Championship Review: Wolves return to winning ways, open gap to Villa
Aston Villa lost the ground made up on Wolves in their weekend defeat of the league leaders as contrasting results opened up a 10-point gap.
Wolves recovered from their humbling at Aston Villa to restore a 10-point gap to Steve Bruce's side, who were surprisingly beaten by QPR.
A much-needed 3-0 win at home to Reading allowed Championship leaders Wolves to pull away of the promotion-chasers again, while maintaining top spot ahead of Cardiff City.
Hull City picked up another big win at the bottom of the table, but Barnsley were held and Burton Albion lost on a dramatic evening at either end of the division.
WOLVES ARREST SLUMP
After a run of just one win in five league games – including a thrashing at promotion rivals Villa – Wolves rediscovered their groove against struggling Reading.
Matt Doherty's brace and a goal from Benik Afobe kept Wolves three points clear of Cardiff at the summit, the Welsh club also winning – 3-1 at Brentford.
Both Wolves and Cardiff would have been encouraged by Villa's shock defeat at home to QPR, meanwhile, as the visitors blew Bruce's in-form outfit away.
A rare Jake Bidwell strike – his first in the league for QPR – secured a 2-0 lead that Luke Freeman stretched to three before James Chester's late consolation.
HULL SET FOR SURVIVAL
Nigel Adkins' Hull were the big winners at the bottom, building on their dramatic success at home to Norwich City with a 3-0 victory at Ipswich Town.
Efforts from Markus Henriksen, Harry Wilson and Jarrod Bowen have the Humberside club now nine points clear of the drop zone as they look to avert a second consecutive relegation.
Things are not looking quite so rosy for Barnsley, who remain outside the bottom three but only by three points after Norwich's Josh Murphy cancelled out another Oliver McBurnie goal in a 1-1 stalemate.
Burton are in real trouble, having lost 2-0 at Sheffield United. The Blades kept their play-off hopes alive through Enda Stevens and starlet David Brooks.