DAN JAMES SCORED twice as Leeds won 4-0 at Watford to move five points clear at the top of the Championship.
Manor Solomon and Joel Piroe were also on target as Daniel Farke’s side’s unbeaten run extended to 14 league matches.
It was a third successive win in the league, with Leeds having scored 13 goals in those matches and conceded none.
The result – a fifth straight home loss with Watford still having won just once since Boxing Day – also increased the pressure on head coach Tom Cleverley.
Edo Kayembe handed the opening goal to Leeds in the 20th minute with a misplaced pass in his own half that James seized upon before sprinting into the box and slotting past Selvik.
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James smashed home again eight minutes later when Watford were caught by a rapid counter-attack. Solomon made it 3-0 in the 35th minute. The on-loan Tottenham winger held off a challenger from a throw-in before firing a shot from just outside the box that went in off Watford defender Mattie Pollock.
Piroe made it 4-0 in the 62nd minute by finishing a move that further embarrassed Watford. Ao Tanaka was allowed to turn full circle to find Solomon in the box and his pass saw Piroe easily evade Pollock and slot home a simple finish.
Galway native Conor Shaughnessy claimed his first goal of the season as Portsmouth boosted their Championship survival hopes by leapfrogging fellow strugglers Cardiff in the table thanks to a 2-1 victory.
Colby Bishop poked Pompey into an early lead at Fratton Park before defender Shaughnessy headed home to double the advantage with just 17 minutes on the clock.
Ireland international Callum O’Dowda quickly halved the deficit but the Bluebirds were unable to find a leveller as they slipped to consecutive league defeats on the back of a 7-0 thrashing at leaders Leeds.
Preston moved to within five points of the play-off zone as they recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win over Norwich at Carrow Road.
A early effort from striker Milutin Osmajic proved enough to see off a below-par home side.
Bobby Thomas scored a winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time as Coventry beat QPR 1-0 at the CBS Arena.
The game looked to be heading for stalemate when Thomas nodded in from Jack Rudoni’s corner to earn Frank Lampard’s men a fifth win in six league outings.
Derby’s winless league run was extended to nine games as they were held to a goalless draw by Oxford in a forgettable encounter at Pride Park.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest survived a huge FA Cup scare against 10-man Exeter to win a penalty shoot-out after drawing 2-2 at St James Park.
Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson all scored from the spot before fellow substitute Neco Williams wrapped up a marathon tie with the final kick of the contest at 11.03pm.
Josh Magennis and Tony Yogane were on target for League One Exeter, but Matz Sels saved Reece Cole’s poor penalty and Angus MacDonald struck the crossbar as Forest prevailed 4-2.
Forest, third in the Premier League and the highest-ranked team left in the FA Cup, will now play Ipswich at home in round five.
Magennis had scored twice for Exeter – the competition’s top scorer in taking his total to six – in giving the Grecians an early lead and then equalising at the start of the second period.
Ramon Sosa and Taiwo Awoniyi, who left the action in stoppage time on a stretcher after being attended to by medics for several minutes, turned the tie in Forest’s favour.
Exeter debutant Ed Turns was handed a red card for a thigh-high challenge on Gibbs-White three minutes from time, but Forest had to settle for an extra 30 minutes after Jota Silva thundered a shot against the crossbar.
They eventually triumphed after a gruelling challenge.
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Leeds extend lead at top as Nottingham Forest win marathon FA Cup tie at Exeter
Results
Championship
*****
DAN JAMES SCORED twice as Leeds won 4-0 at Watford to move five points clear at the top of the Championship.
Manor Solomon and Joel Piroe were also on target as Daniel Farke’s side’s unbeaten run extended to 14 league matches.
It was a third successive win in the league, with Leeds having scored 13 goals in those matches and conceded none.
The result – a fifth straight home loss with Watford still having won just once since Boxing Day – also increased the pressure on head coach Tom Cleverley.
Edo Kayembe handed the opening goal to Leeds in the 20th minute with a misplaced pass in his own half that James seized upon before sprinting into the box and slotting past Selvik.
James smashed home again eight minutes later when Watford were caught by a rapid counter-attack. Solomon made it 3-0 in the 35th minute. The on-loan Tottenham winger held off a challenger from a throw-in before firing a shot from just outside the box that went in off Watford defender Mattie Pollock.
Piroe made it 4-0 in the 62nd minute by finishing a move that further embarrassed Watford. Ao Tanaka was allowed to turn full circle to find Solomon in the box and his pass saw Piroe easily evade Pollock and slot home a simple finish.
Galway native Conor Shaughnessy claimed his first goal of the season as Portsmouth boosted their Championship survival hopes by leapfrogging fellow strugglers Cardiff in the table thanks to a 2-1 victory.
Colby Bishop poked Pompey into an early lead at Fratton Park before defender Shaughnessy headed home to double the advantage with just 17 minutes on the clock.
Ireland international Callum O’Dowda quickly halved the deficit but the Bluebirds were unable to find a leveller as they slipped to consecutive league defeats on the back of a 7-0 thrashing at leaders Leeds.
Preston moved to within five points of the play-off zone as they recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win over Norwich at Carrow Road.
A early effort from striker Milutin Osmajic proved enough to see off a below-par home side.
Bobby Thomas scored a winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time as Coventry beat QPR 1-0 at the CBS Arena.
The game looked to be heading for stalemate when Thomas nodded in from Jack Rudoni’s corner to earn Frank Lampard’s men a fifth win in six league outings.
Derby’s winless league run was extended to nine games as they were held to a goalless draw by Oxford in a forgettable encounter at Pride Park.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest survived a huge FA Cup scare against 10-man Exeter to win a penalty shoot-out after drawing 2-2 at St James Park.
Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson all scored from the spot before fellow substitute Neco Williams wrapped up a marathon tie with the final kick of the contest at 11.03pm.
Josh Magennis and Tony Yogane were on target for League One Exeter, but Matz Sels saved Reece Cole’s poor penalty and Angus MacDonald struck the crossbar as Forest prevailed 4-2.
Forest, third in the Premier League and the highest-ranked team left in the FA Cup, will now play Ipswich at home in round five.
Magennis had scored twice for Exeter – the competition’s top scorer in taking his total to six – in giving the Grecians an early lead and then equalising at the start of the second period.
Ramon Sosa and Taiwo Awoniyi, who left the action in stoppage time on a stretcher after being attended to by medics for several minutes, turned the tie in Forest’s favour.
Exeter debutant Ed Turns was handed a red card for a thigh-high challenge on Gibbs-White three minutes from time, but Forest had to settle for an extra 30 minutes after Jota Silva thundered a shot against the crossbar.
They eventually triumphed after a gruelling challenge.
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Championship FA Cup Soccer