Championship Round-up: Warnock hails ‘superb’ QPR as they win again

Neil Warnock is a manager known for speaking his mind, and he must have done a lot of it at half-time on Saturday to galvanise his Queen's Park Rangers side into turning their game with Middlesbrough on its head with three goals in the first 15 minutes of the second period.

"I thought it was even stevens, they looked a good side at times in the first half," said Warnock. "So it was up to us to step it up a gear. I felt we could do more in certain areas and I think we mixed it up very well in the second half. For 25 minutes I thought we were superb."

Rangers were set on the road to the 3-0 win that kept them top of the Championship by Heidar Helguson, who scored from the spot on 49 minutes after he was pulled down by the Boro midfielder Barry Robson.

Four minutes later it was 2-0 thanks to Hogan Ephraim's fine finish from Adel Taarabt's ball. Jamie Mackie soon added the third to make it 13 points for QPR from five games.

Cardiff kept pace with the leaders with a 2-0 win over Hull in Wales to stay level on points with their rivals. On-loan Seyi Olofinjana headed Cardiff in front after 20 minutes against his parent club and Gavin Rae wrapped up the win with a strike from close range in the 81st minute.

Ipswich began the day level on points with QPR and Cardiff but fell back after a goalless draw away to Portsmouth. Both sides created plenty of opportunities and goals seemed inevitable, but both keepers turned in solid performances.

Dexter Blackstock went from villain to hero as Nottingham Forest drew 1-1 with high-flying Millwall. Blackstock missed an early penalty after Steve Morison had continued his good start to the season with a fifth-minute goal for the visitors. However, the striker was on hand to head home an 80th-minute equaliser at the City Ground.

Leeds came from behind to beat Swansea 2-1. Steven Dobbie put the visitors ahead on 13 minutes at Elland Road but United improved in the second half and went level through Bradley Johnson 11 minutes after the break. Luciano Becchio scored a well-deserved winner in the 63rd minute as Simon Grayson's side's spirit was justifiably rewarded.

Norwich were another side to go a goal down but fight back to win at home, beating Barnsley 2-1. Jay McEveley's header in first-half injury-time put the Yorkshire side in front but Stephen Foster's unfortunate own-goal 19 minutes from time put Norwich level. The Canaries then won it through Chris Martin on 80 minutes.

George Friend's equaliser deep into injury-time earned Doncaster a 2-2 draw away to Watford. After Simon Gillett's first-half opener for Rovers, Marvin Sordell's seven-minute brace after the interval put Watford ahead only for Friend to rifle home two minutes into added time.

Penalties from Shane Long and Ian Harte and Jimmy Kebe's late strike gave Reading a 3-0 win over struggling Crystal Palace while Bristol City beat Scunthorpe 2-0 away from home through Albert Adomah and David Clarkson's strikes.

Andy King's late leveller for Leicester cancelled out Clive Platt's header at Coventry while Richard Cresswell's first goal of the season earned Sheffield United a 1-0 win over Derby.

Substitute Jay Rodriguez scored a dramatic winner as Burnley mounted a remarkable late rally to win 4-3 and leave their derby rivals Preston devastated. North End had led 3-1 after 70 minutes as Jon Parkin added to earlier goals from Adam Barton and Keith Treacy.

But Chris Iwelumo, who had opened the scoring on nine minutes, struck twice in the closing stages after Billy Jones' dismissal to complete his hat-trick before Burnley's homegrown striker Rodriguez headed in the winner.