Championship Round Up: Leeds Move 3 Points Clear at Top, Brentford Chase Automatic Promotion Spaces & More

There's no league in the world quite like the Championship.

Play in England's second division got back underway last week, with all 11 teams playing their first games since the resumption. Brentford, who overcame Fulham in dramatic fashion last week, hosted (former) table toppers West Bromwich Albion on Friday. The Bees picked up another crucial three points, winning 1-0.

Ollie Watkins' goal in the 16th minute proved to be the difference between the two sides, and the three points meant Brentford moved to within just five points of the top of the table ahead of Leeds United's clash with Fulham on Saturday.

Leeds needed to respond with a bright performance against fourth-placed Fulham, and they did so with an impressive 3-0 win. Goals from Patrick Bamford, Ezgjan Alioski and Jack Harrison gave the hosts a vital win that saw them move to the top of the Championship table.

Elsewhere, promotion-chasing sides Preston and Cardiff City went face-to-face early on Saturday, with the Bluebirds coming out on top. Daniel Johnson cancelled out Joe Ralls' opener on 73 minutes, but Nathaniel Mendez-Laing restored the away side's lead with just eight minutes remaining. Robert Glatzel made it 3-1 in injury time. The win keeps Cardiff in sixth place, three points ahead of Preston.

Derby also kept their promotion hopes alive as they overcame Reading thanks to two first-half goals. Tom Lawrence made it 1-0 just before half time before Wayne Rooney doubled his side's lead from the penalty spot just four minutes later. Andy Rinomhota pulled one back for Reading midway through the second half, but the hosts saw out the game to win and move on to 57 points.

Swansea, however, suffered a setback in their attempts to climb into the promotion spots, after they were beaten by Luton Town. James Collins scored 18 minutes before full time, before Jordon Garrick saw red towards the end of the game. The win means Luton remain in the relegation spaces, but it will be a major confidence boost for them as they prepare for the season run-in.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Charlton secured a 1-0 win over QPR, with Darren Pratley scoring the only goal of the game after just 12 minutes. The away side saw the majority of the ball, but failed to register a single shot on target.

Bottom club Barnsley, meanwhile, picked up a point against promotion-chasing Millwall, the two sides playing out a 0-0 draw. In a major tussle towards the bottom of the table, Middlesbrough picked up a vital three points as they defeated Stoke City 2-0. Ashley Fletcher and Marcus Tavernier were the men on target for the away side. The win means Middlesbrough climb above Stoke into 19th, while the Potters now sit just one point clear of the relegation zone.

As for Hull City, they were moments away from picking up a crucial three points, but they were denied in a pulsating clash with Birmingham City. Josh Magennis got the away side off to the perfect start, and they doubled their lead on 16 minutes. However, the hosts pulled it back to 2-2 through goals from Gary Gardner and Daniel Crowley. But Hull regained the lead just seven minutes later and appeared to be on their way to picking up all three points.

However, Gardner grabbed his second of the game with just two minutes remaining to ensure both sides left with a point.

Wigan, meanwhile, in the other remaining game on Saturday scored two late goals to dent Blackburn's promotion hopes. Lee Evans and Michael Jacobs both scored inside the final ten minutes to ensure Wigan moved away from the drop zone and onto 47 points.

Results in Full:

Brentford 1-0 West Brom (26/06)

Preston 1-3 Cardiff City (27/06)

Swansea 0-1 Luton Town (27/06)

Charlton 1-0 QPR (27/06)

Barnsley 0-0 Millwall (27/06)

Derby County 2-1 Reading (27/06)

Stoke City 0-2 Middlesbrough (27/06)

Birmingham 3-3 Hull City (27/06)

Wigan 2-0 Blackburn (27/06)

Leeds United 3-0 Fulham (27/06)