Championship round-up: QPR denied by Caulker as Norwich close on leaders

(PA)

Steven Caulker's late equaliser earnt Bristol City a 2-2 draw at QPR to deny the Championship leaders the chance to open up a seven-point gap at the top of the table yesterday. Brett Pitman gave the Robins a 50th-minute lead but a goal from Alejandro Faurlin and Adel Taarabt's penalty looked set to give Neil Warnock's men all three points. Caulker, on loan from Tottenham, tapped home Jamal Campbell-Ryce's cross to deny them in injury-time and maintain City's recent improvement.

Norwich are now QPR's nearest challengers after their 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough moved them above Swansea. Captain Grant Holt's sixth goal in six games had put the Canaries ahead but Russell Martin turned a Julio Arca pass into his own net as Boro earned a point.

The Swans dropped to third in the table as they lost 2-1 to Leicester at the Walkers Stadium. Bruno Berner gave Sven Goran Eriksson's side the perfect start with a sixth-minute opener before Scott Sinclair levelled for Swansea. Darius Vassell grabbed a 43rd-minute winner.

At the bottom of the table Crystal Palace gave caretaker manager Dougie Freedman a win in his first game in charge with a 1-0 win over Preston. Steffen Iversen got the only goal.

Sheffield United came from 2-0 down to draw at home to Doncaster. Two goals from ex-Blade Billy Sharp looked to have put Rovers on the way to victory but Daniel Bogdanovic and Rob Kozluk struck in the last four minutes to secure a draw for new boss Micky Adams.

Hull extended their unbeaten away run to eight games with a 3-2 win at Portsmouth, while Matthew Whichelow's late winner gave Watford a 2-1 win against Scunthorpe at Glanford Park in a game hit by floodlight problems.

Nottingham Forest moved to the brink of the play-off places as a Damien Delaney own goal gave them victory at Ipswich. Shane Long struck twice for Reading as they leapfrogged managerless Burnley with a 2-1 win.

Goran Lovre's goal gave Barnsley a 2-1 win over Coventry. The game between Derby and Millwall at Pride Park, meanwhile, finished goalless.