As usual, here are the match timelines for each of the weekend’s Championship matches. There’s a full explanation of these here, but in a nutshell they track how each team’s expected goals tally – how many goals the average team would have scored from the shots they took – changed over the course of the match.

You can browse previous timelines for all divisions by selecting “VISUALISATIONS > TIMELINES” from the menu.

Summary

First of all, here are all the timelines side-by-side with the same vertical scale for ease of comparison. You can click on this to bring up a larger version:

 

Individual matches

If you ignore Birmingham’s penalty late in the first half then this match looks pretty even throughout. The hosts had started the more slowly, although both they and Cardiff endured long spells without shooting here.

While they struggled to get going during the first half, Bolton put in an energetic second half performance that saw them do more than enough to rescue a point here. Fulham’s opener triggered a spate of speculative efforts as they sought to press their advantage but they were unable to sustain this beyond the break.

Huddersfield had a nightmare of a first half, allowing Brentford to rack up a three goal lead from some relatively modest chances while failing to register a single attempt at goal themselves. A much busier second half saw them net twice, but the damage – capped off by an Alan Judge penalty – was already done.

The quality of the finishing looks to have been the difference between these two sides. Middlesbrough somehow found themselves 2-0 up at half time thanks to a goal at each end of the half, despite creating nothing in between. Both sides started the second half with purpose but Boro looked content to sit back after netting a third.

There was very little for any of the fans at Ashton Gate to get excited about during the first half an hour here, but both sides bucked their ideas up in the second half. Up until Bristol City’s equaliser this looked a relatively even contest, but ultimately QPR can feel the more relieved to have taken a point.

This match saw the division’s most shot-shy team host its most permissive defence, so it was interesting to see which deficiency was going to prevail. After a dullish start which suggested the former, Burnley erupted into life and rattled in sufficient chances to win the match, albeit perhaps not by the eventual margin.

Derby look to have shut up shop here after opening the scoring late in the first half. Hosts Ipswich had started the more slowly but made a much better fist of the second half, although they were ultimately unable to find a way through.

Forest look to have started each half purposefully but then faded, although fortunately in the first half this came after they had stormed into a two-goal lead. MK Dons themselves struggled to significantly trouble the home defence until the hour mark approached and will be rueing the penalty miss that could have brought them level.

A stodgy opening 25 minutes was ended by Rotherham’s opening goal from the penalty spot, which spurred Hull into life. However the visitors were unable to find a way back into the match during a tense but even second period.

Both sides started slowly here and did the bulk of their shooting in the second half. While Reading ended up creating fewer expected goals than Blackburn they threatened more regularly, but still it seems as though a draw would have been a fairer result overall.

Sheffield Wednesday have operated one of the division’s quieter attacks this season but they produced the weekend’s best offensive performance here. After the first three goals went in, Wolves struggled to trouble the home goalkeeper as their hosts poured forward relentlessly.

Despite a promising start, Preston failed to register a shot at goal for nearly an hour here. While Leeds’ own efforts tailed off just as their visitors embarked upon a late surge, the damage had already been done.