Matchday 14 of the Championship saw the likes of Watford, Swansea City and Reading close the gap to the automatic promotion places after their respective victories coincided with Norwich City and Bournemouth dropping points in the form of stalemates.
In the backend of the table, there was not much joy for the teams between 15th and 24th as none of them were able to pick up wins. Derby County ended a run of four successive losses with a point, but they continue to remain bottom of the pile.
Three talking points from Matchday 14:
Reading finally return to winning ways: The Royals have endured a tough time over the past six weeks after beginning the season in stellar fashion. The club were six points ahead at the top of the table at one stage, but they dropped all the way to sixth in the previous matchday after picking up just one point from five outings. They eventually managed to return to winning ways against Bristol City with a terrific second-half display where they were back to their attacking best with three goals.
Brentford picking up momentum: The Bees did not have the best starts to the season as they were languishing in the bottom half of the table, but they have got their act together over the past few weeks. They have shown the traits from the previous season which made them tough to beat and back-to-back victories of late have put them within one point of breaking into the play-off positions for the first time this term.
Norwich’s injury woes continue: Daniel Farke’s side are top of the table, but they have had a horrendous streak with injuries. The club were missing as many as 12 players including the suspended Emiliano Buendia against Coventry and that cost them as Coventry registered a draw via a late 89th-minute equaliser. Five of Norwich’s substitutes on Saturday had not played a single minute of league football and they are now expected to be without Max Aarons for a while with a shin injury.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
