Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has been named Championship manager of the season after guiding the club to Premier League promotion.
The 47-year-old orchestrated a remarkable campaign, securing a top-flight return for the Sky Blues with three games to spare.
The Midlands outfit currently sit on 86 points and remain strong favourites to seal the league title.
His individual accolade was officially confirmed at the EFL awards ceremony on Sunday evening.
Coventry dominate team of the season
The former Chelsea midfielder was not the only member of the Coventry setup to be recognised for an outstanding year.
Four instrumental players from his promotion-winning squad were selected in the Championship team of the season.
Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth was joined in the prestigious XI by Milan van Ewijk, Matt Grimes and forward Haji Wright.
An emotional achievement
The ex-England international expressed immense pride in the resilience shown by the club’s supporters over recent years.
“It’s amazing. I’ve talked before about the fan base, what they’ve gone through and all the disappointments, and they’ve stuck with the club and all the stories.”
“And then now they get this moment. It’s a serious, serious football club. I didn’t even realise.”
Acknowledging the foundations laid by predecessor Mark Robins, the manager highlighted the scale of the task upon his arrival 15 months ago.
“We came in 15 months ago, 17th in the league. Mark Robins has done an incredible job to get them back up where they were.”
Closing in on the title
Securing automatic promotion without the financial safety net of parachute payments makes the collective achievement particularly notable.
“Those boys there, how they’ve listened and trained and everything they’ve done every day. It makes me feel emotional because they’re so great to work with, and they deserve every second of celebrating.”
“This league is hard. It’s getting harder because even the teams that are fighting for relegation, teams that have got players and squads.”
“These boys have managed to achieve something pretty unique and absolutely special and incredible.”
Coventry can take a significant step towards securing the league trophy when they host Portsmouth at the CBS Arena in midweek.
The newly promoted side will then conclude their historic campaign with fixtures against Wrexham and Watford.
Virgil van Dijk scored a 100th-minute header as Liverpool secured a dramatic 2-1 Premier League victory over Everton in the first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The seasoned veterans delivered when it mattered most to spare the blushes of their high-profile new team-mates.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring following a precise assist from Cody Gakpo, before the Dutch captain clinched all three points deep into stoppage time.
Dominik Szoboszlai provided the crucial delivery for the decisive goal, while Curtis Jones impressed while deputising in an unfamiliar right-back role.
Salah and Van Dijk rescue struggling arrivals
The reliance on the established guard highlighted the ongoing struggles of recent marquee additions Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
Both attackers arrived at Anfield last summer for fees exceeding £100m, but they largely failed to influence the match against their local rivals.
The Swedish striker appeared lacking in match sharpness following recent fitness issues, while the German playmaker struggled with the intense physical demands of the fixture.
Watkins double edges Villa closer to Champions League
Elsewhere in the top flight, Aston Villa moved 10 points clear inside the top five following a thrilling 4-3 victory over Sunderland.
Ollie Watkins proved instrumental for the Midlands club by scoring twice, ending a frustrating domestic goal drought that stretched back to early February.
The dramatic win leaves the team firmly on course to secure elite European football for next season.
They could mathematically guarantee their Champions League place before facing Nottingham Forest in their upcoming Europa League semi-final tie.
Forest ease relegation fears with heavy victory
Forest prepared for that looming continental clash by securing a vital 4-1 triumph over Burnley to ease their domestic relegation worries.
The comprehensive victory provides a significant boost for Vitor Pereira’s squad as they battle to preserve their top-flight status heading into the final weeks of the campaign.
Bayern Munich have retained the Bundesliga title after overcoming an early deficit to secure a 4-2 home victory against Stuttgart on Sunday.
Vincent Kompany’s side entered the fixture knowing a point would be enough to be crowned champions following Borussia Dortmund’s defeat by Hoffenheim on Saturday.
The visitors initially threatened to spoil the title party when Chris Führich opened the scoring against the run of play.
However, the Bavarian giants responded emphatically with a devastating six-minute spell that yielded three quickfire goals.
Devastating attacking burst seals triumph
Raphaël Guerreiro initiated the turnaround before Nicolas Jackson and the lightning-fast Alphonso Davies added their names to the scoresheet.
The relentless pressure from the hosts proved too much for the Swabian defence to handle as the match slipped entirely from their grasp.
England captain Harry Kane was introduced from the substitutes’ bench in the second half to add further gloss to the scoreline.
The prolific striker netted his 51st goal of the campaign across all competitions to put the result beyond any lingering doubt.
Domestic dominance restored in record-breaking season
A late consolation strike from Chema Andrés did little to dampen the ecstatic celebrations that erupted at the full-time whistle.
This latest triumph marks the 13th German top-flight trophy for the Munich powerhouse in the past 14 seasons.
Their absolute domestic dominance was only briefly interrupted by an invincible Bayer Leverkusen campaign during the previous term.
It has been a historically formidable season for the newly crowned champions, who have suffered just a single league defeat against Augsburg in late January.
They had already cemented their place in the history books last month by shattering their own 54-year goalscoring record when they surpassed the 102-goal mark.
Ipswich Town have moved into the second automatic promotion spot in the Championship following a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough, setting up a decisive 10-day battle to reach the top flight.
The Suffolk club sit above Millwall on goal difference and hold a one-point advantage over fourth-placed Southampton.
Crucially, the current runners-up also possess a vital game in hand over their closest divisional rivals.
Gruelling schedule on the road
Ipswich now face a demanding run of three away fixtures in just six days to determine their league fate.
They travel to Charlton on Wednesday and West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, before a potentially season-defining clash at Southampton on 28 April.
“We have three away games in six days to finish the season so it’s going to take an incredible effort from everyone to see if we can bring it back here for the final game.”
Manager Kieran McKenna acknowledges his squad must improve an away record that has yielded only eight victories from 20 matches this term.
“We’ve shown a lot this season in taking steps forward, so to go and have to get results from three away games in six days we will need to take another step forward if we want to be successful.”
Winless Boro clinging to play-off momentum
Middlesbrough find themselves three points adrift of the automatic places following a damaging seven-game winless streak.
The Teessiders were leading 2-1 at Portman Road before Jack Clarke converted a late penalty to rescue a point for the hosts.
Head coach Kim Hellberg insists his team must secure victories in their next two outings to maintain any hope of catching the top two.
“We need to look at the next two games and try to win them to still have a chance to play for automatics in the last game or have momentum to take into the play-offs.”
The Swedish manager took charge in November after Rob Edwards departed for Wolverhampton Wanderers, initially winning his first four matches.
However, a wretched recent run of just four points from a possible 21 has severely derailed their immediate promotion ambitions.
“The expectation of us being in the top two of the division is because we have been very, very good as a football team and I don’t think anyone had those expectations at the start of the season.”
Bryson DeChambeau has withdrawn from the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City after sustaining a wrist injury.
The American was sitting at two over par and trailed third-round leader Jon Rahm by 16 strokes before opting out of Sunday’s action.
He struggled to find his rhythm earlier in the tournament, carding consecutive rounds of 71 before managing a two-over-par 73 on Saturday.
Precautionary measure for Crushers captain
The two-time major winner explained the decision was strictly a precaution to avoid aggravating the discomfort.
“I experienced some discomfort in my wrist during yesterday’s round and have decided to withdraw from the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City to prevent further injury.”
He expressed disappointment at missing the conclusion of the weekend but wished his team a strong finish.
The hard-hitting golfer will now undergo further medical evaluation in the coming days.
Focus shifts to upcoming major
DeChambeau is hopeful he will recover in time for the next scheduled LIV Golf League event.
The circuit heads to Trump National Golf Club in Washington DC for LIV Golf Virginia, which begins on May 7.
More importantly, the 32-year-old is slated to compete in the PGA Championship just one week later.
A prolonged absence could significantly disrupt his preparations for the crucial second men’s major of the season.
Frenchman Arthur Fils has capped his impressive return from a long-term back injury by defeating Russian Andrey Rublev to win the Barcelona clay-court title on Sunday.
The 21-year-old secured a commanding 6-2 7-6 (7-2) victory in the weekend’s high-profile final.
This triumph marks a significant milestone for the rising star, who missed the latter stages of the 2025 season with a severe spinal problem.
Since making his comeback to the ATP tour in February, the dynamic athlete has consistently impressed at top-level events.
Strong run of form continues
Prior to arriving in Spain, the lightning-fast youngster reached the final of the Qatar Open, ultimately falling to Carlos Alcaraz.
He subsequently proved his fitness across the arduous American hard-court swing, making the quarter-finals at Indian Wells and reaching the last four in Miami.
Following this latest victory on the European dirt, the promising talent is projected to climb back into the top 25 of the world rankings.
I want to say a big thank you to my team. It’s been eight tough months struggling with injury but we’re back on the court and we won the trophy, so I’m pretty happy about that.
British duo claim doubles glory
In the men’s doubles tournament, the British pairing of Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool secured their first silverware of 2026.
The reigning Wimbledon champions defeated France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Italy’s Andrea Vavassori with a straight-sets 6-3 6-4 victory.
We had not won a title this year but had been in a couple of finals. It is always important to get back to winning ways and get comfortable in those moments again. I am happy with the week.
Tammy Abraham scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner to earn Aston Villa a thrilling 4-3 Premier League victory over Sunderland at Villa Park.
The English striker found the back of the net in the dying moments to settle a captivating seven-goal encounter.
His decisive strike sparked wild celebrations among the home supporters who had watched their side trade blows with the opposition throughout the afternoon.
Late drama seals the points
The final scoreline reflects an incredibly open contest where both attacking units consistently exploited defensive frailties.
Securing all three points in such breathless fashion provides a significant momentum boost for the West Midlands club.
For the Black Cats, conceding so late in the match will feel like a devastating blow after contributing so much to an entertaining fixture.
Attacking instincts shine through
The match-winning forward showcased his renowned predatory instincts exactly when the home side needed them most.
Such composure under extreme pressure highlights the vital experience he brings to the attacking line.
This agonizing defeat leaves the visiting Wearsiders reflecting on a missed opportunity to secure a hard-fought away point.
World number two Elena Rybakina defeated Karolina Muchova in straight sets to capture the Stuttgart Open indoor clay-court title.
The Kazakh star navigated a tightly contested opening set before accelerating past her Czech opponent.
She ultimately sealed a commanding 7-5 6-1 victory in just one hour and 18 minutes.
Dominant season continues for the Australian Open champion
This impressive triumph marks the 26-year-old’s second major piece of silverware this season.
It perfectly complements the Grand Slam success she achieved in Melbourne earlier in the year.
The powerful server has now conquered the German clay for a second time in her career.
A familiar prize without the previous complications
Winning this prestigious indoor event famously includes a brand-new Porsche as part of the lucrative compensation.
During her maiden victory here in 2024, the returning champion was notably unable to drive the vehicle away because she did not possess a valid driving licence.
“I want to say a big thanks to my team, without you guys it wouldn’t be possible. Thank you for always pushing me to do better and improve every day,” she said.
Muchova climbs the rankings despite final defeat
Despite falling short in the championship match, Muchova continues to enjoy a remarkably resurgent campaign.
The defeated finalist had previously tasted ultimate success by lifting the Qatar Open trophy in February.
This deep run in the Stuttgart draw will comfortably elevate the talented shot-maker to just outside the top 10 in the global rankings.