EFL roundup: Ayew on spot again as Swansea stumble to draw at Blackburn
André Ayew scored a penalty for the fourth game in a row but Swansea missed a chance to move into the Championship’s top two as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Blackburn.
Ayew’s previous two spot-kicks earned latewins over Middlesbrough and Stoke, and on Tuesday his 41st-minute penalty cancelled out Bradley Dack’s opener to earn a point as Blackburn missed a host of chances to claim victory. Swansea move level with second-placed Watfordwith a game in hand.
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Blackburn began on the front foot, with Ben Brereton’s cross narrowly missing an unmarked Dack. Brereton then set up Sam Gallagher, who miscued his shot.
It was only a temporary let-off as two minutes later Dack fired Blackburn into the lead, capping a neat move with a finish through the legs of Freddie Woodman.
The h lead lasted four minutes after Gallagher brought down Jay Fulton in the box. Ayew sent his penalty down the middle to ensure the scores were level at half-time.
An unhappy Steve Cooper introduced Joel Latibeaudiere, Yan Dhanda and Korey Smith early in the second half but Blackburn continued to dominate.
Brereton sent a lob narrowly wide before Dack headed over from Barry Douglas’s cross and the Swansea defender Ben Cabango made two crucial interventions to deny Dack a second goal.
“It could have been worse,” Cooper said. “If sometimes you don’t play well, you make sure you don’t lose.”
In Tuesday’s other Championship match, Ilias Chair’s winner at Loftus Road lifted QPR into the top half as they overcame bottom club Wycombe. Chris Willock was the architect of Rangers’ 23rd-minute winner, skipping past two defenders before setting up Chair to finish from close range.
League One: Barton criticises referee despite win
Bristol Rovers climbed out of the bottom four with an impressive 4-1 home win against Accrington, but it was not enough to stop their manager, Joey Barton, delivering a tirade against the standard of refereeing in the third tier.
“I went to prison for less than the challenge by their keeper on James Daly,” he said. “It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen when the referee didn’t point to the spot. I have been in charge for five games now and the officiating has been poor right across the board.”
Joey Barton was unhappy with key decisions despite his side winning 4-1 against Accrington. Photograph: Ryan Hiscott/JMP/Shutterstock
Hull came from behind to beat 10-man Peterborough and open up a three-point lead at the top. Reece Burke, Keane Lewis-Potter and a Mallik Wilks penalty earned victory for Hull after Ethan Hamilton’s red card. Third-placed Lincoln were held to a 1-1 draw at Ipswich and Doncaster lost 1-0 at Crewe.
Sunderland took advantage, winning 2-0 at Portsmouth with Charlie Wyke netting his 26th goal of the season. Conor Washington’s double helped Charlton overcome struggling Northampton, while Oxford prevailed 2-1 in their derby game at Swindon. Wigan moved out of the drop zone with a 2-0 win at Plymouth and Burton continued their resurgence under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink with a 1-0 win at Wimbledon.
League Two: Bolton into play-off places
Carlos Mendes Gomes’s late equaliser earned Morecambe a 2-2 draw at promotion rivals Forest Green as the top three sides in the table failed to win. Cheltenham stay top despite losing 3-1 at Mansfield, Jordan Bowery scoring twice for the Stags. Cambridge lost by the same score at Bolton, who moved into the play-off places with their eighth win in 10 league games.
Tranmere are fourth after a 2-0 victory at struggling Southend while Matt Dolan’s double, including a stoppage-time penalty, earned Newport a 2-1 home win over Bradford. Bottom club Grimsby were denied victory at Carlisle by Offrande Zanzala’s late equaliser. It was a very different story for Colchester, who fell behind after 33 seconds at Harrogate, Mark Beck kickstarting a comprehensive 3-0 win.