Southampton opened up a four-point lead at the top of English football’s second tier on Saturday after Rickie Lambert’s goal clinched a hard-fought 1-0 win at Leeds.
Nigel Adkins’ side were under the cosh for long periods at Elland Road, but they snatched a goal through Lambert early in the first half and relied on veteran goalkeeper Kelvin Davis to make a series of fine saves to preserve the lead.
The Saints’ victory means second placed West Ham need a win at promotion rivals Cardiff on Sunday to stay in touch with the Championship leaders.
Lambert’s winner came in the 16th minute when the striker latched onto a flick from Japan forward Tadanari Lee to drive a ferocious volley past Andy Lonergan.
Leeds were unlucky not to bag an equaliser on boss Neil Warnock’s home debut, but they couldn’t make their frenzied pressure tell in the closing stages.
With West Ham having a day off, Reading took the opportunity to close within one point of the Hammers thanks to a 2-1 win at Millwall.
Brian McDermott’s third-placed side fell behind to an Andrew Keogh goal in the 15th minute, but Hal Robson-Kanu equalised on the stroke of half-time.
The Royals completed their fightback in the 76th minute when former Rotherham striker Adam Le Fondre latched on to Jason Roberts’ pass and beat Millwall goalkeeper David Forde.
Middlesbrough are up to fifth after beating cash-strapped Portsmouth 3-1 at Fratton Park.
Pompey’s administrators warned the club may not be able to afford to see out the season and their troubles went from bad to worse on the pitch when Boro raced in to a 2-0 lead after goals from Barry Robson and Matthew Bates.
Greg Halford gave Portsmouth hope when he scored from the penalty spot but Marvin Emnes dashed any hopes of an upset with an 83rd-minute goal before Middlesbrough had defender Rhys Williams sent off in the final moments.
Birmingham dropped to sixth place after surrendering a two-goal lead in their 2-2 draw against Derby at St Andrews.
El-Hadji Diouf’s second-half penalty denied Brighton the chance to climb in to the play-offs as bottom of the table Doncaster drew 1-1 with Gus Poyet’s side at the Keepmoat Stadium.
Watford completed a remarkable comeback to grab all three points with a 3-2 success over Burnley at Vicarage Road.
Barnsley striker Craig Davies’ second-half strike denied Nottingham Forest a third straight win at Oakwell. Forest had gone ahead in the 32nd minute through Garath McCleary but had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Leicester achieved back-to-back league wins for the first time this season, 2-0 over Coventry in the Midlands derby.
Ipswich cruised past struggling Bristol City 3-0, while Crystal Palace continued their recent good form with a 1-0 win over Peterborough.