Championship wrap: Szmodics bags brace for Blackburn

Republic of Ireland midfielder Sammie Szmodics grabbed his second brace of the season to ensure Blackburn Rovers' 5,000th league game ended in a 2-1 home win against Middlesbrough in the Sky Bet Championship.

Matt Crooks gave bottom-of-the-table Boro hope with a 55th-minute reply but, including last season's two-legged play-off final defeat to Coventry, the Teessiders have now gone 11 games without a league win, equalling the club's longest sequence outside the top flight since January 1925.

the advantage with Matt Crooks scoring a consolation for Boro, who remain rock bottom of the table.

Preston North End's fine start continued with their fifth straight win of the season after beating Plymouth 2-1.

Duane Holmes was straight out the blocks for the Lilywhites, scoring in the first minute, with Liam Millar doubling their lead going into the break and Ryan Hardie pulled one back for the Pilgrims, but three points sees Ryan Lowe's side leapfrog Leicester to go top of the table.

Ipswich stay third after securing back-to-back league victories with Conor Chaplin's strike the difference against Sheffield Wednesday, who are still without a win this season, while Norwich sit fourth thanks to Jack Stacey's goal which saw the Canaries beat Stoke City 1-0.

Sunderland also made it two successive league victories after coming from behind to beat 10-man QPR 3-1.

Kenneth Paal put hosts QPR ahead, but were soon reduced to 10 men when Jack Colback was dismissed with a straight red card and Jack Clarke levelled the score going into half-time.

Dan Ballard then gave Sunderland the lead in the second half before Abdoullah Ba put the game to bed in the 81st minute, leaving the Black Cats tied on 10 points with Blackburn.

Late drama at Vicarage Road saw