there’s a lot of work goes into it but yeah, it’s a great way to win again.”

While Ipswich celebrate long into the night, Southampton were again left wondering what might have been.

So dominant for so much of the game, their profligacy in front of goal cost them like it has so many times this season on a night that seemingly ended their automatic promotion hopes.

Saints boss Russell Martin said: “We were the best team, we didn’t deserve to lose. We came here, we had 17 shots on goal. Five huge chances, we missed three. They had relatively little until late on.

“We responded amazingly well to a poor goal to concede, so I think if you’re in the game and you’re feeling it, you’re watching it, you know we were the dominant team and we should go on to win the game.

“But we missed two massive chances and then we go down to 10 men and they take there’s.

“Even at 2-2, I thought we were going win the game and then with 10 men, David Brooks goes through in the box and squares, we nearly score.

“I’m so proud of the players, brilliant performance. If we play like that between now and the end of the season, we’ll be right in it still, I think.”

Super sub Jeremy Sarmiento secured Sky Bet Championship comeback kings Ipswich a stunning 3-2 stoppage-time win against profligate Southampton to go back to the top of the table.

A packed Portman Road hosted this eagerly-anticipated Easter Monday encounter between a pair of sides pushing for a place in the Premier League next season.

Che Adams and Adam Armstrong put Southampton on course for a much-needed win after Leif Davis’ stunning opener, but all too familiar wastefulness cost Russell Martin’s men dearly.

Substitute Nathan Broadhead levelled and James Bree’s 85th-minute sending off for dragging back Davis made for a nervy final conclusion.

Ipswich looked set to fall short but Kieran McKenna’s men never give up, epitomised by Sarmiento recovering from a slip to direct the ball home in the seventh and final minute of stoppage time to spark bedlam.

As for Southampton, their continued inability to capitalise when on top means their faint automatic promotion hopes are now all but over.

It was the perfect end to the night for Ipswich and their fans – including onwatching Ed Sheeran – and follows a dream start.

Sam Morsy showed skill and awareness to float a ball out to Davis, with the full-back continuing to laser a stunning shot past Gavin Bazunu at his near post in the 13th minute.

It was a quite wonderful hit met by an immediate Saints riposte.

Quick build-up played ended with Joe Aribo prodding forwards for Adams to sweep home a 14th-minute equaliser from six yards. Ipswich fans and players appealed for offside, unaware that Davis had played on the Saints striker.

Martin’s men took confidence from that equaliser and went ahead midway through the first half.

The visitors moved from back to front, with Stuart Armstrong bursting forward and continuing to play an exceptional ball through for Adam Armstrong to beat Vaclav Hladky with a first-time finish.

Ipswich offered little in terms of response beyond a Conor Chaplin strike into the ground and then lost influential Kieffer Moore to injury.

Ryan Fraser sent a shot across the face of goal and Adam Armstrong curled an effort over as the first half came to an end, with Southampton continuing dangerously after the break.

Hladky did brilliantly to stop Jan Bednarek heading in a free-kick, before the Ipswich goalkeeper saved a low shot from Adam Armstrong.

The Czech shot-stopper also blocked a Fraser effort but the longer Saints failed to extend their lead, the more chance there was for Ipswich to pull level.

Half of Portman Road thought they had in the 66th minute when substitute Ali Al-Hamadi skipped past his man and hit the post from the edge of the box.

Southampton failed to heed that warning and two minutes later were made to pay as Broadhead hit a hopeful low shot from just inside the box on the turn that beat Bazunu down low to his left.

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Play swung from end to end as these promotion contenders sought a winner, with Saints reduced to 10 men in the 85th minute. Bree hauled back Davis just outside the box and referee Michael Salisbury handed out a red card.

The tension inside the ground was palpable as both sides pushed until the end, with a late David Brooks cross stopped and Broadhead attempt saved.

Seven minute of stoppage time were announced and Sarmiento struck at the death, beating Bazunu to spark wild celebrations, having recovered from an initial slip to score.

Manchester United have made an official approach to hire Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox, the PA news agency understands.

Ineos recently took charge of football operations at Old Trafford as part of the deal that saw Sir Jim Ratcliffe become minority owner of the Premier League club.

United are looking for a resolution to hire Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth, who has been placed on garden leave, and negotiations are also under way to bring in Wilcox.

The 53-year-old joined Sky Bet Championship side Southampton as director of football from Manchester City last summer, having worked up to the role of academy director during 11 years at the Premier League club.

Wilcox is now subject of an approach from United, although compensation terms are a sticking point.

The Red Devils have offered compensation commensurate to a year’s salary, but Southampton want a bigger package.

United want Wilcox in place for the summer and are hoping for an amicable outcome.

A report emerged during Southampton’s match against Ipswich on Monday evening that he has resigned, which would mean serving a 12-month notice period before he could take up a new role.

Wilcox is understood to have a good relationship with incoming United chief executive Omar Berrada from their time together at City.

Interim manager Gary Rowett insists Birmingham have their belief back after clinching a priceless 1-0 win at home to Preston.

On-loan Fulham striker Jay Stansfield eased City’s relegation fears with the only goal of the game in the 68th minute.

Stansfield’s 10th Sky Bet Championship goal of the season secured Blues a deserved first victory in eight games since manager Tony Mowbray was last in the dugout.

“I think for the team it was one of the most important wins of the season,” said Rowett.

“I think this win gives them that belief again of knowing what we need to do to win, knowing what we need to do to compete in a game.

“It’s also about knowing that if we show that desire as a group, we’ve got the quality.

“It was an important three points. There’s no feeling like winning games – the feeling for the crowd after the game, the feeling after the final whistle, the feeling as a player coming back into the dressing room.

“Recognising and understanding what got you that feeling and replicating day in, day out is what makes people win all the time. That’s what we need to do.”

After four straight defeats and one point from the last 21, it was also Blues’ first clean sheet in nine.

City have been accused by critics of lacking fight, but it was certainly in evidence here.

“We showed that side of the game that I maybe felt, ‘Have we got that?’” added Rowett.

“All the players can do is prove people wrong. If I was a player and had that labelled at me I would want to roll my sleeves up and do something about it.”

Regarding the goal, Rowett added: “You want a one against one, but maybe not when you’ve got 10 seconds to think about it.

“But I wouldn’t have wanted it to drop to anyone else – he’s as good a finisher as we’ve got.”

Stansfield got the all-important goal with the first opening of the second half.

Koji Miyoshi’s short pass inside his own half carried little danger, but the sliding Andrew Hughes failed to cut it out and then Liam Lindsay completely missed the loose ball to gift Stansfield a clear route to goal.

Preston manager Ryan Lowe said of the goal: “We can’t legislate for that slip – it cost us a point, minimum.

“But we could have had the game out of sight in the first half when we had two glorious chances to score and it would have been a potentially game-over situation at 2-0.

“My centre half (Lindsay) who has been outstanding all season slipped at the wrong time.

“And if you give a player of that calibre a one-versus-one he will have every chance of scoring.”

Lowe felt his side did not do enough to get back into the game.

“We did everything we could, but decision making and a lack of quality has cost us,” he said.

Bristol City boss Liam Manning hailed “terrific character” Nahki Wells after he came off the bench to score the only goal of the game at Plymouth.

Half-time substitute Wells scored the Robins’ 57th-minute winner as Argyle slumped to 21st in the Championship, one point above the relegation zone following five straight home defeats without scoring.

Manning said of the striker: “Nahki is a terrific character; I’m delighted for him that he came on and got the winner for us.

“In the first half we obviously expected them to come at us, with the home fans creating an atmosphere and getting behind them.

“And obviously their set-up was a bit more aggressive and front-footed. For the first 20-25 minutes we weathered the storm a little bit, which sometimes you have to.

“We changed it from a five to a four 20 minutes in which allowed us to get a bit more pressure. For the last 15 minutes of the first half we came back into it and were more in their half than ours.

“I thought we did a good job of seeing that through then shifting the control back to us.

“We made the three changes at half-time which I want to stress were not performance-related.

“I thought the energy in the second half was going to be really important and fortunately it helped.

“It’s nice to have the experience and quality that we’ve got to make changes during the game.

“The physical demands in this league at this stage of the season are huge. I think the international break came at a really good time for us.

“You sometimes need that time to consolidate and reflect. I think having that two-week international break allowed us to reset, refocus.

“We took confidence from the performance on Friday and it was a different challenge today.

“Before the Leicester game we talked about resetting after the international break and an eight-game season. We’ve won the first two.”

Plymouth head coach Ian Foster said: “For a good while throughout the game we were the better side.

“They switched to a back four and made three changes at half-time. That tells you something about the way we were playing.

“The performance was outstanding for most of the game. We got more frustrated as the game wore on.

“We all want to be together. You can’t fault the players’ application. We just have to be more ruthless when we get our chances. We’ve got to do better.

“We had enough possession and created enough opportunities and, in those moments, we have to score.

“We are all disappointed. We are doing everything we can to arrest this spell we are going through.

“Our attention turns to the next game (Rotherham away), which is massive for us. But all games are massive now.

“Nobody is happy when you don’t win games of football. We take responsibility and we try our hardest to win games of football.

“When your luck is not going with you it’s not.

“We keep working really hard. In these moments you find out about yourselves. We are desperate to stay in this division and we are fighting to do that, you could see that from the players’ application.”

Swansea manager Luke Williams lamented his side’s failure to turn pressure into goals after they were beaten 1-0 by QPR.

A 71st-minute volley from a corner by defender Steve Cook gave the Hoops a priceless victory in their fight against relegation from the Championship.

Rangers are now six points clear of the relegation zone, a point behind the Swans, yet neither club can count themselves safe from the drop just yet.

And Williams’ frustration was evident on an afternoon when his side dictated much of the game at the Swansea.com Stadium.

He said: “We should have got something, but football keeps you honest.

“If you don’t take your chances and you switch off from a set-piece you are always vulnerable.

“We became a cliche today. We started slowly and then became more dominant.

“But domination counts for little if you don’t convert your chances.

“We have a lot of openings that don’t amount to anything.

“We’re happy, we’re enthusiastic and moving in the right direction.

“But we have to be more clinical and better at finishing.”

Williams suggested his side’s shortcomings were mental rather than physical, even though they started the game sluggishly.

Williams added: “If we start slowly it’s not a physical thing, it’s a mental thing.

“We have to start games ferociously and bloody the other fighter’s nose at the earliest opportunity.”

Swansea’s woes were compounded by the loss of influential midfielder Joe Allen in the 34th minute with a toe injury.

“We need a bit more time for that to settle down and then we can try to gauge how long it will be,” said Williams.

“He bent the toe back too far. We don’t think it’s a break, from a brief conversation with him he is not showing the symptoms of that.”

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes told his players to stay humble and refused to entertain talk of safety.

Cifuentes said: “All I know is we need more points when I look at the table.

“We are in a good moment, but at this stage of the season we need to be humble.

“Until it’s 100 per cent certain we will not stop.

“I am proud and happy about the work the guys put in.

“Swansea have quality players and are difficult to play against.

“But our goal came at a great time.

“We started the game well, got into some good situations and created some good chances in the first 10 minutes.

“Then we started to sit deeper and deeper and we had to make some adjustments at half-time.

“After we went ahead it was about understanding what we needed to do to win.

“We did a very good job defending the lead.”

Coventry manager Mark Robins refused to place the blame on Liam Kitching after the defender scored two own goals in his side’s 2-1 defeat against Cardiff.

It was a result that damaged the Sky Blues’ chances of reaching the Championship play-offs as they remained four points behind sixth-placed Norwich, who were beaten at Leicester earlier on Easter Monday.

The FA Cup semi-finalists’ run of three league wins in a row was also brought to a shuddering end as they were unable to build on a strong start and Ellis Simms’ opening goal.

Robins said: “Life gives you opportunities sometimes, you’ve got to do everything you can to try and take them. Today feels like one of those that’s got away.

“It [Kitching’s first own goal] is inexplicable, he looks like he’s trying to clear the crossbar with it, rather than move it to the side of the goal, that’s what it looks like to me.

“Sometimes it happens when you’re under pressure and you feel you’ve got to do something, and in that instance you’ve made the wrong decision and the consequences are there.

“I think, to all intents and purposes, that isn’t why we lose the game.

“We had 20 minutes at the end of sort of sustained pressure on them, where we’re trying to get the equaliser.

“We got the one chalked off for offside, but you’ve still got to have that spell where you’ve got to have some bravery.”

Coventry led after 22 minutes when Simms tapped in Milan van Ewijk’s cross for his 11th goal in seven games but Kitching cancelled this out by slamming into the top corner of his own net following a Joe Ralls corner.

Kitching’s miserable afternoon was complete midway through the second half when Josh Bowler’s cross inadvertently deflected in off him.

Cardiff boss Erol Bulut said: “It’s a great victory, in Coventry to win, to come back from 1-0 [down] and win the game was not easy because we’ve seen in Coventry’s last [few] games they’re pushing for the play-offs.

“For us, it’s a big victory and the most important thing is, after the Sunderland game, we’ve shown a reaction.

“It was a great reaction from our team to come back and show this performance.

“We did it [come from behind] a few weeks ago against Ipswich, but it’s not easy when you’ve lost two games in a row: the Swansea derby when the morale goes down and home against Sunderland when everybody was expecting a win.

“So, that’s why it’s really important to come back against Coventry.

“OK, the first goal was luck, the second one was a bigger luck because it’s a cross where the opponent touches it and it went into the goal.”

John Eustace hailed an “all-round perfect performance” after Blackburn eased their Championship relegation worries with a 5-1 hammering of Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The Rovers manager was also full of praise for his “unplayable” front four of Sam Gallagher, Sammie Szmodics, Tyrhys Dolan and Ryan Hedges.

Szmodics’ double – his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season – set Blackburn on their way in the first half, with Dolan and Hedges then putting the game out of sight of the hosts within 10 minutes of the restart. Substitute Andrew Moran wrapped up the convincing win after Chris Rigg’s consolation.

It was Eustace’s first win at the 10th time of asking in charge of Rovers, who are now five points clear of the drop zone.

“It was an outstanding performance,” he said. “It’s been coming. The performances have been excellent over the time I’ve been here. You could see the togetherness was there.

“We’ve had some really difficult games but been competitive and rolled our sleeves up. The most important thing was we won playing our style of football but we also showed that level of commitment and desire to defend the box.

“The front four were awesome, they were unplayable at times and the most important thing for me was what they did without the ball, that was outstanding and was the platform.

“It was an all-round perfect performance.”

Furious Mike Dodds hammered his Sunderland players after what he described as a “pathetic” display.

The Black Cats ended a seven-game winless run with a 2-0 win at Cardiff on Good Friday but failed to build on that showing and were booed off at half-time and full-time by the home supporters.

Hopes of another top-six finish have disappeared in recent weeks and Sunderland are now 13 points shy of the play-off places.

Dodds said: “It’s a bad result and an even worse performance. It’s completely unacceptable and I don’t say that lightly. That’s probably the best word I can find.

“Blackburn were deserved winners and I don’t like saying that on our own patch.

“As head coach I have to take responsibility for it, when they’re back in for training there are going to be some uncomfortable conversations but they need to be had if we’re to move forward.

“The players haven’t had much of a chance to talk in there, they’re under no illusions as to my thoughts: if they want to play for this football club then they’re going to have to deliver a better performance than that. If they don’t, they won’t play.

“I could have subbed the whole team when I made the changes in the second half. We’re going to have to reflect and use it as motivation, use it as a huge learning curve – it’s completely unacceptable.”

Carlos Corberan insisted that West Brom will ‘never give up’ after watching his side fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Watford at The Hawthorns.

Watford struck twice in the space of 15 second-half minutes when Edo Kayembe broke the deadlock in the 51st minute, before Mileta Rajovic doubled the lead from close range.

Albion, who increased their lead over the chasing play-off pack by a point because of the defeats suffered by Norwich, Coventry and Preston, fought back in the closing stages.

Brandon Thomas-Asante struck a fierce drive beyond Daniel Bachmann in the Hornets goal in the 71st minute before right-back Darnell Furlong drew the hosts level in stoppage time with a rasping strike from distance.

It means West Brom have now lost just once in their last 12 matches, a run stretching back to January, and they remain on course to secure a play-off place come May,

Corberan said: “It was important to show to our fans that we wanted more and to show that we want to make something special this year.

“We need to understand, the players, staff, the fans, things aren’t going to work how we’d like them to work. Not always are the games going to be under control or will we play at our best level, but we need to show the fans that we are never going to give up.

“When the fans see that we are trying our best, they are going to support us. When you drop, you can break the togetherness which is necessary during the season, especially in this moment.

“This extra mentality, resilience, maturity, game understanding is going to be key if we’re to keep building something important.”

Watford’s interim manager Tom Cleverley was heartened by his team’s showing, despite the late disappointment of Furlong’s goal denying them two points.

Cleverley has overseen a return of five points from the three matches he has been in charge of, including a win at Birmingham and draws with Leeds and West Brom.

The Hornets could have sewn the game up, with Tom Dele-Bashiru testing goalkeeper Alex Palmer and Emmanuel Dennis hitting the post from a narrow angle.

Instead, they claimed only a point in the Black Country and Cleverley said: “If you strip it back and take the emotion out of it, the last two performances have given me real optimism for the club’s fortunes ahead.

“I feel a little hard done by that we’ve only taken two points from those games but I’ve asked the players for consistency in their performance.

“After a cagey first half, I felt like in the second half we put our stamp on the game. We did that fantastically, we just couldn’t hold on in the end.

“It’s a pleasure to work with these guys on a daily basis. The guys at the back are unfortunate to have conceded two goals today, there were some colossal performances.

“I think 99 times out of 100 when an opposition full-back has the ball 25 yards from goal, you feel fairly safe. Today, unfortunately, it’s gone into the top corner, but these players have given me a lot of belief in the last three games.”

Andre Breitenreiter was pleased with Huddersfield’s performance even as they let another lead slip in a 1-1 draw at Stoke to remain in the relegation zone.

The Terriers’ winless run stretched to six games, with Breitenreiter without a victory since his opening game in charge.

Bojan Radulovic broke the deadlock on the cusp of half-time with his first goal following a January switch from HJK Helsinki.

But Huddersfield’s lead proved to be short-lived as a beautiful Ki-Jana Hoever strike levelled the scores shortly after the restart.

The visitors rallied in search of a late winner but could not hand their survival bid a boost.

“We are happy with the performance of the team today,” said Breitenreiter.

“We had a lot of injuries and it was a young team, but we controlled the first half and we knew that there’d be opportunities to create chances.

“Second half, we conceded another goal of the month (contender), it’s unbelievable, but again we must defend better and tighter.

“At the end of the game, if it’s fair or not fair, we should take the lead again and we had some big chances. But we didn’t score and this has been a problem for many weeks.

“It was sometimes too easy to concede the goals and we don’t capitalise from our opportunities.

“We have players with potential and in my opinion, they showed that today – but to win the close games we need the goal.

“We have to do the best with the situation and every player has to give his best for 30, 45 or 90 minutes.

“The boys want to play this style and I’m sure that this is the style to lead us to success.

“For every team at the bottom, it’s important to win because of confidence – the performance was good so we have to believe and do it every matchday.”

Huddersfield had an earlier Matty Pearson goal disallowed but Stoke spurned a host of chances to complete their comeback, with Luke McNally’s header cleared off the line.

The Potters remain precariously above the relegation zone, five points above the dotted line with six games remaining.

“We could have won it, especially in the second half, but four points over the Easter weekend is okay,” said boss Steven Schumacher after his side beat Hull on Friday.

“That was a bit of a battle; we started the game well but lost our way, they got on top and deserved to take the lead.

“We played with a bit more tempo and urgency in the second half, so it’s pleasing to come from behind and get something from the game.

“It’s important that everyone contributes goals so hopefully Hoever keeps that habit up and it was a brilliant finish.

“After that, we grew in confidence and got into some good areas but just didn’t manage to make one of them count.

“It was a good reaction from the lads in the second half; we were excellent and could have won it and then defended our box well.

“It’s a real positive that we’ve done that in the second half because it’s not easy here and the disappointment affects everybody too much.

“Nobody likes to concede a goal but they are going to happen at home; we can’t overreact to it and have to stay positive and keep believing.

“We take the point and move on. It was important not to lose and let Huddersfield get any closer to us.”

Michael Carrick feels his Middlesbrough side are peaking at the ideal time after their 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday took them to within six points of the Championship’s play-off places.

The Teessiders’ season looked to effectively be over when they dropped to 14th after last month’s 2-0 defeat at Stoke, but they have embarked on a six-game unbeaten run that has reignited their promotion hopes.

They have closed to within six points of sixth-placed Norwich thanks to a comfortable victory over the Owls, which was achieved through a Michael Ihiekwe own goal and a deflected second-half strike from Isaiah Jones.

Carrick said: “There comes a point towards the end of the season where we are where we are, and you understand that and grasp it. You can then try to use that as a motivation.

“Five or six games ago, it was a case of getting back to basics and being solid and hard to beat. It was about trying to win games again, and we’ve done that.

“Southampton (a 1-1 draw on Good Friday) was a move in the right direction in terms of the football we want to play, and then today we’ve added to that again.

“I thought we looked a lot like the team we want to look like today, and I was pleased with that.

“Of course, we’ve got to keep trying to win games and see where that takes us, but the end of the season is getting closer now and while there’ll be swings week to week, I think you’ve got to embrace that at this stage.”

Carrick was especially pleased with his side’s defensive display despite the absence of a host of senior players that resulted in Jonny Howson having to play centre-back for the second game in a row.

Boro have conceded just one goal in their last five matches, with their improved defensive performances having played a major role in their unbeaten run.

Carrick said: “I think we’ve defended well as a team and pressed well. Different scenarios, different little tweaks of personnel, but I keep talking about the wavelengths and connections.

“Jonny has just shown his experience and his class. He’s stepped in and understood it straight away.

“I know he’s played there a few times, but I think he’s quite enjoyed that bit of a fresh challenge. You could see that, and I thought he was terrific again.”

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl pulled no punches as he bemoaned his side’s lacklustre showing as they slipped to 23rd in the table with just six more games to play.

“The supporters are high level, Premier League level, but from us, there was nothing,” Rohl said.

“I have showed my players one clip immediately after the game, and that clip showed everything that was wrong. If you lose the ball, then you have to work. If you play forward, then you have to push out. If the opponent moves right, you have to move right, but we were not moving right.

“We can speak about the shape, the players, everything, but it was simply not good enough. It was a big, big disappointment.

“If you are not doing the basics right, that is really disappointing.

“If you do not have the right attitude, it will be hard, and if the attitude is not right, it will be hard to take anything over the next six games.”

Rotherham head coach Leam Richardson was pleased for his players as they battled to only their fourth league win of the season with a 2-1 triumph over Millwall.

Loanee frontman Charlie Wyke scored the winner with four minutes left to ensure Rotherham staved off relegation for at least another week.

It was the Millers’ first win since Boxing Day and only their second under Richardson.

The victory, coupled with Plymouth’s loss, helped preserve Rotherham’s status for at least one more game but they are 18 points adrift with only that many points left to play for and a wildly inferior goal difference.

Rotherham had gone in front through Seb Revan’s powerful strike, his first senior goal, but a scrappy effort from substitute Ryan Longman levelled the scores up.

Millwall then pushed for the winner but were sucker-punched when Wyke got on the end of Revan’s cross and buried a header beyond Matija Sarkic.

Richardson said: “Millwall are going to bring certain things to the table and we had to match that. We did that in large parts.

“I am pleased for certain players who have kept themselves available and put themselves out there in many situations where some wouldn’t.

“I am pleased for the fans, it’s easy to say that, but they do live and breathe it. They have seen a competitive display.

“As a club we need to come together and become a better version of ourselves.

“I was made up for Seb. Because he is learning and seeing things for the first time. He has kept himself going and available.

“Many people in January turned their nose up to the challenge (of joining) but Charlie took the challenge on and wanted to be part of it. Credit to him because he deserved the goal too.

“We need to go into the summer with some sort of momentum. The main thing is we are very aware of what we are doing. We are doing a rebuild.”

Millwall created a host of chances either side of the break but found Millers’ star man Viktor Johansson in inspired form.

Millwall head coach Neil Harris was frustrated and his team are now just four points above the drop zone.

He said: “We threw it away. We were the better team and created the most chances.

“We certainly controlled the second half. The first half was very scrappy.

“I thought we created numerous chances and they scored two goals against the run of play.

“When you get back to 1-1 and you’re controlling the game and created chance after chance, what you can’t do is throw it away. Ultimately, Rotherham did not win the game, we lost it.

“The positives I can take is that chances were created and the character we showed after going behind.

“We did not wilt, we pushed forwards to go for it. We just did not do the basics right defensively.

“That is the first time I have said that since I’ve come back. We let ourselves down.

“What it shows is every point is vital. It was a strong opportunity for us against a team below us on a poor run of form but football’s football.

“Ultimately we did enough to win two games. But we weren’t clinical and ruthless at one end and at the other end we were too soft and conceded two poor goals.”

QPR took a giant stride towards Championship safety with a smash-and-grab 1-0 win over Swansea in south Wales.

A 71st-minute goal by centre-back Steve Cook was enough for the Hoops to secure their fifth win in eight games and move six points clear of relegation trouble.

While Marti Cifuentes’ men struggled for a foothold in the game after a promising start, the result was all that mattered with just six matches left.

Swansea dictated the tempo for almost the entire match but paid the price for their bluntness in the final third.

Luke Williams’ side went into this clash having lost just once in their last six outings.

They remain well clear of danger, a point above their opponents, but victory here would have all but dispelled any lingering fears of the drop.

Rangers were bright and full of running in the opening 10 minutes.

Striker Lyndon Dykes twice came close to converting crosses which flashed across the Swans penalty box.

Morocco international Ilias Chair should have done far better in the 12th minute when set free down the left flank, his tame attempt at finding Dykes cut out by goalkeeper Carl Rushworth.

The home side grew more into the game as the first half progressed.

They came close to the opening goal when a fizzing Josh Tymon cross was volleyed just over his own bar by Rangers centre-half Jake Clarke-Salter.

While Swansea began to dominate possession and territory, Rangers fashioned the best opportunity in the 36th minute.

Swans defender Harry Darling squandered possession on halfway, allowing Chair to launch a counter-attack.

Midfielder Joe Hodge’s first effort on goal was blocked, but the Swans failed to clear and only escaped when Chair’s weak effort from six yards hit Darling on the goal-line.

Tymon stung the palms of QPR goalkeeper Asmir Begovic with a 20-yard volley just before half-time, but neither side could force a breakthrough before the interval.

The hosts increased the pressure during the early second-half exchanges and should have been ahead before the hour mark.

Swansea captain Matt Grimes hit the bar with a beautifully struck free-kick before midfielder Ollie Cooper scuffed a gilt-edged chance from 15 yards.

The Hoops sat deeper as the clock ticked down, looking content to take a point.

The Swans continued to knock on the door, but they found a clinical edge in the final third elusive.

Then, with 20 minutes remaining, they were hit by a classic sucker punch.

QPR, ever more reliant on the pace of substitute striker Sinclair Armstrong, won a corner from a rare attack.

Lucas Andersen’s deep delivery was headed back across goal by full-back Jimmy Dunne for unmarked Cook to plant a side-foot volley into the net.

Swansea threatened an equaliser without creating anything clear cut to complete a desperately frustrating day for the hosts.

Huddersfield remain in the relegation zone as they let the lead slip in a 1-1 draw with Stoke.

Bojan Radulovic’s strike just before half-time – his first following a January move from HJK Helsinki – handed the visiting Terriers the ascendancy.

But an impressive Ki-Jana Hoever finish shortly after the restart levelled the proceedings – his second goal in as many games.

The visitors, who have won only one of their seven games under new boss Andre Breitenreiter, could not restore their advantage as their winless run stretches to six.

Meanwhile, with only two losses in their last six games, Stoke remain five points above the dreaded dotted line.

Despite their recent form, Breitenreiter would have been encouraged by a heartening Huddersfield start in the Potteries.

The Terriers’ early promise was nearly rewarded when a Matty Pearson header nestled in the back of the net. However, the defender’s celebrations were cut short with the goal ruled out for offside following Patrick Jones’ interference in front of keeper Daniel Iversen.

Heeding their early warning sign, Stoke gradually grew into the fixture with Lewis Baker testing Lee Nicholls from range.

A high-tempo opening to the game ensued and Huddersfield spurned two half-chances in quick succession before the half-hour mark.

Radulovic’s tame strike from a promising position and a wild David Kasumu effort were then nearly punished by the lively Baker. The former Chelsea youngster came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock but his free-kick from 30 yards crashed off the crossbar with Lee Nicholls helpless.

And it was Huddersfield who snatched the advantage before the break as Radulovic skipped beyond the challenge of Michael Rose to fire confidently beyond Iversen.

But the Terriers’ lead proved short-lived as Stoke returned for the restart with the wind in their sails.

The in-form Hoever levelled the scores in impressive style, cutting inside Sorba Thomas before firing a pinpoint effort beyond the despairing Nicholls.

Buoyed by their equaliser, the Potters attempted to complete a rapid turnaround with Hoever first going close with an audacious strike from range.

Wouter Burger then raced through on goal but the Dutch midfielder failed to generate the power to beat the onrushing Nicholls.

Huddersfield were fortunate not to fall behind, with Nicholls pawing a Laurent header only as far as Luke McNally whose effort was hooked off the line by Jack Rudoni.

Despite Stoke’s second-half dominance, it was Huddersfield who finished the stronger and they nearly snatched a late winner.

Substitute Delano Burgzorg was thwarted by a block and then an Iversen save as he spurned two chances.

With six games remaining, both sides still have work to do to secure their Championship status for next season.