Image source, Shutterstock

The Christmas table is complete in the Championship and we have a clear number one in Coventry.

Congratulations to them as they sit six points clear.

Commiserations to bottom club Sheffield Wednesday, now 27 points behind next worst Norwich. We can all agree that Owls fans have suffered enough this season.

But between the 22 clubs in the middle, it feels like one of the tightest seasons ever at this level. As fans of all those 22 clubs digest their Christmas dinners, they will all still believe they can have a successful campaign.

For us, it is time to rest up for a few days until we return for a bumper Boxing Day.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for joining us today and throughout the season and to wish you all a very merry Christmas!

Sheffield United

Image source, Shuttershock

Sheffield United returned to winning ways with a comprehensive win over Birmingham at Bramall Lane.

Blades boss Chris Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"It's not about me wanting a response it was about them wanting a response from themselves, within. The narrative all week was a strong one, Friday night was unacceptable and I didn't enjoy it at all.

"The start was great, the intensity of our play. The press we got absolutely spot on. We smothered them and didn't allow them to get a foothold in the game.

"Maybe the frustration of that was the reason that Tommy got sent off. Yes of course it was an easier afternoon with 11 v 10 but still delighted with the way we approached it.

"We didn't give them any opportunities. It was a really good afternoon."

Image source, Getty Images

That will do it for the Championship before Christmas but do not worry as we are only six days away from a bumper Boxing Day (15:00 GMT unless stated):

• Birmingham City v Derby County (12:30 GMT)
• Millwall v Ipswich Town (13:00 GMT)
• Coventry City v Swansea City
• Leicester City v Watford
• Middlesbrough v Blackburn Rovers
• Norwich City v Charlton Athletic
• Oxford United v Southampton
• Portsmouth v QPR
• Sheffield Wednesday v Hull City
• Stoke City v Preston North End
• West Brom v Bristol City
• Wrexham v Sheffield United (17:30 GMT)

Ipswich Town

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich sit in third - their highest position of the season - after seeing off Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road, but manager Kieran McKenna says it is too early to start studying the table.

He said to Radio Suffolk: "It's good to get the win, good to get three goals, certainly we could have had more in the second half, we'll take it.

"I won't really pay any attention to the table until we get through the Christmas fixtures, at least.

"There are 12 points to play for in a nine-day period so there's no point looking. We've got some tough games coming up, and we'll go with everything we've got and then see where we're at."

Birmingham City

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies told BBC Radio WM:

"It was quite the opposite of everything we had been talking about and working on.

"The whole week's work was building up to this fixture and we didn't start quick enough and conceded an extremely soft goal from a corner, one of the worst we've conceded.

On Tommy Doyle's red card in the first half, Davies added:

"The challenge was a red card, I think you'd be lying to say it wasn't. It was reckless and Tommy has owned that and accepted responsibility. It's not the kind of team that I want to be.

"If our away form has been this poor our home form needs to be so good and that's unfortunately the position we're in now.

"The good news is we are better at home and we need to take that with us moving forward."

Bristol City dented Middlesbrough's title fight dream, whilst putting themselves back in the mix for a play-off spot.

Head coach Gerhard Struber told BBC Radio Bristol: "We fought on a really high level today.

"We know Middlesbrough is a really good team and also has really good momentum and it's difficult against them.

"In the end it was a box-defending fight on the highest level, how the boys did it together.

"I would say we could be better in transition moments today, we sometimes gave the ball away too easily, but in the end I'm super happy ahead of Christmas that we celebrate three points."

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg saw his team lose for the first time since moving to England with their 2-0 defeat to Bristol City, but he could still find many aspects of his side's display that pleased him

The Swede told BBC Radio Tees: "I'm frustrated that the ball didn't want to go into the goal.

"I think we had 28 shots or something like that, unbelievable attacking play in many parts of the game, but not goals and they scored two and that's the name of the game.

"They did some very good stuff, so frustrating in some ways as a result of not scoring goals, but also proud of many things in how we play, how we act and the togetherness.

"I get a feeling after the game that we are good for real and you'll lose games and the energy from that, and how we go on from that, is the key."

Watford

Watford are now 10th in the Championship with just one defeat from their past 10 matches.

After a 1-0 win over Stoke, boss Javi Gracia has told BBC Three Counties Radio:

"We knew Stoke were playing well, always competing very well - today is important because of the clean sheet.

"I am proud because the players followed the plan - they defended well, were compact and solid.

"We were able to keep doing it after half time, we got the points and it's something I'm really proud of."

Stoke City

Stoke have dropped to eighth place in the Championship with a fourth defeat in five games.

Head coach Mark Robins has told BBC Radio Stoke:

"We lost it to a set play and it's galling, it really is.

"It's a nothing free-kick and they get a chance to put it into our box and do it with quality.

"There's not enough goal attempts - there are bits and pieces but it feels like the same story.

"In possession, we were okay and didn't look under any real threat apart from when we gave the ball away.

"We huffed and puffed a bit - but to all intents and purposes I thought we were the better team in possession.

"At the moment we're not good enough, we cannot keep losing tight games 1-0 - we have to find a way to alleviate that."

Oxford United

Image source, Getty Images

Oxford have only one win in their last 10 matches, and their 1-0 loss to Charlton makes it back-to-back defeats for the U's.

Head coach Gary Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford:

"I mean, it's another game that, you could put pilot into 10 games a season where the game's there, there are some good moments, some good bits of control, but we lack a little bit of quality.

"Then one moment from the opposition - I couldn't say Charlton had cut us open or done anything to really open us up massively—but they score with their one moment of quality.

"We have moments ourselves, we just can't quite find that quality. I think that's the game, it's pretty simple really.”

Charlton Athletic

Image source, Getty Images

Charlton boss Nathan Jones celebrated his side's first win in seven matches following their 1-0 victory at home against fellow Championship strugglers Oxford United.

He told BBC Radio London: "It's a big home win and it was deserved. Without being disrespectful, we should have been ahead earlier. We didn't demonstrate the clinical killer instinct we needed, but when we needed it, we did, and then we were able to see it again.

"It is a perfect return [for Charlie Kelman], but that's what we've been saying. We brought a load of quality in and now we want to see it because Charlie was playing through injury.

"It was a tendon injury that wasn't picked up, so he was not firing on all cylinders. That's healed now, and he's looked a different animal the last two or three weeks in training.

"I knew that, given the opportunity today, he's the one - well, we have a few at the club, [Luke] Berry, [Matty] Godden, and him - that you give them that type of opportunity and they finish, and it was a wonderful finish."

Portsmouth

Portsmouth have moved two points clear of the relegation zone with their draw at Derby.

Boss John Mousinho has told BBC Radio Solent:

"It's a good point in the end, if you look at our away form and struggles on the road recently.

"Obviously the last five or 10 minutes we were hanging on but not for the rest of the game, I thought we were well worth a point.

"There were moments where we looked vulnerable but we're asking the boys to play forward with purpose and not keep it relentlessly at the back and I thought we did that brilliantly."

On an injury to winger Josh Murphy:

"He was just feeling his hamstring slightly, he wasn't quite himself today so we've taken him off as a precaution.

"We'll probably have it scanned on Monday and see where we go from there."

Derby County

Image source, Shuttershock

Derby had to come from behind to get a point at home to Portsmouth.

They are 12th in the table and boss John Eustace has told BBC Radio Derby:

"I think it's a great point from going a goal down - obviously we wanted all three points.

"In the second half we had to show a bit more compsure and quality and patience with the build up but on another day we could have got all three points.

"We're halfway through the season, there's so much more hardwork to come from the group, we're learning and developing all the time.

"We're on 31 points which is not a bad return going into the second half [of the season].

"We were too loose on the ball today and at times we had to hold onto it better."

QPR

Image source, Getty Images

QPR are up to seventh place in the Championship.

Their 4-1 victory over Leicester is a fourth successive home win - the first time they have done that since 2017.

Head coach Julien Stephan has been speaking to BBC Radio London:

“It was an outstanding first half. the way they played, how they came onto the pitch, how they moved together – with and without the ball – it’s never perfect but it was very close to perfection.

“To score four goals like this, and to create the atmosphere like this with the fans was probably the best first half and best feeling since I started this job.

“When you live something like this, you have to enjoy it, but you also need to be ready to compete immediately and that is what I said at half-time because the game is not just 45 minutes.

“I think we came out very quick and very good in the first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half, and they didn’t have many situations, and we could have scored another one. It’s a fantastic win.”

Leicester City

Image source, Shuttershock

Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes suffered a nightmare return to his former club as they were 4-0 down at half-time.

Cifuentes has told BBC Radio Leicester:

"I'm really angry and disappointed with the result - we played below the standard and got punished.

"Today, the standards were unacceptable for me, the players and the fans which is why I'm angry because we cannot just expect everything to go our way

"What I can tell is we as a club we need to do much better, not just how we play but how we compete.

"Consistency is our main target not only game to game but during games - we need to make sure we keep working and understand the areas we can improve from a football perspective and a mental perspective."

Samantha Fletcher
Final Score at Vicarage Road

Image source, Shutterstock

Imran Louza wasn’t credited with the assist for Watford’s goal against Stoke, it was Hector Kyprianou’s header that set up Luca Kjerrumgaard, but without him it’s hard to see where opportunities would come from for Watford.

It was a perfectly-placed free-kick from captain Louza that resulted in the home side’s winner. He was everywhere, involved in nearly every aspect of the game and certainly both the lynch pin and the creator.

The Moroccan wasn’t called up for Afcon, much to the clubs delight I’m sure, but it’s hard to see that he won’t gain attention when he’s such a key part of Watford’s side that are starting to push up the Championship.

Norwich City

Image source, Shutterstock

Norwich manager Philippe Clement told BBC Radio Norfolk:

"Coming here against Preston, third in the league and a hard place to come, and showing this on the pitch, for 90 minutes with good organisation and good moments on the ball, and a really good goal makes it hard to lose two important points in the dying seconds.

"But [in terms of] mentality I can’t say anything against my team, it was a really good performance.

"Vlad [Kovacevic] didn’t have to make many saves and was really good in a few moments with high crosses and coming to help the defence.

"In the last action, I think we can do better with a few players and can keep the ball better in front, like we did against Southampton, but it’s really unlucky that we lost these two points."

Preston North End

Preston assistant manager Stuart McCall told BBC Radio Lancashire following his side's last-gasp equaliser in their draw with Norwich:

"Naturally, [the late goal] was emotionally very good, especially for the lads involved in the goal. Both Will [Keane] and Pottsy [Brad Potts] have been out for a long, long time so I’m delighted for both of those lads.

"It was the three subs that combined - Andy [Vukcevic] crossed it, Pottsy won a great header and Keano, being in the box, and with no pace on the cross, got in a really good header.

"It’s not a game we deserved to lose. It was a tight game on a really difficult surface with not a lot of chances at both ends.

"We’ve seen since Phil [Clement] has been in at Norwich they have improved dramatically, so we take the point. One good thing about the lads is that they never know when they’re beaten."