A review of Tuesday's Sky Bet Championship action, where a win for Watford moved them closer to promotion.
Norwich 0-1 Watford
Watford manager Xisco Munoz felt his side had done themselves proud by beating Championship leaders Norwich 1-0 at Carrow Road to boost their chances of joining the Canaries in the Premier League next season.
Dan Gosling’s 57th-minute goal earned the Hornets a deserved win that took them to within five points of their promoted hosts and more importantly nine clear of third-placed Swansea.
Watford could clinch promotion on Saturday if they beat Millwall at Vicarage Road
Brentford 1-1 Cardiff
Brentford failed to keep the pressure on second-placed Watford with a 1-1 draw against Cardiff in another blow to their automatic promotion hopes.
Keiffer Moore gave the Bluebirds the lead from the spot just before the hour but Tariqe Fosu levelled minutes later after an Alex Smithies howler.
Moore sent David Raya the wrong way from the spot after Ethan Pinnock handled Curtis Nelson’s goal-bound header on the line after 57 minutes.
Preston 3-0 Derby
Derby’s chances of Championship survival were dealt another blow after they suffered a fourth straight loss with a 3-0 defeat away at Preston.
Wayne Rooney’s side are just four points above the bottom three, with relegation rivals Rotherham having three games in hand on the Rams, after goals from Ben Whiteman, Ched Evans and Ryan Ledson edged Preston up to 14th.
Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Blackburn
A first-half goal from Josh Windass gave Sheffield Wednesday a vital 1-0 victory over Blackburn to keep their survival hopes alive.
With fellow strugglers Derby losing at Preston, it was a good night for Wednesday in their battle to beat the drop.
If Wednesday can build on this result, their survival fight could yet go down to the wire with a trip to Derby on the final day of the season looming.
Swansea 0-1 QPR
Swansea’s automatic promotion hopes from the Sky Bet Championship all but evaporated as QPR claimed a 1-0 win at the Liberty Stadium.
Lyndon Dykes drove home his 12th goal of the season in the final minute after being set up by substitute Albert Adomah.
Steve Cooper’s side now trail second-placed Watford – 1-0 winners at promoted Norwich – by nine points with three rounds of fixtures remaining, while the Hornets’ goal difference is a vastly superior 14.
