Championship Review: Ten-man Sunderland hold Wolves, Adkins starts with a win

Sunderland survived Lee Cattermole’s second-half dismissal to nick a 0-0 draw from Wolves and stunt the runaway Championship leaders’ winning run.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side had won their previous six to go four points clear at the top, but Cardiff City can cut that gap back to two when they host Reading on Monday thanks to a battling performance from Chris Coleman’s men.

Elsewhere, Nigel Adkins began his Hull City career with a roller-coaster 3-2 win over Brentford and Derby County continued Barnsley’s miserable run to clamber above Aston Villa and Sheffield United in the top six.

BLACK CATS GET THE LUCK

Sunderland’s flickering revival under former Wales boss Coleman continues, but this was a point earned the hard way. 

Wolves had 23 shots to just one from their opponents, but the leaders were guilty of mass profligacy, only making Robbin Ruiter work with four of them.

Cattermole was sent off after collecting two booking inside 54 seconds of each other, but the Black Cats clung on to move within a point of safety.

Boss on hard-fought point 

https://t.co/9WC65ne2G5 pic.twitter.com/W5rIxzPPxQ

— Sunderland AFC  (@SunderlandAFC) December 9, 2017

Derby battered Barnsley 3-0, Tom Lawrence, Matej Vydra and Andreas Weimann on the scoresheet, as the Tykes fell to a fifth straight defeat and Gary Rowett’s men moved above Sheffield United, beaten by Bristol City on Friday, and Aston Villa, who drew 0-0 at home to Millwall.

ADKINS ERA OFF TO A BANG

There has been little to celebrate at the KCOM Stadium this season and Leonid Slutsky’s departure last week crowned a listless few months at Hull City.

David Meyler’s own goal suggested that Adkins’ arrival might fail to lift the gloom, but the Tigers fought back valiantly.

A rocket from Kamil Grosicki, Sebastian Larsson’s free-kick and Jackson Irvine’s first City goal turned the game on its head, though nerves were tested by John Egan’s late strike.

I came back Well done Boys @HullCity pic.twitter.com/UkWTdc0ngy

— TurboGrosik (@GrosickiKamil) December 9, 2017

After guiding his side to a first win in eight, Adkins said: “I love it. I’ve not been in a dugout for 18 months and the players have done excellent, showing great character and team spirit.”

The Tigers go 18th in the table, above Barnsley and QPR, after Ian Holloway’s men lost 3-1 to a Leeds United side inspired by Kemar Roofe’s hat-trick.

PLAY-OFF CHASERS BUNCH UP

Victory for Leeds left them part of a tightly bunched cabal of clubs chasing the top six.

Leeds are seventh, a point clear of Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town, who are now on level points after the Tractor Boys lost 2-0 at the Riverside.

Preston North End join that pair on 32 points after beating rock-bottom Burton Albion 2-0.

Fulham and Nottingham Forest aren’t far behind after beating Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers respectively, the pair moving above Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls were beaten 3-1 at Norwich City despite taking the lead, goals from James Maddison, Timm Klose and a late Nelson Oliveira penalty turning the game around.