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Championship round-up: Middlesbrough and West Ham suffer shock defeats

Jarrod Bowen (R) in action for West Ham
Jarrod Bowen (R) in action for West HamAlexander Canillas / Zuma Press / Profimedia

The second round of Championship fixtures has passed, with just three teams maintaining perfect records after some shock results.

Middlesbrough suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at the hands of Blackburn, while West Ham still await their first win after being beaten by the same scoreline against Charlton - who maintained their perfect start to the season.

Elsewhere, both Millwall and West Brom made it two wins from two games each after commanding victories over Norwich and Burnley, respectively.

If all that wasn't enough, Bristol City striker Dom Ballard netted what could be a Puskas Award-winning goal in his side's 2-2 draw with Birmingham.

Here, Flashscore takes a look at all the big talking points from the latest EFL Championship action.

Charlton shock West Ham

West Ham are still waiting for their first Championship win after suffering a defeat to fellow London club Charlton on Saturday afternoon.

The Hammers were held to a last-minute draw against Burnley last week and failed to make their home atmosphere count this time around.

Lloyd Jones opened the scoring early on before Tyreece Campbell bagged his third goal in as many games to double Charlton's lead.

West Ham striker Joel Piroe then pulled a goal back with a close-range strike on his debut, but the Hammers were unable to make late dominance count.

Taty Castellanos was given the perfect opportunity to rescue the game for the hosts, but his 93rd-minute penalty hit the post, and Charlton held on for their second Championship win of the season.

The game was a timely reminder that nothing is guaranteed in the second tier and that West Ham - who are still undoubted promotion favourites - will need time to adapt to the challenge in front of them.

The reality for the Hammers now is that every club will see them as a major scalp - teams will relish playing at their stadium and having the chance to take points from a side that were UEFA Conference League winners just three years ago.

West Ham's starting 11 has all the quality required for promotion, but they must add some attacking depth soon and move out anyone who might be upsetting the team's dynamics; this year is the best chance they will have at getting out of the division, and they need to take it while they still have the likes of Jarrod Bowen on their books.

Blackburn proving doubters wrong

Many had predicted Blackburn to be among the favourites for relegation this season, but Rovers have so far proved their doubters wrong.

Tony Mowbray's side were unlucky to only draw with Wolves on the opening weekend and went one better with a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Boro took an early lead through Jeremy Sarmiento and largely dominated the ball as has often been the case under manager Kim Hellberg.

Unfortunately, another common theme under the Swede's coaching has been the failure to convert their dominance and chances into goals.

Middlesbrough had 71 per cent of the ball and managed 22 shots, but only three of them were on target, compared to Blackburn, who had five shots on goal from just six total.

Match stats
Match statsFlashscore

Quick-fire second-half strikes from Andri Gudjohnsen and Todd Cantwell saw the hosts come from behind to earn all three points.

The result highlights a key talking point for each side. Firstly, Mowbray still has what it takes at Championship level and is capable of keeping this Blackburn side at the very least competitive - they won't be the dead-certs for relegation that many predicted.

It also shows that Middlesbrough still need to overcome their issues with regards to putting the ball in the back of the net.

Will Lankshear will do his part to help with that, but they can't rely on just his output alone. The likes of Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway (when he returns) will both be needed to raise the side's attacking numbers.

With competition for the automatic promotion places as high as it has ever been, Middlesbrough need to address their goalscoring exploits as the season goes on to keep up with the top two spots.

Play-offs are almost a certainty with the expanded field this year, but Hellberg's men will surely be aiming higher after coming so close last term.

Ballard scores a stunner

Bristol City drew 2-2 with Birmingham in one of Saturday's early kick-offs, in a game that saw Demarai Gray net a 95th-minute equaliser, not long after Dom Ballard bagged what could end up being a Puskas winner.

That might sound like an exaggeration, but if you haven't seen it, go out of your way to watch. We'll attach a clip below, but the 21-year-old managed to score a spectacular backheel volley, an unstoppable effort that nestled into the top corner.

Ballard got onto the end of a cross with his back to goal, and instead of controlling the ball like many would have expected, he opted to jump and hit a first-time effort with his heel to direct the ball into the top corner, all without it ever hitting the ground.

It's almost impossible to do justice with just words, so take a look below at how everything unfolded.

Bonham puts on a show for Bolton

This week's Championship Player of the Week is Bolton goalkeeper Jack Bonham, who was crucial in their 0-0 draw against QPR.

The Irishman produced a stunning display, making 10 saves and ending the match with a 9.4 Flashscore player rating; by far the highest of anyone across the weekend.

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
Ali PollockFlashscore