West Bromwich Albion were unable to reclaim top spot in the Championship after being pegged back to a 1-1 draw by QPR at The Hawthorns, a result that leaves West Ham in pole position following their emphatic 6-0 win over Wrexham on Friday.
Albion looked to have the better of the early exchanges but found themselves behind against the run of play in the 38th minute. Kwame Poku played a defence-splitting pass to send Rumarn Burrell clear, and after the striker rounded his marker, his effort was parried by goalkeeper Max O'Leary. The rebound cannoned unfortunately off Chris Mepham and looped into an empty net, gifting QPR an unlikely lead.
West Brom's response was swift. Just three minutes later, Callum Styles, deployed out of position at right-back, cut inside and curled a low finish into the corner from the edge of the box to restore parity. The point extended West Brom's unbeaten home league run to 11 matches, though it was not enough to move them back above West Ham in the standings.
Elsewhere, Bolton Wanderers halted a miserable run of four consecutive league defeats with a dramatic late win over Cardiff City. With the game seemingly heading for a draw, substitute Thierry Gale popped up in stoppage time to head home the only goal of the match. The Barbados international arrived unmarked at the back post to convert a cross whipped in from the left by Theo Bair, sparking celebrations among the home supporters.
Cardiff will feel they deserved something from the contest, having been kept at bay for long spells by a string of fine saves from Bolton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, whose performance proved decisive in preserving the eventual victory.
In a tense encounter at Pride Park, Birmingham City came from behind to beat Derby County 2-1, with Paik Seung-ho scoring the winner in his first goal since December. Derby had taken the lead through Bobby Clark, but Birmingham responded almost immediately as Carlos Vicente levelled just two minutes later.
The match was halted for a lengthy period following what appeared to be a serious injury to Derby's Henrik Meister, before Paik struck to complete the turnaround and secure all three points for the visitors.
The results leave the Championship table finely poised as the season progresses, with West Ham holding the advantage at the top while West Brom, Birmingham and other chasing sides continue to jostle for position. Bolton's win, meanwhile, offers a timely confidence boost after a run of results that had threatened to drag them into trouble, while Cardiff will be left to rue their missed opportunity against a resilient Wanderers side.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.