Brentford and Fulham gain momentum as Leeds stumble

Leeds United came from behind to claim a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Luton Town on Tuesday night - as Brentford and Fulham bolstered their hopes of automatic promotion with respective away wins at Reading and QPR.

At Elland Road, Marcelo Bielsa kept faith with the side that beat promotion rivals Fulham 3-0 on Saturday. However, Leeds struggled against the Hatters who took a shock lead in the second-half through Harry Cornick, who struck a superb curling finish after a swift counter. Leeds belatedly applied pressure and found an equaliser courtesy of Stuart Dallas to earn a valuable point.

The result puts Leeds six points clear of third-placed Brentford, while Luton fell back to the bottom of the table - though the Hatters are now just two points shy of safety. 

Can anyone stop the Bees?

Brentford’s Premier League ambitions received a further boost with a 3-0 away victory against Reading at Madejski Stadium. Bryan Mbeumo, Joshua da Silva and Joel Valencia scored for the visitors, who underlined their offensive quality - they have now won eight Championship games this season by three or more goals.  

The Bees are two points shy of second placed West Brom, who visit Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday night, while Reading are in 16th place, seven points clear of the drop zone.

📈 Most Championship wins by 3+ goals (2019/20):

8⃣: 🐝BRENTFORD*🐝
4⃣: Hull, Leeds, Reading
3⃣: Fulham, Preston, Stoke, West Brom

* v Derby, Swansea, Wigan, Luton, Bristol C, Hull, Sheff W + Reading.#Brentford @BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/DtgipyHcb2

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) June 30, 2020

Fulham bounce back

In a West London derby, Fulham had to come from behind after shipping an early goal to QPR's Jordan Hugill, Harry Arter levelled after 21 minutes, however, and Cyrus Christie then claimed all three points with a 75th-minute stunner.

After losing big games against Brentford and Leeds, Fulham knew they had to beat Rangers and, having done so, the Cottagers remain within reach of the automatic promotion slots, two points behind Brentford.

Cardiff huff and puff, while Barnsley breathe fresh life into survival bid

After an impressive away win at Preston last weekend, Cardiff's Championship play-off push lost momentum, as they were held to a goal-less draw at home by relegation-threatened Charlton Athletic.

Also with an eye on the play-off spots, both Millwall and Swansea failed to grasp the nettle of opportunity - the Lions and Swans playing out a 1-1 draw that did neither side much good. A first Millwall goal for Mason Bennett set the Lions on their way in the first half, but an own goal from goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski helped Rhian Brewster's sublime free-kick over the line to earn a draw for the Swans.

Elsewhere, Connor Chaplin and Jacob Brown scored in Barnsley's 2-0 win over Blackburn to give the Tykes renewed hope of beating the drop - the South Yorkshire side now just a point from safety.

Kal Naismith scored twice as Wigan Athletic extended their unbeaten run to nine games with a comfortable 3-0 win over Stoke City. The Latics are now sitting comfortably in 14th, after an incredible run of seven consecutive clean sheets, while the Potters look set for a relegation scrap. 

📈 Most consecutive league games w/out conceding (top 4 tiers; 2019/20):

7⃣: 🔥WIGAN🔥, Liverpool
6⃣: Wycombe, Newport
5⃣: Leeds, Ipswich, Forest Green#wafc @LaticsOfficial pic.twitter.com/E6PHm6TOXV

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) June 30, 2020