EFL goals and round-up: Nottingham Forest close on Bournemouth; Exeter promoted | Football News
Fulham missed the chance to wrap up the Sky Bet Championship title as Nottingham Forest boosted their own automatic promotion hopes with a 1-0 win at Craven Cottage.
Marco Silva’s side would have gone up as champions had they bettered Bournemouth’s result at Swansea – where the Cherries produced a remarkable late comeback from 3-0 down to draw 3-3.
However, Philip Zinckernagel’s close-range goal after 15 minutes proved the difference as Forest moved to within three points of second place following a third straight win.
Bournemouth looked to be heading towards a costly defeat at Swansea before recovering with three goals in the final 18 minutes to earn a dramatic point.
Joel Piroe gave the Swans a sixth-minute lead and it was soon 2-0 when the Dutch forward slotted in his 22nd goal of the campaign from the edge of the penalty area.
Cyrus Christie added a third on the counter attack just before the hour but Wales striker Kieffer Moore head in his first Bournemouth goal to give the visitors a life-line before Dominic Solanke slotted in from the penalty spot with nine minutes to go.
Moore then completed the comeback in the closing moments to leave Bournemouth’s promotion ambitions in their own hands.
Relegated Barnsley were beaten 2-0 at home by Blackpool.
The Tykes parted company with Poya Asbaghi last week and were behind when Owen Dale gave Blackpool the lead shortly before the break, with Oliver Casey adding a second after 66 minutes.
Sky Bet League One
Substitute Aiden O’Brien put Wigan’s promotion champagne on ice as Portsmouth staged a remarkable fightback to snatch a dramatic 3-2 victory over the League One leaders.
O’Brien, who joined Pompey from Sunderland in January, fired home an 87th-minute winner at Fratton Park after George Hirst had struck twice inside three second-half minutes to cancel out the 2-0 lead the Latics had taken in at the break courtesy of goals from Callum Lang and Will Keane.
Wigan will now head into Saturday’s final day trip to Shrewsbury two points clear of Rotherham in second place and three better off than MK Dons in third with a superior goal difference, but knowing they have little margin for error.
The Millers, however, were unable to take full advantage as defender Michael Ihiekwe scored at both ends in a 1-1 draw at Sunderland.
Ihiekwe had headed the visitors into a 17th-minute lead, but then turned the ball into his own net with just two minutes to play at the Stadium of Light.
Lee Gregory’s hat-trick ensured Sheffield Wednesday were the big movers on the night as they climbed into fifth after a 3-2 win at Fleetwood.
Gregory’s fourth-minute opener got the visitors off to the perfect start, but they found themselves trailing 2-1 at the break when Callum Camps and then Joe Garner struck.
However, the Owls frontman was not to be denied and completed his treble with 73rd and 74th-minute strikes to win it, in the process leaving Fleetwood needing to equal Gillingham’s result at the weekend to avoid the drop barring a heavy defeat and a sizeable win for Wimbledon.
Sky Bet League Two
First-half goals from Louie Barry and Jack Payne ensured the race for the League Two title will go down to the wire as 10-man Swindon beat leaders Forest Green.
The Robins, who are now just two points adrift of the play-off places with as many games to play, went in at the break 2-0 up, but after Ellis Iandolo was sent off for a second bookable offence, saw Josh March reduce the deficit and were left hanging on to claim a 2-1 victory.
Exeter skipper Matt Jay ensured the Grecians made the most of already-promoted Rovers’ slip as they came from behind to beat Barrow 2-1 and secure their own promotion in the process.
Trailing to Cameron Dawson’s early own goal, they levelled through Kieran Phillips before Jay clinched the points 12 minutes from time to send them level with the leaders.
Second-half strikes from George Lapslie and Matty Longstaff handed Mansfield a 2-0 home win over Stevenage which leaves them just a point shy of the final automatic promotion place.
Alistair Smith’s double either side of Richie Bennett’s goal handed Sutton a 3-0 win over Crawley to keep alive their hopes of back-to-back promotions.
Last season’s National League champions were 2-0 ahead after just seven minutes and will head into their penultimate fixture occupying the final play-off berth.
