Image source, Rex Features

That's as far as we go here today.

It was a pretty perfect day for Leeds United and their fans.

They maintained their 100% league record this year with a 2-0 win at Plymouth in the day's early game to go second before seeing league leaders Leicester lose 2-1 at home to Middlesbrough.

The Whites host the Foxes on Friday in what promises to be an absolute belter.

We'll be back with more EFL live action on Tuesday with four Championship games and a few from Leagues One and Two to boot.

Hope you can join us then and thanks for your company today.

Cheers!

Image source, Rex Features

• League leaders Leicester beaten for just the fifth time this season as Middlesbrough end a run of four games without a win to beat the Foxes 2-1.
• Leeds go back up to second thanks to a 2-0 win over Plymouth in the day's early game.
• Ipswich stay in the hunt for automatic promotion with a narrow 2-1 win at Swansea.
• Coventry City, Hull City and Norwich City all record wins as they remain level on points in the hunt for the final play-off place.
• Birmingham move away from the relegation zone as Tony Mowbray claims victory over his old side Sunderland.
• Bottom side Rotherham beaten 1-0 by Watford and remain 14 points adrift of safety.
• Sheffield Wednesday beat Millwall 2-0 to climb to four points off the 21st-placed Lions, who are winless this year and QPR are now just one point behind their London rivals after beating Bristol City 1-0.

Image source, PA Media

But arguably the story of the day came in the East Midlands, where Middlesbrough beat leaders Leicester.

Injuries have not been kind to Michael Carrick's Boro of late and few would have expected them to challenge, let alone defeat, the runaway league leaders on their home ground.

Boro's 2-1 win against the Foxes ended their four-game winless streak and left their manager ruminating on the unpredictability of football.

"It’s a funny old game. So much has gone against us, even this week, things are getting more challenging," Carrick told BBC Radio Tees.

“Time will tell what it means but we will enjoy it for what it is.

"I hope, for the supporters, it makes a big difference. We’ve took a few hits but the boys have been incredible.”

For Carrick, it was the "spirit" of the team that carried his team to the win despite pressure from their opponents.

"The spirit for me is the overriding thing," Carrick said.

"Tactically [the team] were good. The boys were clinical, we could have had one or two more.

"Consistency is key. It was a big win for us today."

Birmingham have found themselves deep in the battle to avoid relegation this season but a 2-1 win against Sunderland saw them climb six points clear of danger.

It made it back-to-back home wins for Blues, following Tuesday's win over Blackburn.

And matchwinner Koji Miyoshi told BBC Radio WM: "I'm so happy with another win at home, with my goal. That's brilliant for me.

"I think we dominated the game from the first half until we conceded the goal. We don't lose the confidence, we fight until the end of the game.

"We can make a lot of opportunities to score but we couldn't make it in recent games. We feel really good actually."

Ipswich Town kept up the pace in the chase for automatic promotion with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Swansea City.

They remain a point behind Southampton and three behind second-placed Leeds - but with a game in hand.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was beaming with pride as he spoke post-match press conference.

"I could not be more proud," he said.

"The pitch was wet, it was a mudbath in the end, but the quality of some of our play at times to create those chances was outstanding.

"The boys have left everything out there for the club and that is all you can ask for."

An impressive performance from play-off contenders Norwich City to come from behind to beat Cardiff.

Josh Sargent scored twice as Norwich stay seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Coventry, in the Championship table.

Norwich manager David Wagner told BBC Radio Norfolk: "We looked very sharp, very aggressive.

"I just heard that we scored 58 goals the whole of last season and have now scored 57 already this season - the boys are doing well.

"We conceded no corners against one of the best set-piece teams in the league.

"We stayed calm after we conceded, when we easily could have lost our heads."

Cardiff remain 14th but are now 11 points adrift of the play-off places after a sixth defeat from seven games in all competitions in losing 4-1 at in-form Norwich.

"A very difficult afternoon as we played against a team that were really much better," Cardiff manager Erol Bulut told BBC Radio Wales.

"I knew at the start of the season where I started, what I have and where I want to be.

"It is a long way to be where we want to be - it is about time and keeping working."

And on Aaron Ramsey:

"He got injured. We were hoping we could use him today, but he has a calf strain. That is why he did not play today, we were hoping he could play today.

"For Tuesday against Blackburn it will be difficult."

Watford ended a run of three straight league defeats with victory at bottom club Rotherham to keep them six points off a play-off place.

The Hornets' win was their first in just over a month and head coach Valerien Ismael said his side were focused on ensuring they left South Yorkshire with a result.

“I think we were ready for the battle, we needed fighting spirit for this game," he told BBC Three Counties Radio. "Our focus was all about the result.

“We knew the pitch would be an additional challenge for us and we dealt with the situation very well, we were strong. Finally another clean sheet, we stopped the bleeding and it’s a good reward.

“We knew that Yaser (Asprilla) is a player who’s learned a lot this season. He’s made the next step and he’s ready now to have an impact on the game and I’m very pleased for him.

“Especially when you’re in front there will be a massive wave after wave, but there was great bravery from everyone to support Ben (Hamer) and protect our goal. They didn’t have any big chances and it was a very solid performance in a difficult situation.”

Image source, Getty Images

Elsewhere in the relegation battle, there was just a second away win of the season for Sheffield Wednesday, who closed the gap to Millwall in 21st after a big victory in London.

Owls boss Danny Röhl told BBC Radio Sheffield that being effective at both ends of the pitch was the key to coming away with three points.

"It was a great performance from our team, we were clinical in both boxes and did everything we needed to," he said.

"It wasn't always nice football in the second half, but the supporters recognised what we were doing.

"We were able to kill their momentum, and bring the ball into their half at the right times.

"We did our jobs well and the whole team was fantastic."

There is no doubt about it, despite being in the Championship bottom three, QPR are trending in the right direction.

Today's win over Bristol City was their third in the past six games (including two draws and a loss).

Boss Marti Cifuentes is pleased with his team's response following a midweek loss at Stoke.

"With only three days between games you only have so much time to prepare so it is more about the mental part of the performance and responding well," he said.

"I am very happy for the lads because we spoke about the best teams who respond week after week and they responded really well.

"I think we could have scored two or three more goals.

"Bristol City are a very good team so it was very important for us to take the lead.

"All credit goes to the players who worked really hard."

After thumping high-flying Southampton 3-1 in midweek, Bristol City entered today's match against QPR with a real buzz around Ashton Gate.

But they failed to capitalise on that performance against Saints and fell to a 1-0 defeat by relegation battlers QPR.

Robins boss Liam Manning says his side never got into the match:

"We never really got going. The lads are hugely frustrated and disappointed.

"We ended up playing into their game plan rather than controlling it the way we wanted to with quick balls across the pitch.

"We took three or four touches instead of two.

"The set-up and organisation was there to hurt QPR today. Tommy Conway came close at the end but he was just wide and that was something we practiced yesterday.

"But I'm not making excuses - it wasn't good enough today."

Image source, Rex Features

At half-time of today's games, the match of the day appeared to be at Deepdale where Preston and Blackburn were locked at 2-2.

Rovers raced into a 2-0 lead through Sammie Szmodics and Sam Gallagher, only for North End to hit back to level with goals from Robbie Brady and Emil Riis.

Blackburn boss John Eustace refused to be downbeat about losing a two-goal lead.

"I'm very proud of the efforts of the group, they were outstanding the way they dug in during difficult moments of the game," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We wanted three points. The way we started the game was exceptional and for the first half an hour the game plan worked well.

"Then there were a few tired bodies and we lost a couple of duels at the end of the first half, but there are a lot of positives to take from the game, the way we battled, the way we stuck together.

"It was a good point against a good team, and there's lots to work off."

It was an unexpected victory for midtable Middlesbrough against league leaders Leicester, but for midfielder Lewis O'Brien it's proven what he already believed.

"I think, as a squad and as a team, we've always looked at ourselves and think we have something special," O'Brien told Radio Tees.

"We've all got each others backs. We've got a strong squad. I think we've proved, me and Dan [Barlaser], we can do a good job."

Leicester City dominated possession throughout the game but it was the kind of football O'Brien was prepared for.

"Football is here to play with the ball," O'Brien said.

"Sometimes you have to come into these games and you've got to respect you won't have much of the ball.

"To get that goal shows us we can do it."

Image source, PA Media

Coventry held off the chasing pack and remain 6th in the Championship and in the play-off places after a hard-earned win at Stoke.

Boss Mark Robins said his team is growing in confidence and deserve a lot of credit:

"I am delighted with that win.

"We could have got our noses in-front early on and we should have been more ruthless so we had some momentum entering the second half.

"We often didn't play great.

"There wasn't much quality here today apart from the goal.

"There is no doubt, we needed everyone today, especially at the end.

"We had to dig deep to come out winners and the team deserves a lot of credit."

Steve Ogrizovic
Ex-Coventry City goalkeeper on BBC CWR

It wasn't a Rolls Royce performance but they got the job done.

Good teams get results when they are not at their best.

Coventry were resilient today and limited Stoke to very little.

Did they deserve to win? Well, they got themselves a clean sheet away from home.

It's a vital three points for those play-off positions.

Stoke started the day 19th in the Championship and looking for another win to make it back-to-back league victories for the first time since October.

But they couldn't hold out against a strong Coventry City side whose win keeps them in the play-off places.

Stoke boss Steven Schumacher told BBC Radio Stoke his team lost the game on one crucial error.

"It's disappointing to lose like that on a mistake," he said. "We got punished for it and it's a bit of a killer blow.

"But the player effort was there right until the end, we showed good energy, but we just didn't have that final ball and bit of quality.

"I think we looked more positive after we changed our shape going forward, but the quality wasn't quite there.

"I can't fault the players. It is important we don't get too down on ourselves. This is not the end of the world. We lost to a very good side inside the division's top six."

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth head coach Ian Foster said his side were "too passive" at the start of their defeat by Leeds.

Goals in either half from Willy Gnonto and Georginio Rutter were enough to win the game for the Whites.

"I am proud of the players and the way they stuck to the gameplan," said Foster.

"I thought we were too passive in the first 20 minutes, which is not like us.

"We were disappointed with the first goal and could have done better with the second but overall, like I said, we were pleased because Leeds are such an unbelievably good side."

Image source, Getty Images

Rewind to the start of the day's action and Leeds climbed back into second with a 2-0 win at Plymouth Argyle.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke said his team showed "maturity" to win at Home Park - their eighth straight victory.

"I am a happy man first of all because no other side since October has managed to come away from here with three points," said Farke.

"We got a really good start with the goal early on because Plymouth are a good side and hard to beat, especially in home games.

"We stayed focused throughout.

"Overall I am really pleased with the maturity we showed to win this game."

Marc Webber
Final Score at Carrow Road

What a difference a few days make.

The Barclay Stand faithful stayed behind to give David Wagner and his Norwich side a warm around of applause just days after boos in the same spot and a strong call for support from the manager.

The praise was mutual and deserved.

Despite Cardiff opening the scoring with a well-taken goal, it was against the run of play and Norwich added goals to their dominance, including a Josh Sargent double highlighting just how important he is physically and inspirationally to this side, which is very much in the play-off hunt.

Aaron Paul
Final Score at The Den

Image source, Getty Images

This is the nadir for Joe Edwards and Millwall. His side needed to deliver a performance today, and yet again they looked dysfunctional and a shadow of a team that were fighting for the play-offs months ago.

Wednesday were diligent in their work, organised and carried out their individual duties to a tee.

Huge credit must go to Danny Rohl for galvanising and getting a disjointed squad singing off the same hymn sheet.

But this result, and the one from Ashton Gate - where QPR beat Bristol City, spell out huge trouble for Millwall.

Half empty for the large part, boos rang around The Den at the end, this is the day the crowd fully turned. I just wonder if they are a little too late if they are to consider a change.