This weekend was the Chamionship’s turn to get back to playing and it didn’t disappoint.

I will be focusing on Cardiff City’s fantastic 2-0 win over title chasing Leeds but will also provide a round-up of the rest of the action over the weekend.

Starting on a more serious note, the Championship followed the Premier League in holding a one minute’s silence before kick-off to honour those who have lost their lives to coronavirus and to thank the NHS for all their hard work.

As well as that, in all the games players and officials took a knee following the referee’s whistle to support the Black Lives Matter movement. We will all be hoping that this has a massive impact as millions of people will be watching the football over the coming weeks.

In regards to the action, there were significant results across the division and plenty of drama which supporters would’ve certainly enjoyed. I’ll start by giving a match report on Cardiff’s huge win.

Cardiff City 2-0 Leeds United

• 

Cardiff boosted their play-off hopes with a victory over second-placed Leeds in an exciting encounter at the Cardiff City Stadium.

As well as the minutes silence and taking the knee, there was also a tribute from both clubs to former Bluebird Peter Whittingham and former Leeds players Norman Hunter and Trevor Cherry who have passed away since the last games played. All three are legends of their respective clubs, making over 400 appearances.

Whittingham passed away back in March, aged 35. He died in hospital following a head injury after a fall in a pub in Barry. Whittingham, or ‘Whitts’ as he’s known by so many, will forever be remembered for his fantastic ten years at the club. He had a wand of a left foot and was an exceptional footballer. Many will consider him as one of the greatest footballers to ever play for Cardiff.

Hunter passed away in April after contracting coronavirus. Cherry died very suddenly and unexpectedly in April. Both were fantastic players for Leeds.

There was a minutes applause before kick-off and there were banners laid out in the stands for all three players. It was a fantastic tribute to three fantastic players.

The game itself started at a fast pace, with the Bluebirds coming out of the blocks well, starting strongly. However, Leeds managed to get a hold of the game and started to dominate with Cardiff unable to keep the ball for long. It was starting to look like it would be a very long game for City.

Leeds came very close when from a corner, Will Vaulks had to clear the ball away, after it was heading towards the far post. It was a fantastic clearance, but it only felt like that was only going to temporarily halt Leeds.

For all their dominance Leeds failed to capitalise and with 35 minutes gone, Kalvin Phillips gave the ball away to Junior Hoilett, who ran at the defence before firing past Leeds goalkeeper Illan Mesliet with a powerful left-footed shot. It was a strike that Whittingham would’ve been proud of. Following the goal, Hoilett paid tribute to Whittingham by holding up a Cardiff top with ‘Whittingham 7’ on the back.

Leeds came very close to equalising in stoppage time at the end of the first half. Patrick Bamford was the saviour for Cardiff, blocking Jack Harrison’s attempt while standing in an offside position. The Bluebirds were very lucky to get away with that.

Leeds continued to dominate the ball in the second half and had another excellent chance, but City goalkeeper Alex Smithies saved at point blank range from Tyler Roberts. It was excellent goalkeeping. Smithies had a fantastic game for Cardiff.

Neil Harris made substitutions, bringing on Nathaniel Mendez-Laing after being injured for six months, and Robert Glatzel, and doing after Cardiff doubled their lead. Both players linked up to score, with Mendez-Laing playing the ball to Glatzel, who controlled it before volleying in off the post. It was a great finish from the striker.

The goal came following another mistake by Leeds. This time it was Liam Cooper who gave the ball away, with Mendez-Laing intercepting his pass.

Cardiff managed the game fairly well for the rest of the game, holding on for a massive and crucial win to boost our play-off hopes. It has also slightly dented Leeds’ title challenge. Next up for the Bluebirds is a big game at Preston next Saturday, which could see us move into the top six with a victory. It will be a very tough game though against a good team.

Hopefully the team can push on to end the season strongly and possibly bring Premier League football back to Cardiff.

In regards to the rest of the league, there was some big results with plenty to fight for at the top and bottom of the division.

Three points separate sixth and twelfth. Blackburn, Swansea and Derby all managed to win as well as Cardiff to put them right in the mix. Sixth-placed Preston conceded a late equaliser to relegation-threatened Luton which will be a frustrating result for them.

Derby beat Millwall and Blackburn best Bristol City with all four teams in that play-off battle.

Looking towards the bottom of the table, it is still very tight. Wigan moves up to 17th after a crucial 2-0 victory at fellow strugglers Huddersfield, who are now only one point above the relegation zone. Charlton also won, beating Hull 1-0 which led to them escaping the relegation zone with Hull replacing them. Barnsley gave themselves a chance of staying up with a 1-0 win at QPR and as I’ve mentioned already, Luton managed to get a point at home to Preston.

There is still plenty to play for across the whole division and there will be excitement, as there always is in the Championship. The next round of fixtures is next weekend.