By outdoor-nature-child.com Leeds United climbed to second place in the Championship after a 2-1 victory over Watford at Elland Road, benefiting from two costly errors by Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann. The Austrian keeper was responsible for both Leeds goals in a rapid-fire start, with Largie Ramazani and Brenden Aaronson finding the net within the first seven minutes. Despite Kwadwo Baah pulling a goal back for Watford, Leeds managed to maintain their lead, marking their second consecutive home win in just five days. Manager Daniel Farke praised his team’s resilience as they extended their unbeaten league run to six matches, having lost only one of their first 11. In contrast, Watford suffered their fifth consecutive road defeat.
Speaking post-match, Farke lauded summer signing Ao Tanaka for his stellar performance, likening him to a “James Bond” character. “He was outstanding,” Farke said. “The boys are jokingly calling him ‘Tiger Tanaka’ after a Bond villain, but I’ve dubbed him James Bond—he was unbelievable and really saved the day for us.”
In other Championship action, Cardiff City escaped the relegation zone with a solid 2-0 home victory over Portsmouth, thanks to an own goal from Regan Poole and a close-range effort from Callum Robinson, marking their second home win in four days.
Birmingham City solidified their position at the top of League One with a 2-0 triumph over Bolton, featuring an early goal from Tomoki Iwata and a late penalty from Jay Stansfield. Meanwhile, Wrexham fell four points behind Birmingham after a goalless draw with Huddersfield. Wycombe recorded their third consecutive win, beating Burton 3-2 with Daniel Udoh scoring the decisive goal late in the match.
Mansfield Town secured a 2-1 victory over Wigan, placing them fourth in the standings, while Exeter City saw their three-game winning streak come to an end with a 2-1 defeat at home to Reading. In other matches, Barnsley and Charlton played to a 2-2 draw, Crawley cruised to a 3-0 win over Lincoln, and Peterborough dominated Blackpool with a 5-1 victory.
In League Two, Port Vale maintained their lead with a narrow 1-0 win over Harrogate, while Walsall remains close behind after their 3-1 victory over Carlisle. Notts County snatched a late equalizer against Barrow with an injury-time penalty by David McGoldrick.
Swansea City’s winless streak stretched to five matches following a 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, with both teams unable to capitalize on their scoring opportunities.