Todd Cantwell’s first-half penalty secured Blackburn a 1-0 victory over Leeds at Ewood Park as Daniel Farke’s side missed out on the chance to return to the top of the Championship. Sheffield United’s defeat of Sunderland a day earlier meant Leeds came into the game in second, but they fell short in their efforts to leapfrog the Blades after Cantwell’s 22nd-minute spot-kick secured Rovers’ third successive win and boosted their play-off challenge.

Burnley moved into second by beating Stoke 2-0 to make it four straight wins and five consecutive clean sheets. Jay Rodriguez’s opener shortly after the break was added to by the substitute Josh Brownhill’s late penalty as Scott Parker’s side took full advantage of Leeds’ earlier defeat. The Clarets, who trail Sheffield United by two points, have now kept 12 clean sheets and have still only conceded six goals – the fewest at this stage of any previous Championship season.

The pressure on Wayne Rooney increased again as his Plymouth team suffered a second-half capitulation in a 4-0 hammering by Bristol City at Ashton Gate. The home side finally made incessant pressure pay on 57 minutes when Scott Twine got a telling touch to Cam Pring’s right-footed drive to beat Dan Grimshaw from close range. Anis Mehmeti’s double put the game beyond doubt before Sinclair Armstrong added a late fourth – causing previously supportive Argyle fans to turn on their team, who have now conceded 27 goals in their 10 away games.

Hull’s interim manager, Andy Dawson, said the squad is feeling “pain” after a dismal run of defeats stretched to five games with a 3-1 loss at Middlesbrough. Dawson was taking charge for the first time after Tim Walter’s dismissal in midweek but could not prevent City from slumping to another loss, with Tommy Conway hitting a double and the in-form Finn Azaz also on target for Boro. Hull are now winless in 10 games and in the relegation zone.

“It’s difficult because emotions always run deep when you’re on the run that we’re on,” said Dawson. “I feel the pain and all the staff do, we’re feeling it, of course we are. I have to give credit to Middlesbrough, they’re a very good team who can hurt you and score goals. But there is lots of work to do, absolutely. We have to go again.”

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Emil Riis scored his fifth goal of the season to earn Preston a 1-1 draw with West Brom. The Dane equalised early in the second half after Karlan Grant had put the Baggies in front with a 13th-minute opener. Carlos Corberán’s side came into the match with the joint most draws in the division with nine, while Preston had shared the spoils eight times, so the result was not a big surprise.

The Watford manager, Tom Cleverley, insisted his side’s goalless draw against QPR at Vicarage Road was another building block rather than a disappointing result against a relegation-threatened team. The point extended Watford’s unbeaten record at home under Cleverley to 15 games.

“I thought that the pressure we put them under in the second half deserved to kick the door down, but on balance they probably shaved the best of the chances today,” he said. “The result was a fair one, and we’re going to have frustrating days. It’s a long old season. We have big ambitions internally and I want to keep striving towards them.”

The Oxford head coach, Des Buckingham, admitted he missed Tyler Goodrham’s brilliant late equaliser which brought his team a 1-1 draw with Millwall. Goodrham’s 86th-minute equaliser cancelled out a first-half header from Japhet Tanganga. “I missed it, I was busy talking to Greg Leigh as he came round, so I wasn’t sure who’d hit it,” said Buckingham. “But I’ve obviously seen it since. Tyler doesn’t score tap-ins, does he?”

Norwich hit prolific scoring form at Carrow Road for the second time in five days as they beat Luton 4-2 to continue their climb towards the playoff zone. The hosts had to work harder for their win than they did on Tuesday, when they hammered Plymouth 6-1, but it was a deserved success against a Luton side who contributed to their own downfall with some poor defending.

Having gone behind to a soft goal from Elijah Adebayo, Norwich turned the game around before the break with two goals from Ante Crnac, doubling his tally for the season. Luton hit back just after the interval through Jacob Brown but two late goals from Emiliano Marcondes and Borja Sainz – his 16th this season – condemned the visitors to a sixth straight away defeat.

Liam Cullen inspired a Swansea fightback after they had been stunned by two first-half goals from visiting Portsmouth before settling for a 2-2 draw. Matt Ritchie, with his first goal for Pompey, and Josh Murphy gave the visitors a healthy lead before Cullen provided the cross for Myles Peart-Harris, whose effort was deflected in by Connor Ogilvie, to pull one back on the stroke of half-time. The Wales international levelled things up in the 53rd minute with his fifth goal of the season.

Frank Lampard’s first game as Coventry head coach ended in a 2-2 home draw against their fellow Championship strugglers Cardiff thanks to Victor Torp’s late penalty for the hosts.