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Championship round-up: West Ham batter Lincoln as Watford lose again

Bowen celebrates West Ham's win
Bowen celebrates West Ham's winMark Fletcher, MI News & Sport / Alamy / Profimedia

The 10th round of Championship fixtures was played during the week, with some huge scores as a mammoth 45 goals were netted across 12 matches.

One of the biggest contributors to that stat was West Ham, who hit six past the nine men of Lincoln.

Elsewhere, Watford faced another thrashing after being beaten 5-1 by Cardiff, while Bolton secured a shock 3-1 triumph away at Wolves.

Here, Flashscore takes a look at some of the big talking points from the latest Championship fixtures.

Championship top half
Championship top halfFlashscore

West Ham hit Lincoln for six

West Ham took full advantage of a two-man advantage in their 6-0 win away at Lincoln.

The Hammers gave their goal difference an almighty boost following red cards for Thomas Hamer and Conor McGrandles, with Konstantinos Mavropanos, Edvin Austbo, Jarrod Bowen, Pablo and Tomas Soucek (twice) all finding the net at the LNER Stadium.

Fans will undoubtedly be delighted with the mammoth victory, even if it was handed to them by two clear and obvious dismissals for the Lincoln players.

It's difficult to read too much into the scoreline, although the manner of the victory highlighted how frightening West Ham can be when given the chance.

Bowen and Soucek's quality for the level is obvious, while Mavropanos presents a threat from set-pieces, the level of which is perhaps not seen at any other club in the division.

The Greek defender already has five goals in just nine Championship appearances and adds a whole new layer to the Hammers' goalscoring options.

Couple that with Bowen, who is leading by example with six goals and five assists, and it's hard to see Nuno Espirito Santo's side staying outside the top two for much longer.

Bowen's recent form
Bowen's recent formFlashscore

Watford in serious trouble

Watford look to be in serious trouble after another heavy defeat - a 5-1 demolition away at Cardiff - left them in the Championship's relegation zone.

It's the Hornets' fourth defeat in a row and the second on the bounce in which they have lost by a four-goal margin after being thumped 4-0 by Burnley last weekend - who have now leapfrogged them in the table.

Jack Moylan's brace was added to by Ollie Tanner, Callum Robinson and a Matthew Pollock own goal before Hector Kyprianou netted a consolation for the visitors.

Watford are in a steep decline, and there are no signs to suggest anything will change any time soon, with former players calling out the current situation at the club.

Championship bottom half
Championship bottom halfFlashscore

"There's a lot of players who need guidance, and there's a real lack of experience at that club," Tom Ince told BBC Sport.

"I looked at that squad last night, and I hate to use the word, but it looked soulless. The performance looked like it had no heart, no desire.

"There aren't enough characters at that club to grab it by the neck and go 'this isn't good enough'".

Current boss Alessio Dionisi looks to be in trouble, but with 12 managers over the last five years, it's clear that the coach isn't the real issue.

Things must change quickly for Watford, who will have a relegation fight on their hands if they fail to turn their fortunes around.

Watford's recent form
Watford's recent formFlashscore

Bolton grab surprise win

Bolton have been one of the second tier's surprise packages this season, with the Trotters winning three of their last four games to move within three points of the play-off places.

Their latest triumph came away at promotion chasers Wolves - goals from Atsuki Ito, Sam Dalby and Josh Sheehan saw them come away with a surprise three points.

Bolton proved they have what it takes to compete at the toughest stadiums in the Championship, withstanding some huge pressure from the hosts to ensure they picked up victory.

Wolves dominated possession and generated plenty of chances, registering 19 shots, 31 touches in Bolton's penalty area and creating five big chances.

Gavin Bazunu had to be alert for the visitors, including one outstanding stop, but overall was only required to make two saves - which suggests Wolves need to work on their finishing if they are to avoid these shock defeats.

Cesar Peixoto's side have now lost their last two games and dropped out of the play-off places, although a win at the weekend could send them as high as fourth in the table.

Swanson helps Portsmouth to victory

Portsmouth came out on top against the 10 men of Sheffield United, with Ebou Adams netting an 89th-minute winner at Fratton Park.

The major highlight came earlier in the match, though, with Zak Swanson curling in a brilliant effort to open the scoring.

The defender picked up the ball on the left-hand side of the pitch, quite a distance away from goal, and rifled an unstoppable strike into the far corner to win our Championship Goal of the Week.

Bowen shines for the Hammers

As mentioned earlier, Bowen excelled in West Ham's 6-0 thrashing of Lincoln.

The Englishman grabbed a goal, two assists, created four big chances, made six accurate crosses and had four shots to earn a staggering 9.9 Flashscore rating - making him our Player of the Week!

Take a look at our Team of the Week:

Championship Team of the Week
Championship Team of the WeekFlashscore

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Ali Pollock has been a UK sports editor for Flashscore since 2022. He covers football, with a focus on clubs outside the traditional big six, as well as other UK favourites like darts and boxing. You can follow him on X and keep track of his articles on LinkedIn.

Ali Pollock
Ali PollockFlashscore
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