Championship roundup: Leicester thrash Stoke to go 11 points clear at top

• Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka strike twice as Foxes win 5-0
• Southampton win again; Ipswich beaten at Preston

Leicester extended their lead at the top of the Championship to 11 points with a thumping 5-0 victory at Stoke. Patson Daka and Jamie Vardy both scored twice, including a penalty each, to inspire the Foxes to a comprehensive victory.

The in-form Daka opened the scoring and Kasey McAteer doubled the visitors’ advantage shortly before the half-hour mark. After the break a first penalty of the afternoon for Leicester allowed Daka to net his second, his ninth goal involvement in his past eight matches. Vardy came off the bench to complete the rout, scoring his first goals in the league since November.

Stoke offered little resistance against the table-toppers, with their winless home run extended to nine games and dating back to October.

Southampton climbed into the top two after continuing their impressive form by sweeping aside struggling Rotherham 2-0. Saints made it 23 games unbeaten with a dominant display, with first-half goals from Jan Bednarek and Adam Armstrong doing the damage. Rotherham are now 12 points from safety at the foot of the table.

Ipswich missed their chance to move back into the top two as they fell to a 3-2 defeat at Preston. A week after being embarrassed by non-league Maidstone in the FA Cup, Ipswich were unable to restore their pride as they capitulated in what proved to be a nightmare first half at Deepdale thanks to a Will Keane double and George Edmundson’s own goal.

Debutant Kieffer Moore came off the bench after half-time and struck two goals to threaten a dramatic comeback late on, but Preston hung on for a victory which eased them back closer to the playoff places.

West Brom manager Carlos Corberán celebrated the birth of his son on Friday with a 1-0 derby victory over Birmingham. Andreas Weimann, on loan from Bristol City, claimed a late winner as Albion consolidated their playoff place.

Jaden Philogene’s early goal helped Hull beat Millwall and move into the play-off spots. The winger struck in the fifth minute as the Tigers secured a second consecutive win. The victory moved Hull, who handed starts to January signings Ryan Giles and Anass Zaroury, into sixth place.

A late strike from Borja Sainz helped Norwich come from behind to beat Coventry 2-1 in an entertaining contest at Carrow Road. The Spanish winger produced a neat finish in the 84th minute to condemn the 10-man Sky Blues to their first defeat in 13 matches. Mark Robins’ side had gone ahead early in the second half through Callum O’Hare’s well-taken goal, only to be pegged back 12 minutes later through Josh Sargent’s close-range finish. The game turned again with 19 minutes remaining when Liam Kitching was sent off for bringing down Sargent as he burst into the box.

QPR scored twice in three second-half minutes to boost their survival hopes with a 2-1 win at Blackburn. The visitors took a 61st-minute lead through an unfortunate Aynsley Pears own goal, but it was the least they deserved and Joe Hodge’s assured finish seven minutes into his QPR debut doubled their advantage.

It was too much for Blackburn’s supporters, who vociferously protested against owners Venky’s and their chief executive, Steve Waggott, before Sam Gallagher’s fourth of the campaign halved the deficit 17 minutes from time.

Managerless Huddersfield boosted their survival hopes by thrashing fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 at the John Smith’s Stadium. All four goals came in the final quarter of the game as the Terriers recorded their biggest victory of the season. Josh Koroma scored a 10-minute brace with Matty Pearson and Sorba Thomas adding one apiece to earn Town their first win since Boxing Day.

Morgan Whittaker scored the only goal against former club Swansea to give Plymouth their first away victory of the season. The striker – who left the Swans in a £1m move in July last year – scored in the 18th minute to give the Pilgrims a 1-0 win. It was Whittaker’s 17th goal of a profitable season and his ninth in his last 10 games as Argyle made it six games without defeat.

A stunning Josh Bowler strike two minutes before half-time gave Cardiff a 1-0 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road. Bowler held off one defender, cut inside another and sent a curler beyond the outstretched hand of Ben Hamer and into the far corner. The result means that in the past 14 meetings between these teams, only two have been won by the home side.