Stoke 1 - 0 Sunderland
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Dave Kitson's strike just before half-time earned Stoke victory against Sunderland at the Britannia Stadium.
The former Reading player guided his effort past Craig Gordon after a scramble in the area.
Stoke had the best of the chances, with Liam Lawrence twice having his goalbound shots blocked - first by goalkeeper Gordon then Phil Bardsley.
Sunderland striker Darren Bent went close with a 20-yard shot and Bardsley forced a save from Thomas Sorensen.
The match was a fairly tepid affair until the last 10 minutes of the first half.
The efforts worthy of a mention were that of Kitson's, a snapshot over the bar from eight yards, and Bent's angled shot at the other end which was bravely blocked by Ryan Shawcross.
Apart from those half-chances, Sunderland had dealt relatively well with Rory Delap's long throw-ins while Shawcross and Abdoulaye Faye had nullified the double threat of Bent and Kenwyne Jones.
But with the interval approaching, clear chances increased in frequency.
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Sheff Utd 2 - 2 West Brom
West Brom went top of the Championship despite a late penalty from David Cotterill salvaging a point for Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Roman Bednar gave the Baggies the lead after the break with a glancing header.
Ched Evans quickly levelled with another fine header before Bednar turned Matthew Kilgallon and fired home in style to restore the advantage.
But Shaun Cummings brought down Darius Henderson in the dying moments, allowing Cotterill to steal a point.
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