Sheffield United Achieves First Championship Victory While Middlesbrough Remains Unbeaten

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Sheffield United secured their first points of the Championship season with a narrow 1-0 win over Oxford United. This victory came after a challenging start, marked by six consecutive losses and the departure of head coach Ruben Selles. Under Chris Wilder's leadership, Callum O'Hare scored the decisive goal in the 65th minute at Kassam Stadium. Despite a late scare when Greg Leigh hit the post, Sheffield United held on to move closer to rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

At the top of the table, Middlesbrough maintained their unbeaten run with a 1-1 draw against Southampton. Adam Armstrong opened the scoring for Southampton just past the hour mark at St Mary's. However, Kaly Sene equalised for Middlesbrough, marking his second consecutive game with a goal. This result kept Rob Edwards' side unbeaten in seven matches this season.

Stoke City missed an opportunity to close in on Middlesbrough as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Norwich City. Jovon Makama put Stoke ahead in the first half at bet365 Stadium. Sorba Thomas levelled for Norwich, leaving Mark Robins' team four points behind Middlesbrough and dropping them to third place.

Preston North End and Bristol City remained in the top six despite a goalless draw at Deepdale. Both teams failed to close the gap on leaders Middlesbrough. Meanwhile, Charlton Athletic moved closer to playoff contention with a convincing 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at The Valley. Macaulay Gillesphey, Sonny Carey, and James Bree all found the net for Charlton.

Watford climbed out of the relegation zone after coming from behind to defeat Hull City 2-1 at Vicarage Road. Oli McBurnie gave Hull an early lead before Imran Louza and Vivaldo Semedo scored in the second half for Watford, lifting them to 16th place in the standings.

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Middlesbrough's equaliser against Southampton ensured they extended their unbeaten streak to seven games this season. Their longest previous unbeaten run was nine games from March to April 2024. Consistency has been key for Boro as they have scored in each of their last seven league matches, equalling their longest scoring streak since February.

Stoke City's draw with Norwich means they have now gained four points from losing positions this season. Only Leicester City have recovered more points from such situations with five points gained after trailing.