Brentford kept their faint automatic promotion hopes alive with a fine 5-0 victory at Preston. The Bees scored twice in the first half and three times in the second to end a run of four straight Championship draws in emphatic style. Their biggest away win of the season – thanks to goals from Bryan Mbeumo, Marcus Forss, Ivan Toney, Sergi Canós and Emiliano Marcondes – moved Thomas Frank’s side within nine points of second-placed Watford, with six games still to play. Watford, in turn, are eight points behind leaders Norwich, who won 1-0 at Derby. The Swansea manager, Steve Cooper, praised strikers Jamal Lowe and André Ayew after they both found the net – Lowe twice – in their side’s 3-0 victory at Millwall. Four straight defeats without scoring had severely dented the Swans’ automatic promotion hopes, but their confidence came flooding back after Ayew ended their goal drought just before half-time. “I thought we were a real attacking threat all game,” said Cooper of his fourth-placed side. “Andre has scored at a brilliant time, just before half-time, and he was a real nuisance for the Millwall defenders. And Jamal, brilliant, two excellent goals. But everybody contributed – the back four were a real strong unit defensively, and Freddie Woodman made an important save and his distribution was good.” Fifth-placed Barnsley are three points behind the Swans, having played a game more, after Alex Mowatt and Daryl Dike scored in a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough at Oakwell. Bournemouth capitalised on Reading’s Friday night defeat as they climbed into the final play-off place with a 4-1 win over struggling Coventry. Arnaut Danjuma turned in David Brooks’ cross with just 24 seconds gone, though Coventry hit back moments later through Matty James. But after Danjuma scored his second just before the half-hour mark, further goals from Brooks and Dominic Solanke earned the Cherries an important three points. Lee Bowyer’s Birmingham moved another step closer to safety as Lukas Jutkiewicz scored twice – including his 50th league goal for the club – to help them to a 2-0 win over Stoke. Victory lifted Blues nine points clear of the bottom three and above Huddersfield, who were held to a goalless draw by Rotherham. Sheffield Wednesday are on the verge of the drop after a 4-1 hammering at QPR left them seven points adrift of safety with six matches remaining. Josh Windass had cancelled out Lyndon Dykes’ opener to keep Wednesday level at the break, but Stefan Johansen put QPR back in front early in the second half before Dykes scored again and Chris Willock added a fourth in stoppage time. Rock-bottom Wycombe went down 3-1 at home to Luton, who scored three times in the final 10 minutes after the hosts had been reduced to 10 men. Anis Mehmeti put Wycombe ahead from the penalty spot just before half-time, but, after Josh Knight saw red before the hour, George Moncur, Kazenga LuaLua and Elijah Adebayo propelled Luton to victory. Adam Armstrong struck a stoppage-time equaliser for Blackburn, denying Cardiff victory in a 2-2 draw. It was Armstrong’s second of the afternoon after the Bluebirds goalkeeper, Alex Smithies, gifted him the first just before the break, cancelling out Will Vaulks’ opener. Joe Ralls put Cardiff ahead against the run of play with 20 minutes to go, but Armstrong had the final word. Bristol City and Nottingham Forest played out a goalless draw in mid-table.