Latest Championship Odds: Title Race Delivers Again as Leeds Recover

This is shaping up to be the best Championship finale in years, and the midweek set of fixtures has given us some more shocking twists and turns. Did we expect anything else, though?

What Is Happening at the Top?

Honestly, what is going on at the top of the division? It's like one long game of hot potato, and I can't call who will be left with the top spot at the end of this season. At the start of the week, Burnley were the leaders, after Leeds and Sheffield United had held that spot previously.

Just a few days on, and we have another new league leader; it is all going down.

So, we start with the new leaders, Leeds United, who returned to the top of the pack with a 1-0 win against Middlesbrough on Tuesday night at the Riverside. A difficult place to go, especially with the context of this season.

Nevertheless, the Whites got the job done efficiently and held onto their lead for effectively the entire game, thanks to a second-minute decider from Dan James. A huge three points, and that is without considering everything else.

Sitting behind them, only on goal difference, is Burnley, who could not get a win away at Derby County, which will definitely be a disappointing result for Scott Parker. Another clean sheet is not a bad thing, but there was an opportunity against a 'weaker' side in the division which had to be taken.

Finally, we have Sheffield United, who lost their second consecutive game on Tuesday, falling against Millwall by a single goal yet again. However, this time, the spoils came at Brammall Lane, which is certainly more frustrating for the Blades.

They are not out of the race, of course not, but they are now two points behind the leaders, and they have missed some huge opportunities in the past seven days to create a gap.

Considering in both sets of the past two fixtures, we've seen a win, a draw and a loss from the trio, we will have to see what this weekend brings.

Play-Offs Shaping Up Slightly

We start, again, in the North East in this section, and a lot of what I've said previously is true again here. Sunderland were held to a draw by Norwich City in their midweek clash, and if they were maybe seven points worse off, there may be some worry, but there's not.

Again, the Black Cats are in that horrible position of being too far away from the title race, whilst also having a nice gap to the top six fight. A difficult one to navigate.

In fifth place, we have Bristol City, who picked up another huge three points, this time hosting West Bromwich Albion, and sending them back to the Midlands with nothing. At home this season, the Robins have been superb, and the past two games have only strengthened this.

Then, thanks to some late, late, late drama at the CBS, Coventry City sit in sixth, with Jamie Patterson earning the Sky Blues all three points in an absolute slog of a game. It's moments like that which could spur them on to securing a top-six place.

Finally, we come to Middlesbrough, who are just outside the play-offs now, thanks to that loss to Leeds. However, I would not rule them out just yet; they are only three points away from Bristol City, and a lot can still change.

One team that I would now rule out is West Brom. They have simply not been good enough in recent months, becoming too inconsistent to actually put together a credible play-off push - a frustration, definitely, considering how this season was shaping up.

Plymouth Sinking Fast

We have spoken recently about how the relegation picture is getting quite difficult to read, but the latest set of results makes that feel a little wrong, with one team seemingly lagging behind once again.

So, it's best to start with Plymouth, who were the only team in the bottom five to lose in midweek. The Pilgrims have come and gone in spells, and the weekend's result could have been the start of a miraculous revival, but a 3-0 defeat away at Swansea is quite telling. I think they may be as good as gone.

Three points above them is Luton Town, who picked up another draw. This time against Stoke City, which is a bad result for them, considering where both teams are. However, they are unbeaten in their five games, so perhaps there is still life in them. A chance missed, though.

Following them is Cardiff City, who drew their third successive game in a row in midweek, which is not great. Even though points are going on the board, they need more. However, the late goal could be a sign that there is still fight in this team.

Sitting level on 42 points, but just outside the relegation zone, is Derby County, who once again drew. Their last five games look awful I must admit, with a lot of relegation rivals left to play - it could be lining up to be a real disastrous ending, or an easy escape.

Hull, who lost, and Stoke, who drew against Luton, both sit on 44 points, which is only two points away from the relegation zone. Neither are really offering much, if any, inspiration, and I think they will only get more involved in the battle in the next few games.