Aaronson Nets Last-Gasp Leveller As Leeds And Portsmouth Share Spoils In Six-Goal Thriller

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Brenden Aaronson netted a dramatic 95th-minute equaliser for Leeds United, securing a 3-3 draw against Portsmouth in their Championship opener at Elland Road. Aaronson, who was on loan at Union Berlin last season, found the bottom-left corner deep into stoppage time, denying John Mousinho's newly promoted side a perfect start.

Pascal Struijk gave Leeds an early lead with a penalty, but Elias Sorensen quickly equalised for Portsmouth. Callum Lang then put Portsmouth ahead with a long-range strike just before half-time. However, Wilfried Gnonto levelled the score for Leeds just 54 seconds into the second half with a clever reverse finish past Will Norris.

Leeds dominated much of the game, registering 22 shots compared to Portsmouth's five and having 39 touches in the penalty area versus the visitors' six. Despite this dominance, they were nearly defeated by Lang's 92nd-minute penalty after Jayden Bogle conceded cheaply. Aaronson's late heroics ensured Leeds avoided an opening-day loss.

West Bromwich Albion came from behind to secure a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. Lucas Andersen opened the scoring for QPR after 16 minutes, but Josh Maja responded with a near-post header and added two more close-range finishes after the break. Maja's hat-trick made him the first Albion player to achieve this feat in an opening league game since Alf Bentley in the 1913-14 season.

Norwich City's Disappointing Start

Norwich City had a tough start to their campaign, losing 2-0 to newly promoted Oxford United. Mark Harris scored Oxford's first goal by squeezing a shot through Angus Gunn's legs. Cameron Brannagan secured the win with a side-footed finish in the 58th minute.

Middlesbrough's Winning Start

Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough began their season with a 1-0 victory over Swansea City at Riverside Stadium. Emmanuel Latte Lath continued his impressive form by converting a penalty after Azeem Abdulai fouled Isiah Jones. This goal marked Latte Lath’s seventh consecutive Championship game scoring, tying him with Charlie Austin (2012), Jordan Rhodes (2013), and Aleksandar Mitrovic (2021) for the longest streak since the league’s rebranding in 2004.

The Championship season has kicked off with thrilling matches and unexpected results, setting an exciting tone for what lies ahead.