Football Apr 20, 2026

Championship talking points: Ipswich look destined for second, Leicester in deep trouble

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Championship talking points: Ipswich look destined for second, Leicester in deep trouble

It is very much Ipswich's to lose now. For a long time it was about their games in hand. Now it is just about them, thanks to an emphatic win at the home of their rivals - the first time they have secured all three points at Carrow Road in 20 years.

It also completed the league double over Norwich, and put a complete pin in any slim hopes the Canaries had of sneaking up towards the play-offs.

"This is a brilliant result for the club," said Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna. "As soon as I came here I was told how important this fixture was and that it had been so long since we'd beaten them.

"We finally got a win at our place earlier in the season and now we've backed it up by completing a double. I know how much this means to everyone connected with the club and I am sure they will all be enjoying it."

Ipswich are now two points ahead of Millwall and three points ahead of Middlesbrough, who both tripped over themselves again, and they have two games in hand on both.

There are challenging games to come. Boro and Southampton - the latter of whom may be a bigger threat now in the race for second - still to face in their final six. But it is hard to see them not getting over the line and joining Coventry in the Premier League next season.

Coventry needed three things to go their way this weekend to seal promotion, and it was perhaps the least likely of those permutations that fell away to make their wait go on a little longer.

Millwall and Middlesbrough had to drop points, they both duly did, but in between that the Sky Blues failed to put away Sheffield Wednesday.

They are, realistically, pretty much there. They are 12 points clear of Millwall in third with four games to go. Only a goal difference swing of almighty proportions now will deny them.

Frank Lampard admitted afterwards that tension set in.

"I think there's understandable elements to the game, there's a bit of tension to do that and a lot of the players are probably living this situation for the first time," said Lampard.

"When are you going to do it, the expectancy to do it, and maybe there was a small effect on the game.

A point on Friday night at Blackburn, live on Sky, will be enough.

| |

It is not longer a case of if Southampton make the play-offs, it is a case of whether or not they can march higher.

The Saints hit back to beat Derby 2-1 on Saturday, their fifth victory in a row to climb into fifth in the table. Boss Tonda Eckert described it as 'the best one of the week' in terms of performance. Considering they beat Arsenal seven days before, and then flattened Wrexham 5-1 in midweek, that is no faint praise.

If they beat Blackburn on Tuesday night, they will move above Middlesbrough into fourth. A prospect that seemed so unlikely even a few weeks ago that it was never even mooted as a possibility.

They are six points behind Ipswich in second. They have played a game more, but still have to face the Tractor Boys. Keep going and you just never know.

Hull City, meanwhile, had the chance to pull up the play-off drawbridge, but fell to defeat from a winning position at Sheffield United. John Lundstram's red card cost them badly at Bramall Lane.

But it could have been worse for the Tigers. They still have four points between themselves and Wrexham in seventh, after the Welsh side fell flat as a pancake at Birmingham on Sunday afternoon. Losing 2-0, barely laying a glove on their opponents at St Andrew's, and missing the chance to close the gap.

With four games to go, Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson is not throwing in the towel for now.

"We've had a tough week this week. But we're not down and out yet. It's not over yet," he said after their defeat.

"People will probably write us off and you can understand that to a certain degree, but inside the dressing room, we're not writing ourselves off and we're one win away from getting ourselves going again."

| |

How has it come to this for Leicester City?

A dismal, lifeless 1-0 defeat at home to Swansea, and they find themselves four points adrift of safety with four games to go. It is difficult to see where points are going to come from.

The squad they have, the side they put out, should not be in the position they're in. Even without the points deduction they would be 20th. It is near enough unthinkable.

"We just give a stupid goal away," boss Gary Rowett said. "I don't know how many times I've said it. It's an absolutely ridiculous goal to give away, maybe we have to just go back to basics.

"We've struggled over a long period this season to do the basics well. The next game is going to define a lot. We've got to show more fight and show a little bit more desperation."

The next game sees Leicester visit Portsmouth, who are one of their nearest challengers but found a way to win 1-0 at Middlesbrough on Saturday. The gap is four points, but could be even bigger should Pompey manage to get anything at home to Ipswich on Tuesday night in their game in hand.

And then there is Oxford. Plucky, battling, and earning a deserved three points over Watford. It is 15 points in their last eight games now, which is quite remarkable. The only defeat in that period coming at Southampton.

Only one of those three sides seems to have accepted their fate. Leicester currently look doomed.

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Tags:

football news

Share this article

Related Posts

Everton 1-2 Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk's 100th-minute winner decides first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium

Everton 1-2 Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk's 100th-minute winner decides first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium

Virgil van Dijk headed in a 100th-minute winner for Liverpool as they beat Everton 2-1 in first ever Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium.The Li...

Bologna 1-3 Aston Villa: Ollie Watkins double fires Unai Emery's side to Europa League quarter-final first leg win

Bologna 1-3 Aston Villa: Ollie Watkins double fires Unai Emery's side to Europa League quarter-final first leg win

Aston Villa took control of their Europa League quarter-final tie with Bologna, as England stars Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins fired Unai Emery's side...

Tottenham 2-2 Brighton: Georginio Rutter slams in 95th-minute equaliser as Seagulls leave Spurs stuck in Premier League relegation zone

Tottenham 2-2 Brighton: Georginio Rutter slams in 95th-minute equaliser as Seagulls leave Spurs stuck in Premier League relegation zone

Tottenham’s Premier League survival hopes were hit by a crushing 95th-minute Georginio Rutter equaliser as in-form Brighton left Spurs languishing in...

Brentford 0-0 Fulham: Keith Andrews' side miss chance to go into Premier League top six after Bernd Leno makes last-minute wonder save

Brentford 0-0 Fulham: Keith Andrews' side miss chance to go into Premier League top six after Bernd Leno makes last-minute wonder save

Brentford missed the chance to go into the top six for a few hours at least as Fulham held them to a forgettable 0-0 west London derby draw - thanks t...

Aston Villa 4-3 Sunderland: Tammy Abraham strikes in final moments after Villa stunned by two-goal collapse

Aston Villa 4-3 Sunderland: Tammy Abraham strikes in final moments after Villa stunned by two-goal collapse

Aston Villa were forced to beat Sunderland twice as Tammy Abraham's 94th-minute finish earned a 4-3 win in a Premier League classic, moments after a s...

Sky Bet League Two: Goals and highlights of every match

Sky Bet League Two: Goals and highlights of every match

Paper Talk: Mainoo set to sign new five-year Man Utd dealRight, let's end things this evening with a quick roundup of some of the biggest stories mak...