Championship title race: Coventry & Middlesbrough go head-to-head for top spot | OneFootball

Not so long ago, Frank Lampard’s free-scoring Coventry City were flying high at the top of the Championship table and seemed to be coasting towards the title.

However, their dominance began to unravel towards the end of last year as Coventry fell off the wagon.

The Sky Blues have won just six of their last 15 Championship games, paving the way for the rest of the pack to catch up, and Middlesbrough couldn’t pass up the chance to close the gap.

Before the previous match week, Middlesbrough had gone as far as overtaking Coventry at the Championship summit after winning six league games in a row.

That shows how unpredictable the Championship is. Interestingly, Lampard’s side reclaimed top spot after a thumping 3-1 win over their closest rivals.

However, there’s still plenty of football left in the Championship title race, so it’s anyone’s guess how this battle will pan out.

Coventry’s most recent victory against Middlesbrough snapped a three-match winless streak (D1, L2) that had left the chasing pack smelling blood.

Lampard’s side were always going to run out of steam at some point, but the title race is now heating up with even Millwall and Ipswich Town looking to gatecrash the two-way race.

Millwall are just six points off Coventry, while Ipswich are eight behind the league leaders, although they have two games in hand. Winning both will take them to within two points of Coventry.

However, Coventry and Middlesbrough are still heavy favourites, so read on as we explore this enthralling title race in the English second tier.

How both teams fared in their last meeting

Lampard will hope that Monday night’s comprehensive victory over their closest rivals will spark a resurgence that will help his side see out the second half of the season.

That victory took the Sky Blues back to the top of the table, and they have Haji Wright to thank.

The United States international has been spearheading Coventry’s title race.

He took his tally to 13 goals in 28 league games with a stunning hat-trick against Middlesbrough last time out, making him the second top goalscorer in the Championship.

Only Swansea City’s Zan Vipotnik has scored more goals than Wright (15), although the 27-year-old Coventry star is not far away from teammates Brandon Thomas-Asante and Ellis Simms (10 goals each).

Nevertheless, Wright’s goalscoring prowess has been key to Coventry’s title push, and it was on full display in Monday’s top-of-the-table clash at Coventry Building Society Arena.

Wright broke the deadlock 21 minutes into the game with a deftly taken finish.

He picked up where he left off just five minutes into the second half by latching on to a fantastic pass from goalkeeper Carl Rushworth before clinically slotting it home.

Middlesbrough fought back through a Riley McGree volley in the 67th minute, but Wright sealed all three points for Coventry from the penalty spot after Matt Targett was penalised for a handball.

Title race continues as matchday 33 rolls around

Monday’s result means Coventry and Middlesbrough are now separated by one point at the top of the table, meaning neither side can afford to drop off in the coming weeks.

It’ll be silly to suggest each of them have to win their remaining games but this weekend’s fixtures should be relatively straightforward for the title contenders.

Coventry will visit the Hawthorns to take on lowly West Bromwich Albion this weekend.

The Baggies are battling for survival at the other end of the table, but that also makes them a dangerous proposition for Lampard’s title-chasing Sky Blues.

While he will remind his side that they have won back-to-back games against West Brom, the fact that Coventry have never won at the Hawthorns (D1, L5) will give him plenty to think about.

After that game, Middlesbrough will host Oxford United, who are second from bottom on the table.

Kim Hellberg will demand a response from his side after the Coventry defeat, although it’s worth noting that Middlesbrough failed to beat Oxford the last time they met.