Foxes continue to show their promotion quality

Leicester maintained their eight-point lead atop the Championship after a comfortable 3-0 victory over lowly Charlton.

The Foxes showed why they are considered favourites for promotion with a clinical display at the King Power Stadium, with the explosive Jamie Vardy putting them on the front foot in the ninth minute with a cool finish.

Danny Drinkwater doubled the lead at the start of the second half after smashing home on the rebound, and David Nugent put the seal on the win – and ensured the Addicks remain in the bottom three – when his low strike from just outside the area sailed past Charlton goalkeeper Ben Hamer.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Burnley moved five points clear of third-placed Derby after beating 10-man Rams 2-0 at Turf Moor.

The Clarets opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark through David Jones and their hopes were further boosted when their automatic promotion rivals had Chris Martin sent off shortly before half-time, with Dean Marney then sealing victory for the hosts in the 68th minute.

Nottingham Forest were humbled 4-1 at home to Wigan, who have moved into the final play-off spot.

The game was finely poised when Jamie Paterson levelled for Forest early in the second half following Martyn Waghorn’s 36th-minute opener, but Latics stormed to victory with three goals in the final third of the match through Emmerson Boyce, James McArthur and Jordi Gomez.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Yeovil’s 1-1 draw at Reading lifted the Glovers off the bottom of the table – a match which saw the visitors have three men sent off.

Yeovil took the led through Shane Duffy but were hanging on when Byron Webster was the first player to be sent off before John Lundstram’s own goal levelled things up.

Joe Ralls and Kieffer Moore were also dismissed as Yeovil finished the match with eight men.

Mohamed Medo, Joe Mason, Jay Spearing and Andre Moritz all scored as Bolton hammered Lancashire rivals Blackburn 4-0, while Mathias Ranegie and Troy Deeney each bagged a brace as Watford dispatched Blackpool by the same scoreline.

David Lopez’s penalty helped Brighton move to within three points of the play-off places with a 1-0 win at Millwall.