Hull City tightened the Championship promotion race with a 1-0 victory at Middlesbrough, cutting Boro’s cushion to two points. Darko Gyabi struck early at the Riverside Stadium on Monday, and Middlesbrough could
not respond, missing a chance to profit from Coventry City's earlier defeat.
The setback leaves Middlesbrough three Championship games without a win, halting hopes of closing in on Frank Lampard's Coventry. Coventry lost to Ipswich Town earlier on, but Boro were unable to reduce the gap to second place and stay clear of Hull's growing pressure.
Hull City’s triumph, earned with a single shot on target, continued a strong run of form. Hull have now taken four wins from their last five fixtures, placing the team firmly among contenders for automatic promotion and pulling to within two points of second-place Middlesbrough in the table.
Millwall also strengthened their Championship push, staying two points behind Hull and Ipswich. Macaulay Langstaff struck late to seal a 2-1 win over Bristol City. Watford edged Norwich City 1-0 at home, as Vivaldo Semedo hit a decisive 90th-minute goal to secure victory.
Wrexham maintained momentum after the dramatic 5-3 triumph over Sheffield United on Boxing Day by defeating Preston North End 2-1. Nathan Broadhead and Oliver Rathbone scored for the Welsh club, while Alfie Devine’s effort for Preston failed to inspire a late revival against the promotion hopefuls.
That was for you, Tigers! #hcafc pic.twitter.com/7HPqgIqzZNHull City (@HullCity) December 29, 2025
Sheffield United responded well to that Boxing Day setback against Wrexham. Sheff Utd recovered from the 5-3 loss by beating Stoke City 2-1, restoring some stability. The result kept Sheffield United within reach of the play-off positions after a high-scoring festive period.
Hull City ended a poor recent sequence against Middlesbrough, who won the reverse fixture 4-1 earlier in December. Hull snapped a three-game losing run versus Boro in league meetings and extended a separate streak of winning the final match of each of the past four years.
This is Hull’s first time completing such a four-year year-end winning run since the period between 1981 and 1984. Gyabi’s goal arrived from Hull's only effort on target, while Middlesbrough created chances worth 1.17 expected goals from 23 attempts but failed to take advantage.
