Nottingham Forest closed to within one point of the playoff spots with a 5-2 win over bitter rivals Derby County.
Defender Andy O’Brien scored two own goals as promotion chasing Leeds united drew 3-3 with Portsmouth. The draw means 4th place Leeds are now riding an 11 game unbeaten streak, and are level on points with 2nd place Cardiff City. Cardiff were beaten 4-1 at Watford, who closed to within one point of the playoff spots.
Queens Park Rangers opened up a seven point gap at the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Coventry City, who fall out of the playoff spots after the defeat.
Swansea City and Norwich City remain in the thick if the promotion chase after wins over Barnsley and Sheffield United respectively. Reading climbed into 6th place after a 1-1 draw at Hull City.
At the bottom end of the table, Middlesbrough remain one point above the drop zone after a 3-1 win at rock bottom Preston North End. Crystal Palace remain in the bottom three after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Bristol City.
Burnley were beaten 2-0 by relegation threatened Scunthorpe United, and the defeat led to the sacking of Burnley manager Brian Laws. Preston North End manager Darren Ferguson was also sacked in the wake of his teams 3-1 loss to Middlesbrough.
Norwich City forward Wes Hoolahan was one of the star performers of the weekend. After entering the game as a half-time substitute, Hoolahan netted a second half hat-trick in a 4-2 Norwich win over the Blades.
League leaders Queens Park Rangers opened up a seven point gap at the top of the table with a 2- win at playoff contenders Coventry City. An own goal by keeper Keiren Westwood, and a Tommy Smith header condemned Coventry to a defeat that sees them slip outside of the playoff spots.
Coventry played the better in the first half and had several chances to go into the lead. Good work by Gary McSheffrey set up Marlon King, but the striker’s effort at goal was tame. King then set up Clive Platt with a good cross, but Platt’s header was well saved by Paddy Kenny.
The home side kept up the pressure, and Kenny produced another very good save to keep out a low header from Richard Wood. Wood went close again but his effort was blocked on the goal line by Alejandro Faurlin, and the teams went in level at the break.
Coventry were made to pay for not converting their chances in the first half, as QPR went into the lead only four minutes after the restart. Kyle Walker went on a surging run down the right, and then sent over a teasing cross that Westwood fumbled and redirected into his own net.
QPR were a different side after the goal, and their lead was doubled in the 61st minute. Adel Taarabt produced a wonderful cross with the outside of his boot, and Smith headed past Westwood to make it 2-0.
Coventry battled gamely, but neither side could fashion a clear cut chance, and the Hoops held on for a 2-0 win.
Scunthorpe United gave their relegation battle a huge boost with a 2-0 win a playoff contenders Burnley. The result means Scunthorpe are one point adrift of safety with two games in hand, while Burnley are two points outside of the playoff spots.
Burnley manager Brian Laws was sacked in the aftermath of this defeat, with Burnley Chairman Brian Kilby making the following statement to BBC Sport. “The board of directors has decided that we need a fresh approach in order to achieve our goal of returning to the Premier League.”
Goals in each half from Martyn Woolford and Chris Dagnall were enough to give the Iron a vital three points.
Burnley had the first chance to score when striker Jay Rodriguez was off target with a 3rd minute header.
The visitors settled into the game and went close themselves when a Jonathan Forte drive went just over the crossbar. Woolford also went close from distance, and a long range strike from Michael O’Connor was saved by Lee Grant.
Scunthorpe kept up the pressure and were reward in the 14th minute when Woolford swept home from 12 yards out.
The second half started with Burnley in the ascendancy, and Rodriguez again headed wide when presented with a good scoring chance. However, Scunthorpe remained a threat at the other end, Andrew Wright and Forte both going closer to adding to the lead.
The 2-0 win was sealed with only six minutes remaining, when Woolford set up Dagnall to beat Grant from six yards.
A late Simon Church equalizer saw Reading lift themselves into the playoff zone with a 1-1 draw at Hull City. The draw means the Tigers are now four points outside of the top six.
Reading were put under early pressure by Hull, and it took good saves from Adam Federici to prevent Kamil Zayatte, and then Robert Koren from opening the scoring. Koren then beat Federici form the edge of the area, but his strike bounced back off the goal post.
Reading did manage to threaten at the other end, and were denied a penalty appeal when Noel Hunt went down under a challenge from Zayatte. However, Hull had the best of the half overall and took a deserved lead six minutes before the break.
Hull midfielder James Harper picked up possession 25 yards out and spanked a shot past Federici to give Hull a 1-0 lead against his former club. The Tigers almost doubled their lead when a Cameron Stewart shot hit the goal post in the last minute of the half.
Hull thought they had been awarded a penalty in a bizarre incident at the beginning of the second half. Jay Simpson went down and the linesman appeared to flag for a penalty amid furious protests. After an extended delay, play was restarted with a drop ball.
Salt was rubbed in the wound for Hull when Reading were awarded a 64th minute penalty for a Paul McShane foul on Shane Long. The Irish striker got up to take the penalty, but his effort was saved by Arsenal loanee Vito Mannone.
Mannone went from hero to villain in the 82nd minute, when the goalkeeper deflected Ian Harte’s free kick into the path of Church, and the Welsh striker tucked the ball home to earn Reading a share of the points. The draw means both teams have extended their unbeaten runs to eight matches.
A 95th minute equalizer by Brett Pitman gained Bristol City an important point in a 1-1 draw with relegation threatened Crystal Palace. Neil Danns had opened the scoring for Palace who remain in the relegation zone, Bristol are four points clear of the drop zone.
Palace took the lead after only two minutes when Kalifa Cisse fouled Danns on the edge of the area, and the midfielder got up to beat David James with the free kick.
The Londoner’s poured on the pressure in search of a second goal and Scott Scanell missed a chance, before James denied Danns from adding his second goal of the afternoon.
Bristol responded well after the restart, and went close to an equalizer when Danny Haynes’ shot slammed into the goal post. Albert Adomah then was kept out by a Julian Speroni save before the Robins levels five minutes into stoppage time.
Danny Rose was brought down in the area by Speroni, and Pitman converted the penalty to steal a point for Bristol.
Millwall extended their unbeaten run to six games with a 2-0 win over visiting Leicester City. First half goals from Steve Morison and Jason Puncheon were enough to give the Lions a win that moves them to within two points of the playoff spots.
Morison opened the scoring in the 12th minute when he converted a Liam Trotter Cross. Puncheon gave Millwall a 2-0 lead before half-time when he collected pass from Tony Craig and fired past Chris Kirkland.
Leicester had a chance to halve the deficit in early in the second half, but Lloyd Dyer shot wide when clean through. The Foxes were given some hope on 53 minutes when Millwall defender Alan Dunne was shown a straight red card for a reckless lunge on Richie Wellens.
Leicester pushed forward with the man advantage, but were unable to break down a stubborn Millwall back line. Steve Howard wasted Leicester’s best chance when he fired off target, and Millwall held on for the 2-0 win.
Promotion chasing Leeds United threw away a two goal lead courtesy of two Andy O’Brien own goals to tie 3-3 with Portsmouth. Max Gradel and Jonathan Howson put Leeds in front, before David Nugent pulled one back to make the score 2-1 at half-time. Bradley Johnson gave Leeds a two goal cushion, before O’Brien twice put through his own net to gift Pompey a point.
Leeds got off to a flying start, and took a 7th minute lead when Gradel turned home a Paul Connolly cross. The lead was doubled three minutes later when Howson collected a fine pass from Ross McCormack, before firing the ball beyond Jamie Ashdown to make it 2-0.
Portsmouth clawed a goal back before half-time when Richard Hughes sent over a cross, and Nugent finished well to send Pompey into the break with a 2-1 deficit.
The home side started the second half strongly, and it took a good save from Ashdown to prevent Robert Snodgrass from scoring with an angled drive. Leeds did make it 3-1 in the 62nd minute when Pompey failed to clear a corner, and Johnson drilled a low strike into the back of the net.
Pompey hit back within a minute as Hughes’ shot was deflected past Kasper Schmeichel by O’Brien.
Leeds showed resiliency and pushed forward in an effort to seal the game. Luciano Becchio forced a diving save from Ashdown, and Snodgrass drilled a long range effort just over the crossbar. Leeds were also denied a spot kick when Snodgrass felt he was fouled by Ibrahima Sonko. Snodgrass then fired wide from another opportunity, and Leeds were made to pay with a sucker punch deep into injury time.
Substitute Nadir Ciftci sent over a cross, and the hapless O’Brien again turned the ball into his own net to make the final score 3-3. The draw means that 4th place Leeds have now extended their unbeaten run to 11 games.
Rock bottom Preston North End were handed a damaging 3-1 defeat by fellow strugglers Middlesbrough. Billy Jones gave Preston a 27th minute lead, but Leroy Lita struck either side of half-time to move Boro into a 2-1 lead. Defender David Wheater headed home a third goal to give Middlesbrough a win that keeps them one point above the relegation zone.
Preston had the first clear chance, but Darel Russell fired over after being sent clear by Jon Parkin. At the other end, Lita thought he had given Boro the lead but his goal was disallowed for a foul by the striker.
Preston took the lead when Danny Pugh swung over a corner, and Jones rose highest to head home at the back post. The lead lasted only three minutes, and Lita equalized with a fine strike to celebrate his 26th birthday.
The former England Under-21 striker picked up possession at the halfway line, and surged forward before unleashing a high shot past Andy Lonergan to level the scores.
Lita headed a chance wide early in the second half, but did give Boro the lead in the 59th minute. Julio Arca played a clever pass through, and Lita collected before finishing calmly past Lonergan. Wheater rounded off the 3-1 win two minutes later when he headed home from a Gary O’Neil free kick.
Watford closed to within one point of the playoff zone with a 4-1 win over 2nd place Cardiff City. Peter Whittingham opened the scoring for Cardiff, before Danny Graham equalized for a 1-1 score at half-time. Marvin Sordell and John Eustace scored second half goals, before a Graham penalty wrapped up the 4-1 victory.
Watford had a golden chance to take the lead when they were awarded a 6th minute penalty after Lee Naylor brought down Will Buckley inside the area. Graham hit a powerful spot kick, but it was kept out by an excellent diving save from David Marshall.
Boosted by the penalty save, Cardiff took the lead 10 minutes later when Whittingham curled an excellent finish beyond Scott Loach.
Cardiff’s lead lasted less than 10 minutes, as Graham made amends for his penalty miss by turning home a Buckley cross. Watford put Cardiff under pressure and were denied a penalty just before half-time when Sordell was apparently brought down by Darcy Blake.
Sordell put Watford into the lead at the 57 minute mark when Sordell fired a shot in off the goal post from the edge of the area. Eustace gave the Hornets a two goal cushion seven minutes later when he headed home a Don Cowie corner.
Cardiff struggled to get back into the game, and their misery was completed when Watford scored a late penalty.
Buckley had tormented the Bluebirds all afternoon, and he was brought down by Mark Hudson to give Graham the opportunity to add his second goal from the spot. The former Middlesbrough striker atoned for his earlier error, and buried the spot kick for the final 4-1 score line.
Swansea City beat Barnsley 1-0 to move into 3rd place and pull level on points with 2nd place Cardiff City. On loan Wales international striker Jermaine Easter sealed the three points with his first goal for the club.
The home side got off to a good start, and Scottish striker Stephen Dobbie fired wide from the edge of the area. Swansea poured on the pressure, and Jason Steele saved from Nathan Dyer, during a manic spell that saw the Swans win six corners in only five minutes.
Barnsley finally broke out of their own half, and Adam Hammill forced a save from Dorus De Vries. The respite was brief though, and Easter opened the scoring in the 25th minute.
Good work from Dyer out on the right set up Easter to beat Steele. The striker had chance to double the lead soon after but headed against the crossbar.
Barnsley made a fast start to the second half, and it took a reflex save from De Vries to keep out Jim O’Brien. The game opened up and Dobbie had an effort tipped onto the post by Steele, before De Vries made saves from Goran Lovre and Paul Hayes.
The impressive Dyer remained a threat, and was kept out by another good Steele save before Barnsley almost grabbed a point.
Jacob Butterfield unleashed a long range drive deep into injury time, but a good De Vries save meant Swansea held on for a 1-0 win.
Half-time substitute Wes Hoolahan netted a hat-trick for Norwich City in a 4-2 home win over Sheffield United. Michael Nelson also found the net for Norwich, who now occupy 5th place and are only one point off second place. Andy Reid and Richard Cresswell were on the score sheet for United, who now sit only two points above the drop zone.
Andy Reid scored from a free-kick in the 17th minute to put the Blades up 1-0. The lead last only three minutes, and Nelson drew Norwich level when he headed past Steve Simonsen.
Cresswell put the United ahead again just before the half-hour mark after being set up by Stephen Quinn. Both teams remained on the offensive in a topsy-turvy game, but the score remained 2-1 going into half-time. Hoolahan was brought on by Paul Lambert at the the break, and would go on to make a major impact on the game.
Norwich were awarded a penalty after 64 minutes when Grant Holt was fouled in the area by Nick Montgomery. Hoolahan leveled the scores from the spot, and Hoolahan scored a second penalty to put Norwich ahead 3-2 with only six minutes remaining.
Hoolahan continued to run riot, and Quinn’s foul on the striker saw him dismissed and United down to 10 men in injury time. Hoolahan rubbed salt in the wound by scoring in the 97th minute to cap off a 4-2 win for the Canaries.
Nottingham Forest closed to within one point of the playoff spots with a 5-2 victory over bitter rivals Derby County. Luke Chambers opened the scoring for Forest before Luke Moore equalized for the Rams. Marcus Tudgay netted twice before half-time to give Forest a 3-1 lead at the break. Kris Commons scored to bring it back to 3-2 in the second half, before two Robert Earnshaw goals wrapped up the 5-2 win.
The home team were in front after only two minutes, when Chambers jumped highest to head home a Radoslaw Madejski corner. Forest continued to have the better of the play, but Derby produced an equalizer against the run of play in the 14th minute. Alberto Bueno was the creator as he dribbled at the Forest backline, before feeding Moore, the on-loan striker then leveled the scores by firing in off the underside of the crossbar.
The game carried on at a frenetic pace and Forest were back on front 10 minutes later. Earnshaw dribbled down the right flank and sent over a good cross for Tudgay to head past Stephen Bywater. Earnshaw was then denied by a good Bywater save, before Tudgay made it 3-1 on the stroke of half-time.
Nathan Tyson raced down the left and sent over a cross for Tudgay to make it 3-1 with a powerful header.
Earnshaw had an opportunity to score within one minute of the second half, but the Wales international striker produced a disappointing finish. Earnshaw did make it 4-1 in the 53rd minute, when he stabbed the ball home after again being set up by Tyson.
Derby kept fighting and dragged the score back to 4-2 only two minutes later, when Commons hit a free kick that deflected off the wall and beat Lee Camp.
The Rams battled gamely, but their misery was complete when Earnshaw finished from 12 yards in injury time to round off the 5-2 score line.
Queens Park Rangers opened up a seven point gap at the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Coventry City, who fall out of the playoff spots after the defeat.
Swansea City and Norwich City remain in the thick if the promotion chase after wins over Barnsley and Sheffield United respectively. Reading climbed into 6th place after a 1-1 draw at Hull City.
At the bottom end of the table, Middlesbrough remain one point above the drop zone after a 3-1 win at rock bottom Preston North End. Crystal Palace remain in the bottom three after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Bristol City.
Burnley were beaten 2-0 by relegation threatened Scunthorpe United, and the defeat led to the sacking of Burnley manager Brian Laws. Preston North End manager Darren Ferguson was also sacked in the wake of his teams 3-1 loss to Middlesbrough.
Norwich City forward Wes Hoolahan was one of the star performers of the weekend. After entering the game as a half-time substitute, Hoolahan netted a second half hat-trick in a 4-2 Norwich win over the Blades.
League leaders Queens Park Rangers opened up a seven point gap at the top of the table with a 2- win at playoff contenders Coventry City. An own goal by keeper Keiren Westwood, and a Tommy Smith header condemned Coventry to a defeat that sees them slip outside of the playoff spots.
Coventry played the better in the first half and had several chances to go into the lead. Good work by Gary McSheffrey set up Marlon King, but the striker’s effort at goal was tame. King then set up Clive Platt with a good cross, but Platt’s header was well saved by Paddy Kenny.
The home side kept up the pressure, and Kenny produced another very good save to keep out a low header from Richard Wood. Wood went close again but his effort was blocked on the goal line by Alejandro Faurlin, and the teams went in level at the break.
Coventry were made to pay for not converting their chances in the first half, as QPR went into the lead only four minutes after the restart. Kyle Walker went on a surging run down the right, and then sent over a teasing cross that Westwood fumbled and redirected into his own net.
QPR were a different side after the goal, and their lead was doubled in the 61st minute. Adel Taarabt produced a wonderful cross with the outside of his boot, and Smith headed past Westwood to make it 2-0.
Coventry battled gamely, but neither side could fashion a clear cut chance, and the Hoops held on for a 2-0 win.
Scunthorpe United gave their relegation battle a huge boost with a 2-0 win a playoff contenders Burnley. The result means Scunthorpe are one point adrift of safety with two games in hand, while Burnley are two points outside of the playoff spots.
Burnley manager Brian Laws was sacked in the aftermath of this defeat, with Burnley Chairman Brian Kilby making the following statement to BBC Sport. “The board of directors has decided that we need a fresh approach in order to achieve our goal of returning to the Premier League.”
Goals in each half from Martyn Woolford and Chris Dagnall were enough to give the Iron a vital three points.
Burnley had the first chance to score when striker Jay Rodriguez was off target with a 3rd minute header.
The visitors settled into the game and went close themselves when a Jonathan Forte drive went just over the crossbar. Woolford also went close from distance, and a long range strike from Michael O’Connor was saved by Lee Grant.
Scunthorpe kept up the pressure and were reward in the 14th minute when Woolford swept home from 12 yards out.
The second half started with Burnley in the ascendancy, and Rodriguez again headed wide when presented with a good scoring chance. However, Scunthorpe remained a threat at the other end, Andrew Wright and Forte both going closer to adding to the lead.
The 2-0 win was sealed with only six minutes remaining, when Woolford set up Dagnall to beat Grant from six yards.
A late Simon Church equalizer saw Reading lift themselves into the playoff zone with a 1-1 draw at Hull City. The draw means the Tigers are now four points outside of the top six.
Reading were put under early pressure by Hull, and it took good saves from Adam Federici to prevent Kamil Zayatte, and then Robert Koren from opening the scoring. Koren then beat Federici form the edge of the area, but his strike bounced back off the goal post.
Reading did manage to threaten at the other end, and were denied a penalty appeal when Noel Hunt went down under a challenge from Zayatte. However, Hull had the best of the half overall and took a deserved lead six minutes before the break.
Hull midfielder James Harper picked up possession 25 yards out and spanked a shot past Federici to give Hull a 1-0 lead against his former club. The Tigers almost doubled their lead when a Cameron Stewart shot hit the goal post in the last minute of the half.
Hull thought they had been awarded a penalty in a bizarre incident at the beginning of the second half. Jay Simpson went down and the linesman appeared to flag for a penalty amid furious protests. After an extended delay, play was restarted with a drop ball.
Salt was rubbed in the wound for Hull when Reading were awarded a 64th minute penalty for a Paul McShane foul on Shane Long. The Irish striker got up to take the penalty, but his effort was saved by Arsenal loanee Vito Mannone.
Mannone went from hero to villain in the 82nd minute, when the goalkeeper deflected Ian Harte’s free kick into the path of Church, and the Welsh striker tucked the ball home to earn Reading a share of the points. The draw means both teams have extended their unbeaten runs to eight matches.
A 95th minute equalizer by Brett Pitman gained Bristol City an important point in a 1-1 draw with relegation threatened Crystal Palace. Neil Danns had opened the scoring for Palace who remain in the relegation zone, Bristol are four points clear of the drop zone.
Palace took the lead after only two minutes when Kalifa Cisse fouled Danns on the edge of the area, and the midfielder got up to beat David James with the free kick.
The Londoner’s poured on the pressure in search of a second goal and Scott Scanell missed a chance, before James denied Danns from adding his second goal of the afternoon.
Bristol responded well after the restart, and went close to an equalizer when Danny Haynes’ shot slammed into the goal post. Albert Adomah then was kept out by a Julian Speroni save before the Robins levels five minutes into stoppage time.
Danny Rose was brought down in the area by Speroni, and Pitman converted the penalty to steal a point for Bristol.
Millwall extended their unbeaten run to six games with a 2-0 win over visiting Leicester City. First half goals from Steve Morison and Jason Puncheon were enough to give the Lions a win that moves them to within two points of the playoff spots.
Morison opened the scoring in the 12th minute when he converted a Liam Trotter Cross. Puncheon gave Millwall a 2-0 lead before half-time when he collected pass from Tony Craig and fired past Chris Kirkland.
Leicester had a chance to halve the deficit in early in the second half, but Lloyd Dyer shot wide when clean through. The Foxes were given some hope on 53 minutes when Millwall defender Alan Dunne was shown a straight red card for a reckless lunge on Richie Wellens.
Leicester pushed forward with the man advantage, but were unable to break down a stubborn Millwall back line. Steve Howard wasted Leicester’s best chance when he fired off target, and Millwall held on for the 2-0 win.
Promotion chasing Leeds United threw away a two goal lead courtesy of two Andy O’Brien own goals to tie 3-3 with Portsmouth. Max Gradel and Jonathan Howson put Leeds in front, before David Nugent pulled one back to make the score 2-1 at half-time. Bradley Johnson gave Leeds a two goal cushion, before O’Brien twice put through his own net to gift Pompey a point.
Leeds got off to a flying start, and took a 7th minute lead when Gradel turned home a Paul Connolly cross. The lead was doubled three minutes later when Howson collected a fine pass from Ross McCormack, before firing the ball beyond Jamie Ashdown to make it 2-0.
Portsmouth clawed a goal back before half-time when Richard Hughes sent over a cross, and Nugent finished well to send Pompey into the break with a 2-1 deficit.
The home side started the second half strongly, and it took a good save from Ashdown to prevent Robert Snodgrass from scoring with an angled drive. Leeds did make it 3-1 in the 62nd minute when Pompey failed to clear a corner, and Johnson drilled a low strike into the back of the net.
Pompey hit back within a minute as Hughes’ shot was deflected past Kasper Schmeichel by O’Brien.
Leeds showed resiliency and pushed forward in an effort to seal the game. Luciano Becchio forced a diving save from Ashdown, and Snodgrass drilled a long range effort just over the crossbar. Leeds were also denied a spot kick when Snodgrass felt he was fouled by Ibrahima Sonko. Snodgrass then fired wide from another opportunity, and Leeds were made to pay with a sucker punch deep into injury time.
Substitute Nadir Ciftci sent over a cross, and the hapless O’Brien again turned the ball into his own net to make the final score 3-3. The draw means that 4th place Leeds have now extended their unbeaten run to 11 games.
Rock bottom Preston North End were handed a damaging 3-1 defeat by fellow strugglers Middlesbrough. Billy Jones gave Preston a 27th minute lead, but Leroy Lita struck either side of half-time to move Boro into a 2-1 lead. Defender David Wheater headed home a third goal to give Middlesbrough a win that keeps them one point above the relegation zone.
Preston had the first clear chance, but Darel Russell fired over after being sent clear by Jon Parkin. At the other end, Lita thought he had given Boro the lead but his goal was disallowed for a foul by the striker.
Preston took the lead when Danny Pugh swung over a corner, and Jones rose highest to head home at the back post. The lead lasted only three minutes, and Lita equalized with a fine strike to celebrate his 26th birthday.
The former England Under-21 striker picked up possession at the halfway line, and surged forward before unleashing a high shot past Andy Lonergan to level the scores.
Lita headed a chance wide early in the second half, but did give Boro the lead in the 59th minute. Julio Arca played a clever pass through, and Lita collected before finishing calmly past Lonergan. Wheater rounded off the 3-1 win two minutes later when he headed home from a Gary O’Neil free kick.
Watford closed to within one point of the playoff zone with a 4-1 win over 2nd place Cardiff City. Peter Whittingham opened the scoring for Cardiff, before Danny Graham equalized for a 1-1 score at half-time. Marvin Sordell and John Eustace scored second half goals, before a Graham penalty wrapped up the 4-1 victory.
Watford had a golden chance to take the lead when they were awarded a 6th minute penalty after Lee Naylor brought down Will Buckley inside the area. Graham hit a powerful spot kick, but it was kept out by an excellent diving save from David Marshall.
Boosted by the penalty save, Cardiff took the lead 10 minutes later when Whittingham curled an excellent finish beyond Scott Loach.
Cardiff’s lead lasted less than 10 minutes, as Graham made amends for his penalty miss by turning home a Buckley cross. Watford put Cardiff under pressure and were denied a penalty just before half-time when Sordell was apparently brought down by Darcy Blake.
Sordell put Watford into the lead at the 57 minute mark when Sordell fired a shot in off the goal post from the edge of the area. Eustace gave the Hornets a two goal cushion seven minutes later when he headed home a Don Cowie corner.
Cardiff struggled to get back into the game, and their misery was completed when Watford scored a late penalty.
Buckley had tormented the Bluebirds all afternoon, and he was brought down by Mark Hudson to give Graham the opportunity to add his second goal from the spot. The former Middlesbrough striker atoned for his earlier error, and buried the spot kick for the final 4-1 score line.
Swansea City beat Barnsley 1-0 to move into 3rd place and pull level on points with 2nd place Cardiff City. On loan Wales international striker Jermaine Easter sealed the three points with his first goal for the club.
The home side got off to a good start, and Scottish striker Stephen Dobbie fired wide from the edge of the area. Swansea poured on the pressure, and Jason Steele saved from Nathan Dyer, during a manic spell that saw the Swans win six corners in only five minutes.
Barnsley finally broke out of their own half, and Adam Hammill forced a save from Dorus De Vries. The respite was brief though, and Easter opened the scoring in the 25th minute.
Good work from Dyer out on the right set up Easter to beat Steele. The striker had chance to double the lead soon after but headed against the crossbar.
Barnsley made a fast start to the second half, and it took a reflex save from De Vries to keep out Jim O’Brien. The game opened up and Dobbie had an effort tipped onto the post by Steele, before De Vries made saves from Goran Lovre and Paul Hayes.
The impressive Dyer remained a threat, and was kept out by another good Steele save before Barnsley almost grabbed a point.
Jacob Butterfield unleashed a long range drive deep into injury time, but a good De Vries save meant Swansea held on for a 1-0 win.
Half-time substitute Wes Hoolahan netted a hat-trick for Norwich City in a 4-2 home win over Sheffield United. Michael Nelson also found the net for Norwich, who now occupy 5th place and are only one point off second place. Andy Reid and Richard Cresswell were on the score sheet for United, who now sit only two points above the drop zone.
Andy Reid scored from a free-kick in the 17th minute to put the Blades up 1-0. The lead last only three minutes, and Nelson drew Norwich level when he headed past Steve Simonsen.
Cresswell put the United ahead again just before the half-hour mark after being set up by Stephen Quinn. Both teams remained on the offensive in a topsy-turvy game, but the score remained 2-1 going into half-time. Hoolahan was brought on by Paul Lambert at the the break, and would go on to make a major impact on the game.
Norwich were awarded a penalty after 64 minutes when Grant Holt was fouled in the area by Nick Montgomery. Hoolahan leveled the scores from the spot, and Hoolahan scored a second penalty to put Norwich ahead 3-2 with only six minutes remaining.
Hoolahan continued to run riot, and Quinn’s foul on the striker saw him dismissed and United down to 10 men in injury time. Hoolahan rubbed salt in the wound by scoring in the 97th minute to cap off a 4-2 win for the Canaries.
Nottingham Forest closed to within one point of the playoff spots with a 5-2 victory over bitter rivals Derby County. Luke Chambers opened the scoring for Forest before Luke Moore equalized for the Rams. Marcus Tudgay netted twice before half-time to give Forest a 3-1 lead at the break. Kris Commons scored to bring it back to 3-2 in the second half, before two Robert Earnshaw goals wrapped up the 5-2 win.
The home team were in front after only two minutes, when Chambers jumped highest to head home a Radoslaw Madejski corner. Forest continued to have the better of the play, but Derby produced an equalizer against the run of play in the 14th minute. Alberto Bueno was the creator as he dribbled at the Forest backline, before feeding Moore, the on-loan striker then leveled the scores by firing in off the underside of the crossbar.
The game carried on at a frenetic pace and Forest were back on front 10 minutes later. Earnshaw dribbled down the right flank and sent over a good cross for Tudgay to head past Stephen Bywater. Earnshaw was then denied by a good Bywater save, before Tudgay made it 3-1 on the stroke of half-time.
Nathan Tyson raced down the left and sent over a cross for Tudgay to make it 3-1 with a powerful header.
Earnshaw had an opportunity to score within one minute of the second half, but the Wales international striker produced a disappointing finish. Earnshaw did make it 4-1 in the 53rd minute, when he stabbed the ball home after again being set up by Tyson.
Derby kept fighting and dragged the score back to 4-2 only two minutes later, when Commons hit a free kick that deflected off the wall and beat Lee Camp.
The Rams battled gamely, but their misery was complete when Earnshaw finished from 12 yards in injury time to round off the 5-2 score line.
