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Sonny Carey and Lyndon Dykes scored first-half goals for Charlton as they made it a 2-0 losing start for the Leicester interim manager, Andy King, at the King Power Stadium.
The Leicester owner, Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha, was in attendance for King’s first match in charge after the sacking of Martí Cifuentes on Sunday, but his side faced an uphill task from the moment the centre-back Caleb Okoli was dismissed in the 15th minute. Miles Leaburn looked set to race through on goal from Carey’s flick but Okoli pulled him back and the referee, Andrew Kitchen, showed him a red card.
Charlton had a 21st-minute goal cancelled out when Carey’s corner was headed in by Harry Clarke, even though there seemed to be no infringement on the goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.
They did go ahead in the 36th minute as Carey scored his seventh goal of the campaign. The midfielder controlled Clarke’s low cross from the right to tuck the ball inside the left post.
Charlton extended their advantage before the break as Dykes steered Luke Chambers’s cross back across Stolarczyk – the Scotland international’s third goal this season and first for Charlton.
Jordan Ayew spurned a huge opportunity to cut the deficit, but his penalty, awarded after Abdul Fatawu’s arm was tugged by Amari’i Bell, hit the left upright.
King conceded his side could get dragged into the relegation battle. The interim manager, who stepped in after Marti Cifuentes’ sacking on Sunday, said: “Yeah, potentially. I don’t think we can get away from the fact we’re not where we want to be in the table.”
Finn Azaz and Flynn Downes secured Southampton a 2-0 victory at Stoke as the Saints manager, Tonda Eckert, celebrated his 33rd birthday with a first Championship win on the road since November. Southampton have fallen short of expectations since last season’s humiliating relegation from the Premier League and turned to the German coach, initially on an interim basis, after sacking Will Still in November.
Stoke were outplayed from the outset, with Azaz finishing an excellent move early into a match that Southampton strengthened their grip on when Downes prodded home just after half-time.
Adam Armstrong and Cameron Archer were conspicuous by their absence from the visitors’ squad with Monday’s transfer deadline looming, but Taylor Harwood-Bellis started despite West Ham’s interest.
Wrexham earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough with Sam Smith’s fourth goal in six Championship games enough for the three points. The visitors made the breakthrough in the 58th minute. Issa Kaboré swept in a dangerous cross from the right and Smith was there to poke the ball home at the back post.
On Friday night, Derby thrashed Bristol City 5-0 at Ashton Gate to leapfrog their opponents in the table. First-half goals from Rhian Brewster, Ben Brereton Díaz and Bobby Clark were added to by Patrick Agyemang and Lars-Jørgen Salvesen as the visitors recorded a third win in four games.
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This story will be updated
