Wrexham secured their maiden Championship victory of the season on Wednesday, dispatching a depleted Millwall side 3-0 away in south London to give their promotion ambitions a much-needed boost.
The Welsh club had endured a mixed start to the campaign, drawing with both Cardiff and Watford before suffering a home defeat to Birmingham. That inconsistent form was cast aside as Wrexham produced a commanding display, moving closer to the top-flight push that narrowly eluded them last season after missing out on the playoffs.
The breakthrough arrived when Millwall's Zak Sturge inadvertently turned Issa Kaboré's cross into his own net, handing Wrexham a first-half lead. The visitors doubled their advantage shortly after the restart through Kieffer Moore, who lashed home a fierce effort from 20 yards. Jacques Ekomié then added a third with a close-range finish to complete the rout and put the result beyond doubt.
For Millwall, the defeat compounds a troubling run of form and mounting injury concerns. Having opened the season with successive clean sheets against Bristol City and Norwich, the south London club have now shipped eight goals in their last two outings, following a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Southampton at the weekend. To make matters worse, striker Josh Coburn and midfielder Casper De Norre both picked up injuries during the loss to Wrexham, adding to the club's growing list of fitness problems. The setbacks came just a day after Nigeria winger Femi Azeez completed a £15m move to Brighton, further thinning Millwall's resources.
Elsewhere in the Championship, QPR continued their strong start to the campaign with a 2-1 win over Cardiff at Loftus Road. Rumarn Burrell scored twice for Julien Stéphan's side, with Perry Ng's reply for Cardiff proving insufficient. The victory takes QPR to 10 points from their opening four matches, keeping them second in the early standings.
Burnley, meanwhile, fought back from behind to draw 1-1 with Middlesbrough at Turf Moor, a result that offered some relief following a difficult start to life back in the Championship after relegation from the Premier League. Aidan Morris opened the scoring for Middlesbrough in the 23rd minute with a stylish finish from 20 yards - his first goal for the club in over two years. Burnley responded through Ugo Raghouber, who netted his first goal for the club since arriving from Lille in the summer, converting a pass from Zeki Amdouni in the 54th minute to secure only their second point of the season. The draw comes after a turbulent week for Burnley, who suffered a 4-1 defeat at Norwich last Saturday and saw forward Zian Flemming depart for Ipswich on transfer deadline day.
Charlton's unbeaten start to the season continued, though their 100% record came to an end as they were held 1-1 by West Brom. Nathan Jones's side found themselves behind after Callum Styles struck a powerful goal just before the hour mark, but Tyreece Campbell restored parity with a close-range finish in the 69th minute to salvage a point for the Addicks.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.