It has been a little while since our last Championship round-up and plenty has happened in the division over the last couple of weeks
With a break for the FA Cup coming up soon, it seems like a good time to take stock of the league and look at all of the major talking points in England's second tier.
Middlesbrough leapfrog lacklustre Coventry
There was a time just before the end of 2025 when many considered Coventry's promotion a foregone conclusion.
The Sky Blues held a 13-point lead over third place as recently as Boxing Day, but have achieved just two wins from their eight games since then.
That run of form - which actually stretches to four wins from 13 league fixtures - has taken Coventry from promotion favourites to the thick of the battle to finish in the top two.
It has also coincided with the rise of Middlesbrough under Kim Hellberg. The Teesiders are now top of the division after recording six Championship victories in a row.
Their latest triumph came with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United, and while the scoreline isn't majorly impressive, the standard of their play certainly stood out.
Boro look as fluid as any team has in the second tier and play an exceptional attacking style of football - with Morgan Whittaker one of the standout performers.
The Englishman has 12 goal involvements since November and has really come into his own after a tough start at the Riverside Stadium.
Another superb operator for the Teesiders is academy graduate Hayden Hackney, who is the anchor for their impressive run. Over his last 15 appearances, he has dropped below a 7.0 Flashscore rating only three times.
Simply put, when Hackney plays well, so do Middlesbrough. He will likely be in the Premier League one way or another next season - and it's looking increasingly possible that that will be with Boro.
Also chasing closely behind are Ipswich and Hull City - who are level in third and fourth place with 54 points, just five behind Coventry.
Keep an eye on both clubs over the coming weeks, particularly the Tractor Boys, who have a game in hand on their promotion rivals.
Leicester in trouble after Southampton comeback
Switching gears to Leicester now, who were expected to be amongst those challenging for the play-offs at the very least this season.
Things haven't quite gone to plan for the former Premier League champions.
The Foxes had flattered to deceive plenty of times under former manager Marti Cifuentes and sat in mid-table at the time of his sacking earlier in January, following a run of three games without a win that included defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Oxford.
Their form has continued to nosedive since then with Leicester going on to lose their next three matches.
A disappointing campaign quickly turned dour, though, following a six-point deduction for financial breaches.
Leicester now find themselves without a permanent manager, on a six-game run without a win, and outside the relegation zone on goal difference having played one game more than Blackburn directly below them.
Their recent result against Southampton perheps best sums up what has been a disastrous 2026 so far.
The Foxes led the Saints 3-0 after 60 minutes and looked to be cruising to a much-needed victory, only to inexplicably give up four goals in the final half hour.
Southampton struck in the 62nd, 83rd, 87th and 96th minutes to seal one of the greatest comebacks the Championship has ever seen.
The result is a damning indication of where Leicester are heading if they can't turn things around as soon as possible - just under a decade on from their historic Premier League title win.
Play-off race heats up
It wouldn't be February in the Championship without the play-off race taking a few dramatic turns, which is exactly what has happened over the past couple of weeks.
Just five points separate Wrexham in sixth place from Swansea down in 15th - leaving a staggering 10 clubs in with a realistic shot of finishing in the top six.
Even Millwall aren't completely safe in fifth spot, although they do have a bit of a safety gap to the teams chasing below.
The previously mentioned Southampton are in the hunt after their win over Leicester, and Bristol City stayed in touching distance after an impressive 3-2 win away at Hull.
Preston are Wrexham's closest challengers, below the Welsh club only on goal difference, while Birmingham are shutting the gap after a run of seven league games without defeat.
Derby, Watford, QPR, Stoke and Swansea make up the rest of the chasing pack - although they have a tiny bit more ground to make up and more clubs to overtake than the others.
Boro's superb football on full show
In a bit of a rarity for our Championship round-up, this week's Goal of the Week goes to Middlesbrough (and Tommy Conway) for their superb team move against Sheffield United.
Hellberg has got his side playing some superb stuff and their style was typified by Conway's strike - finishing off a brilliant move after multiple slick passes through the Blades' midfield and defensive lines.
Toure excels for Norwich
Mohamed Toure signed for Norwich towards the end of the winter transfer window and has quickly hit the ground running with four goals from his first two games.
His latest outing saw the Australian youngster hit a hat-trick in the Canaries' 3-0 win over Oxford, earning a 9.9 Flashscore player rating.
That makes him our Player of the Week - take a look at a full Team of the Week below!
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