Championship roundup: Blackburn cut gap on Blades, Cardiff sink Bristol City

Blackburn catapulted themselves into automatic promotion contention with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sheffield United in the Championship. A frantic encounter was settled by Harry Pickering’s first goal of the campaign in the fifth minute, capping off a devastating counter-attack.

Both sides, fresh off giant-killing exploits in the FA Cup, created chances with Chris Basham and Oli McBurnie going close for the visitors, while Rovers rattled the woodwork in both halves. The hosts took charge of the game in the second half and held on to register a vital win that moves them within six points of their visitors in second after their fourth consecutive league win.

The hosts drew first blood after slicing the Blades open with a lightning counter in the fifth minute. Sorba Thomas set Sammie Szmodics away on the right and he found Tyrhys Dolan, whose neat reverse ball found the overlapping Pickering. He drilled into the right corner from 12 yards.

The Blades responded well, with Sander Berge shooting straight at Aynsley Pears, before the goalkeeper made a fine reaction save in the 21st minute, repelling a Jack Robinson header that took a deflection off Dominic Hyam. Basham almost produced a remarkable equaliser, weaving into the box and beating three players, but he slipped at the vital moment, much to the relief of Pears. At the other end, Dolan was inches away from doubling the advantage when he rattled the post from 20 yards after Thomas’s cutback.

Rovers impressed in the second half and, after John Buckley lashed over from the edge of the area, Szmodics was agonisingly close to a second, picking up a loose ball before curling a stunning effort that hit the crossbar and bounced over. Sheffield United were hanging on and