Leeds on top of Championship as Cardiff lose at last

LONDON: Leeds United climbed to the top of England's second–tier Championship table after a 2–0 win at home to Birmingham City on Tuesday extended their unbeaten start to the league season to seven games.
The Yorkshire club went top after previous leaders Cardiff City saw their unbeaten start end with a 3–0 loss away to Preston North End.
Leeds were clinging on to a 1–0 lead thanks to Samuel Saiz's first–half goal until substitute Stuart Dallas made sure of all three points in the 90th minute in front of a crowd of more than 31,000 at Elland Road.
Defeat was tough on a Birmingham side managed by former Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp who, despite having won just once in their first seven matches, were unlucky to leave Leeds without anything to show for their efforts.
But this hard–fought win, following last weekend's 5–0 thrashing of Burton Albion, will give fans of Leeds renewed hope that their side — one of the dominant forces in English football in the early 1970s and the last champions of the old First Division in the final season before the creation of the Premier League in 1992 — could be back on their way to the top flight.
Preston overpowered Cardiff at Deepdale after a first–half free–kick from former Manchester United midfielder Josh Harrop was supplemented by goals from Sean Maguire and Alan Browne after the break.
Browne's 78th–minute effort was the definition of a 'wonder strike' as he let fly with a 50–yard shot after a poor clearance from Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
Promoted Sheffield United went third as Cameron Carter–Vickers marked his debut with the only goal at bottom–of–the–table Bolton Wanderers.
The Blades' climb up the table was assisted by Wolverhampton Wanderers' 3–3 draw at home to Bristol City.
Middlesbrough and Aston Villa, both recently in the Premier League, played out a goalless draw in a match where both sides had a player sent off.
It took fewer than four minutes for Boro's former Villa man Adama Traore to see red for a poor challenge on Conor Hourihane and Villa too were down to 10 men when Henri Lansbury was dismissed for a late tackle on Marvin Johnson. — AFP