Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishThe Easter weekend has a way of straightening things out in the Championship.Two matches for each team in a four-day period can make or break a season. It has happened before, and this year was no different for a batch of promotion-chasing hopefuls in England’s unpredictable second tier.Leeds United, Burnley and Sheffield United knew this was the period when automatic promotion could be settled. Behind them, the brawl for the final two play-off places — to join one of the three aforementioned teams and Sunderland — continued to be played out between Middlesbrough, Coventry City, West Bromwich Albion and Bristol City.Trying to get four teams into two places always ends in tears as dreams of the Premier League fade fast. The Athletic travelled the country for a taste of the tension and the drama in a handful of the games that mattered over the weekend.Bristol City excitement and a phoney war for SunderlandFriday, Bristol City 2-1 Sunderland
Could Bristol City be heading for the Premier League for the first time? (Michael Steele/Getty Images)Fans in section 82 were waving flags and singing long after the final whistle. Little wonder: since Boxing Day, Bristol City have accrued 31 points from a possible 36 at Ashton Gate.Season-ticket holders Ian Herdman and John Palmer have seen it all since the 1950s.“I was here for the match against Portsmouth when Clive Whitehead scored the winning goal,” says Palmer of the last time the club earned promotion to the top flight, in 1976. Following relegation in 1980 and near extinction soon afterwards, the closest Bristol City have come to a return was a play-off final defeat in 2008.“My realistic thought was we’d finish mid-table,” says Herdman of his expectations this time out. “If we reach the play-offs I think we could beat any of the teams over two legs.”Fourth-placed Sunderland were last in the top flight in 2017 and are in a phoney war, with two effectively meaningless games to manage before things get serious.“We might not have the best starting XI now but we want the best 16, 17 or 18 ready for the play-offs,” head coach Regis Le Bris said in his post-match press conference.Husband and wife Gary and Jill McIlwraith offer contrasting perspectives. “The team we’ve got are excellent, really young,” Jill says. “I think we just get bullied and we’re predictable at home,” Gary adds. But both agree on Le Bris. “Brilliant, an inspiration,” Jill says.Le Bris thought Trai Hume’s straight red in the seventh minute for a foul on Nahki Wells was harsh, but he will have learned much about both teams. City were frustrated as he switched to a compact 4-4-1 with Dan Neil superb as a makeshift centre-back. Eliezer Mayenda led the line admirably, scoring a magnificent breakaway solo effort just after the half-hour mark.Eventually, Bristol City’s extra man told. Half-time substitute Yu Hirakawa provided an out ball on the right, and centre-back Rob Dickie scored a beauty from long range. Ross McCrorie’s winner ensured Bristol City ended Good Friday in fifth.How has Bristol City head coach Liam Manning done it? “Eighteen months of hard work,” he said in his post-match press conference. “I’ve learned, I’ve progressed, I’ve got better, I think, as a coach.”In the stands, technical director Brian Tinnion lived each one of Bristol City’s 27 shots.“What fantastic players, attitude-wise,” he tells The Athletic. “I watch them train. They never waver, whether they win, lose or draw. Bang, they’re back on it. Jason Knight, the captain, typifies that with his attitude. He just drives the rest along with him.“Everywhere you go, people are excited, people want to talk about the club and the team and what’s being built here.”Peter CarlineCoventry’s dream is alive but West Brom’s diesFriday, Coventry 2-0 West Bromwich AlbionGame over for West Bromwich Albion. Game on for Coventry City.This was a contest that started with two teams close to each other in the table and finished with one streets ahead of the other.“F*** the Albion” taunted the home supporters to their West Midlands rivals throughout and, by the end, some of the travelling supporters were inclined to agree.Let’s get the bad out of the way first. West Brom, who struggle to win away and had not won back-to-back games in the Championship since September, were as limp and laboured as can be. They showed next to no fight in what was a must-win game to keep their play-off hopes alive. Half-time changes backfired, set-piece routines were mocked and defeat all but ended their season. Under Tony Mowbray they have appeared to be going backwards and the manager has struggled to find the answers to spark change. “We haven’t scored enough goals. We need to be up at 70 but we’re on 51, it’s not enough,” he said afterwards.Three days later, after a 3-1 home loss to Derby County, he was sacked, paying the price for failing in his play-off pursuit.Things are very different at Coventry and the CBS Arena is pumped up.
Frank Lampard missed out on promotion in the play-offs with Derby County in 2018-19 but could have another shot at them this season (Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)They’re a free-flowing, well-organised side with Matt Grimes and Jack Rudoni the standout players in midfield due to their strength and size. Haji Wright adds further pace and power down the left wing and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto brings a fearless, unpredictable edge.The way they swarmed over West Brom shows how equipped they are for another crack in the play-offs and, with 12 wins in 17 games, their supporters are not short on confidence.As early as the ninth minute the crowd were singing “Wembley again, ole ole” and that only increased as the afternoon went on and their domination increased.Chants of “we’re going up and Leicester are going down” echoed around the stadium for long periods before other songs about winning promotion followed.In a previously soulless stadium that has seen some tough times, there is now a feeling the momentum is with the club. But Lampard knows as well as Coventry supporters what it is like to lose a play-off final.“We need to see it through because it’s so tight, but there’s a real connection between the fans — and when there’s a togetherness like we’ve got now it really helps,” he said. “It was great to see a record crowd because the support is growing and growing.”Gregg EvansMiddlesbrough down — but far from outMonday, Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough are not where they want to be.The only consolation for fans of Michael Carrick’s side — they had actually arrived at Hillsborough in buoyant mood as they piled off coaches clad in red — is that they were not the only ones punished on Easter Monday.Defeats for all three teams in the hunt for the final play-off spots — with Bristol City and Coventry also slipping up with defeats to Luton Town and Plymouth Argyle respectively — leaves the door open for Boro, who are seventh and three points off the top six with two games to go.How are the nerves? Jangling, if you were to look at an unfortunate afternoon for Boro’s 13-goal forward Tommy Conway. On Friday, he scored a 93rd-minute penalty against Plymouth to win the game 2-1, but on Monday, he missed a spot kick and struck a shot against the crossbar in the final minute. Sympathetic back-pats and whispered words from his team-mates and opponent Nathaniel Chalobah will do little to shake the feeling this was an opportunity missed.Carrick will not want that to be his Boro legacy after building a team that has shown much promise in his two seasons as manager. After last year’s eighth-placed near-miss, he could yet get a chance to avenge Boro’s play-off semi-final defeat by Coventry from his first season in charge. The two sides meet on the final day in what could be an absolutely pivotal game.Boro will now be hoping their promotion bid does at least reach that stage after an underwhelming result against a Wednesday team that had not won at home since January. Finn Azaz’s clinical early goal, plus news filtering through of Coventry and Bristol City falling behind, was enough to stir a murmur of hope among the travelling support.But Conway’s penalty was saved by Pierce Charles and poor defending for both the goals they conceded in the second half sapped Boro. Wednesday had their chances before Josh Windass turned in from close range to equalise, the warning signs wilfully ignored.The way Carrick saw it was simple. “We let it get away from us in the second half,” he said. “The pitch got stretched, we were too spaced out and there was too much space for them to run into, which suited them.”
Michael Carrick consoles Marcus Forss after Middlesbrough’s defeat at Sheffield Wednesday (George Wood/Getty Images)A comedy of defensive errors for Anthony Musaba’s late winner summed up a game to forget.“It’s strange in some ways that it hasn’t actually changed an awful lot,” Carrick said in his post-match press conference. “If we win two games then it’s in our hands to make the play-offs. It was going to be like that before the game and we’ve all lost, so we have to have a clean slate and move on quickly. There’s too much at stake to feel this emotion for too long.”Down but not out, Boro will need more fight than they mustered on Monday if they are to earn a shot at the play-offs.Nancy FrostonNerves, what nerves? Party time for LeedsMonday, Leeds 6-0 StokeThis is not how Leeds United are supposed to take care of business. This is a club, as the Joy Division classic goes, that is meant to fall apart when Easter arrives. Daniel Farke’s side could not have been more convincing in their final push for the Premier League.Sheffield United’s three consecutive defeats had already opened the door for them before the long weekend had even started. Their Good Friday game at Oxford United started later than the other games but Leeds did what they needed to do, winning 1-0. It put them on the cusp of something special as Easter Monday arrived.Everyone returned to Elland Road fully aware of the roles they had to play for Stoke City’s visit. The supporters had to turn it into a bear pit for the away team and the players had to ease any pressure as quickly as possible.Two goals inside eight minutes and four more inside 26 were better than anyone could have expected. Stoke, who could smell survival from relegation before the game, showed nowhere near the ferocity and desire of their hosts.
Joel Piroe celebrates his hat-trick goal against Stoke (Michael Regan/Getty Images)Leeds could scent blood and were relentless in the way they set about hassling and harrying Mark Robins’ side. Joel Piroe was the chief beneficiary. The Dutch striker scored four of the first half’s five goals and propelled himself to the top of the Golden Boot race in the process.As poor as Stoke were, Leeds were tremendous. Jayden Bogle, one of the stars of this late burst to promotion, was scintillating from right-back. Ao Tanaka did not let Stoke breathe, refusing to allow them to escape from their own half.By the time the second goal went in, it was evident what kind of afternoon this was going to be for the hosts. The second half, inevitably, lacked the intensity of that rabid opening 45 minutes. A sixth goal still came and thoughts turned to whether this would be a season’s best scoreline.As it was, the January demolition of Cardiff City (7-0) held its place at the top of the charts. There was even time for some romance from Farke. Harry Gray became the club’s youngest debutant since 2007 as he came on in the second half at 16 years and 195 days.After such a huge high, Gray, his team-mates and everyone associated with Leeds were left to wait to find out whether this result would be enough to seal their return to the Premier League. All eyes turned to Turf Moor for Monday’s late game…Beren CrossBurnley (and Leeds) promoted, Sheffield United’s slump continuesMonday, Burnley 2-1 Sheffield UnitedBurnley are back in the Premier League. So too, because of this result, are Leeds. Sheffield United still have work to do.Only a couple of weeks ago, it was the latter who were the hunted and Burnley were the hunters.Seven days of hell and three consecutive defeats later, Chris Wilder’s side went from being in the driving seat of the automatic promotion race to almost out of it. The trip to Turf Moor represented their final chance to impact Burnley’s results and take it to the penultimate set of fixtures.As their consistency deserted them at the crucial moment, Burnley’s has continued. Their 31-game unbeaten run has seen them set defensive records and add attacking output as the season has gone on.The walk to the stadium passes the infamous The Royal Dyche pub and the feelings were mixed. The five-point gap between the two sides took the pressure off the match for some, as even a defeat meant destiny remained in Burnley’s hands. For others, the chance to seal promotion and a return to the Premier League meant the nerves were growing.The first 25 minutes was the physical battle you would expect, but it burst into life when Burnley captain Josh Brownhill was the quickest to react to a Michael Cooper parry to smash home the opener from close range.It was the captain’s 15th league goal of the season and he is set to sign his Burnley career off in style, with the 29-year-old due to become a free agent at the end of the campaign.Turf Moor was rocking as promotion could be tasted, but Tom Cannon silenced it with a thumping near-post strike. The noise returned though when Hannibal Mejbri, who assumed the role of the villain as he took every opportunity to wind up the away supporters, won a penalty, which Brownhill dispatched.Burnley have not conceded more than one goal in any Championship game this season. The trio of goalkeeper James Trafford and centre-backs CJ Egan-Riley and Maxime Esteve have barely put a foot wrong, and the second half was no different. As the noise reached fever pitch, the referee’s whistle confirmed both sides’ fate.“I am absolutely delighted and buzzing we have managed to get the job done,” Burnley manager Scott Parker said in his post-match press conference. “We came in understanding the dynamics of it and had a full focus on getting a result. I’m delighted for everyone at the club. We set out on a mission this year which was to get promoted and get back to the Premier League. The journey has been a classic one of bumps in the roads, the windy roads. We’ve stuck together and built something here that has managed to get us the success we’ve thoroughly deserved.”
Scott Parker has led Burnley to the Premier League, his third promotion – achieved with three different clubs (Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)Sheffield United’s attention turns to winning the play-offs, something they have never achieved. They need to use their final two league games to find a way out of their slump.“I don’t think it is going to be a difficult job (to pick them up) at all,” Wilder said in his post-match press conference. “All these boys have played in big games. They played in a big game tonight. The young boys will learn from that experience and the older boys will drag them through.”When celebrations finish, Burnley will resume their role as chasers if they want to claim their second Championship title in three seasons. A slip-up from Leeds will be required in the final two games.Andy JonesThings move fast in 120 minutes of Championship football.The title is still up for grabs, but a three-horse race at the top is now down to two, with Leeds and Burnley promoted and Sheffield United having to get over their disappointment and try to go up through the play-offs.Friday’s optimism for Coventry, Bristol City and Middlesbrough soon turned to nervousness. The results do little to clear up the play-off picture, so the wait goes on.West Brom fell away, and not long after their defeat by Derby County on Monday they parted company with head coach Mowbray.In this league, dreams are realised and hopes dashed at an unhealthy frequency. As if to demonstrate exactly that, Millwall seemed out of it when they lost 4-1 to Blackburn Rovers on Friday but are now right back in the mix after beating Norwich City 3-1 on Monday.It is fun for the neutral and agonising for those invested in it. After 44 games played, this is the sweet spot. The thrill of the chase is still on, and the grass over there, for now, looks greener.This is the Championship. Your next season-definer will arrive in five days. Good luck.(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
