WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS SMASHED five goals past lowly Bolton on Saturday to stretch their lead at the top of the English Championship as Chris Coleman secured his first win as Sunderland manager.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves established a comfortable seven-point cushion over their challengers with a fifth straight league win as their rivals struggle to cling onto their coat-tails.
Fresh from a 4-1 win over Leeds, the Molineux men scored through Willy Boly, Leo Bonatini, Ivan Cavaleiro (twice) and Diego Jota. Will Buckley netted Bolton’s consolation.
First-half goals from Boly and Bonatini gave the hosts early control and Cavaleiro’s penalty just after the hour mark stretched their advantage.
Buckley pulled a goal back on 74 minutes but Cavaleiro restored the hosts’ three-goal cushion eight minutes later and Diogo Jota sealed the 5-1 rout three minutes from time.
In-form Aston Villa won again, seeing off Ipswich 2-0 to keep in the automatic promotion hunt.
Albert Adomah was their match-winner once more, taking his tally to five in three games with one either side of the break.
Derby leapfrogged Middlesbrough into the play-off positions as they crushed their hosts 3-0 at the Riverside.
Matej Vydra was their match-winner, scoring a hat-trick to take his season’s tally to 12. The middle of the three was a penalty, while Boro had Daniel Ayala sent off.
Bristol City fought back from two goals down to beat Hull City 3-2 away from home to consolidate their place in the play-off positions.
Sunderland lifted themselves off the bottom of the Championship table with their victory against Burton.
Coleman quit Wales last weekend to take over the stricken Stadium of Light club and had little time to work with the players ahead of a midweek defeat to Aston Villa.
But more work on the training ground bore fruit at the Pirelli Stadium as James Vaughan’s 84th-minute goal and a second from George Honeyman (88) earned a 2-0 win.
Earlier, Leeds eased the pressure on boss Thomas Christiansen with a 2-0 victory at Barnsley after a run of eight defeats in 10 games in all competitions.
First-half goals from Samuel Saiz and Ezgjan Alioski wrapped up a convincing three points that puts them back on track in their bid to challenge for the play-offs.
In the late game on Saturday, high-flying Sheffield United shared the spoils with Birmingham in a 1-1 draw.
Second-placed Cardiff travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
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