Plymouth Argyle continued their sensational run of form with a dominant 5-1 victory over Millwall, climbing off the bottom of the Championship table. Fresh off their dramatic FA Cup win over Liverpool, Ryan Hardie starred once again, scoring twice as Argyle secured another memorable triumph.
An own goal from Joe Bryan set the hosts on their way before Hardie doubled the lead from the penalty spot. The momentum remained with Plymouth after the break, as Mustapha Bundu added a third goal eight minutes into the second half. Hardie then grabbed his second of the night before Bryan managed to pull one back for Millwall. However, Nikola Katic sealed the emphatic win with a fifth goal, rounding off a remarkable few days for the team. The victory saw Plymouth leapfrog Luton in the table by a point, adding to their growing confidence ahead of an FA Cup fifth-round clash with Manchester City.
Luton, who were in the Premier League just a year ago, now find themselves in danger of suffering back-to-back relegations. Their woes deepened after a 2-0 defeat to Sunderland, with goals from Enzo Le Fee and Wilson Isidor pushing them closer to the drop zone.
Blackburn Rovers secured a 2-0 win at West Brom despite the absence of manager John Eustace from the touchline. With Eustace engaged in discussions over a potential move to Derby County, David Lowe took charge of the team. Makhtar Gueye scored twice in the second half, moving Blackburn above West Brom into fifth place, much to the delight of the traveling supporters.
Burnley made history by becoming the first second-tier side to achieve ten consecutive clean sheets, following a 2-0 win over Hull City. Bashir Humphreys, on loan from Chelsea, opened the scoring within three minutes, and Zian Flemming added a second to secure another vital victory for Scott Parker’s promotion-chasing team.
Sheffield United kept pace with Burnley while closing the gap to league leaders Leeds with a 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough. Jesurun Rak-Sakyi capitalized on a mix-up between goalkeeper Mark Travers and defender Ryan Giles to fire the Blades ahead. Middlesbrough equalized before halftime through a Delano Burgzorg penalty after a shirt-pulling incident in the box. However, substitute Ben Brereton Díaz restored Sheffield United’s lead in the 75th minute, delicately lifting the ball over Travers, before Anel Ahmedhodzic’s late header sealed all three points.
Elsewhere in the Championship, Bristol City claimed a 2-0 win against Stoke, with Anis Mehmeti netting both goals. Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday edged past Swansea with a 1-0 victory, courtesy of Michael Smith’s decisive strike.
As the Championship race intensifies, the battle for promotion and survival remains fiercely competitive, with teams like Plymouth and Burnley continuing to make headlines.
