Championship roundup: Dykes sends QPR top, Middlesbrough thump Wigan

Lyndon Dykes scored twice as Queens Park Rangers moved to the top of the Championship with an easy 3-0 victory against 10-man Cardiff at Loftus Road. Dykes struck a 19th-minute penalty after Jack Simpson was shown a straight red card for bringing down Sinclair Armstrong, then doubled his side’s lead before the break.

Kenneth Paal added a third to make it four wins from five for QPR, whose manager Michael Beale is set to hold talks with Wolves over their vacancy this week.

The impending arrival of Michael Carrick as new manager inspired Middlesbrough to a thumping 4-1 win at Wigan, despite the hosts grabbing a 34th-minute lead through Will Keane. Isaiah Jones equalised just before the break and second-half strikes from Duncan Watmore, Hayden Hackney and a Chuba Akpom penalty left Middlesbrough in full control.

Burnley missed the chance to leapfrog local rivals Blackburninto top spot as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Birmingham. Johann Berg Gudmundsson belted the visitors in front in the 74th minute but they were denied a third straight win when Scott Hogan equalised six minutes later for the hosts.

Sheffield United also missed the chance to go back to the summit as they saw their winless streak extend to five games after a 1-0 defeat at Coventry. The home side pushed throughout and got their reward three minutes from time when Martyn Waghorn converted a penalty to lift Coventry off the bottom of the table.

Goals from Ryan Longman, Greg Docherty and Regan Slater saw Hull end a run of two straight losses with a 3-1 winat Blackpool, who had equalised through Kenny Dougall. Tom Bradshaw scored a first-half hat-trick as Millwall cruised to a 3-0 victory over Watford at the Den.