Birmingham Top After Crazy Weekend in EFL Championship

Author Gareth Hinton | Published at November 9, 2026

MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21, 2019: Middlesbrough FC logo at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, England

The EFL Championship is the gift that keeps on giving, and we were treated to another thrilling weekend of second-tier action.

Birmingham City lead the way heading into the international break, while West Ham United have slipped out of the play-off places. At the other end, Burnley remain in the bottom three after losing a nine-goal thriller in Wales.

Birmingham Move to Summit

Birmingham are the new leaders of the Championship after Saturday’s 2-1 home victory over Swansea City. The Blues are the form team in the league, winning seven of their last nine.

It was a great weekend for Chris Davies’ team, as Middlesbrough drew and West Ham and Southampton lost. The Blues, Boro, and Stoke City are level on 29 points, with City top on goal difference.

Hammers Crash to 3rd Defeat in 4 Games

West Ham have hit a rough patch of form. Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked after back-to-back losses, with former midfielder Scott Parker taking over.

In his first game in charge, the Hammers came from three goals down at half-time to draw 3-3 with Cardiff City in South Wales.

The London side were on the road again last weekend, facing an unpredictable Blackburn Rovers outfit at Ewood Park. There were certainly positives, but West Ham fell to a 2-1 loss, a third defeat in four Championship games.

United are now ninth in the table, six points away from first place. Still, Parker has the international break to stamp his authority at the London Stadium.

Bluebirds Edge 9-Goal Thriller

Cardiff and Burnley played out one of the best games of the Championship season in the Welsh capital. The Bluebirds started well but found themselves two goals down after just 25 minutes.

The home team scored before half-time, but Burnley raced into a 4-1 lead with just 30 minutes to play.

Brian Barry-Murphy’s men never give up, and Cardiff were not to be denied in this one. Yousef Salech came off the bench to score two and win a penalty, and Alex Robertson struck a sensational stoppage-time winner.