Nathan Tella scored a superb hat-trick to help record-equalling Burnley cruise to a 3-0 Championship victory over Preston at Turf Moor. Tella, on loan from Southampton, was labelled “a rough diamond” by Vincent Kompany last week and his manager repeated that praise after a performance that underlines why Burnley are the title frontrunners. Burnley went into the contest seeking to equal their 1913 record of 10-straight league wins and began the match in the healthiest condition of any Championship side since Reading in 2005-06 – who went on to finish with 106 points. Tella’s first came on 15 minutes with a fine header and his second early in the second half was from the edge of the area. He completed the hat-trick on 58 minutes, threading the ball through Freddie Woodman’s legs to make it 14 goals for the season in all competitions. Kompany said: “I still call him a rough diamond. As you can see, he is still progressing. He has been doing really well and before anything else, I must mention his effort. It’s so important to point that out. He has goalscoring ability but many with that ability don’t put the work in for the team but he does. He has all the tools and helps us in so many ways, not just goalscoring.” Second-placed Sheffield United are not giving up on their title hopes, though, after beating Swansea 3-0 at Bramall Lane. They continue their dazzling form, having not suffered a league defeat since December, though they remain seven points behind Burnley. Sander Berge opened the scoring early in the first half before Jack Robinson scored his first goal of the season to close the half. Substitute Oli McBurnie made the three points safe late in the game with a third. Middlesbrough cemented third place with a comfortable 3-1 win at relegation-threatened Cardiff. First-half goals from Marcus Forss and Cameron Archer and a 90th-minute Riley McGree strike earned Boro their fifth victory in six games and kept them in pole position for a playoff place. Defeat for Cardiff – who equalised through Sory Kaba in the 25th minute – leaves Sabri Lamouchi still searching for his first point since taking over from the sacked Mark Hudson three weeks ago. Duncan Watmore opened his account for Millwall as they beat QPR 2-1 to claim their first win at Loftus Road for 34 years. Watmore’s 31st-minute opener and Oliver Burke’s goal 12 minutes from time consigned Rangers to a sixth home league defeat of the season. Chris Martin, on as a substitute for his QPR debut, pulled a goal back with an 82nd-minute header, but Millwall held on to make it back-to-back away wins. QPR are now without a win in nine matches, have won one of their past 16 and only one of their 10 games since Neil Critchley took over as head coach after Michael Beale’s departure. Matt Godden marked his first start since October with a first-half equaliser as 10-man Coventry battled to a 1-1 draw with Luton at the CBS Arena. The striker had been sidelined for almost four months with an ankle injury, but stepped up to score a penalty to earn a point. Luton, who were aiming for a fourth win in succession, had taken the lead through Tom Lockyer inside the first minute. Manchester City loanee Joshua Wilson-Esbrand was sent off in the closing stages on his first Sky Blues start. Watford and Blackburn saw out a 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road. A first-half opener from Blackburn’s Bradley Dack was cancelled out by a debut strike by Wesley Hoedt in the second half. Patrick Roberts struck late on as Sunderland moved to within a point of the playoff places with a 1-0 win over struggling Reading. The Black Cats looked set to be dealt a blow in their pursuit of a top-six spot, as stubborn Reading frustrated the hosts for long periods at the Stadium of Light. But ex-MRoberts broke their resistance as he hammered home after 84 minutes to extend Reading’s league run to six games without a win. Mark Sykes was the match-winner as Bristol City extended their unbeaten run to nine games with a 1-0 victory over Norwich at Ashton Gate. The hosts took a 24th-minute lead when Cameron Pring’s precise through ball found Sykes, whose low left-foot shot squirmed under the body of Angus Gunn. From then on, Norwich defended their lead with a committed performance in a closely fought encounter. Hull’s resurgence under Liam Rosenior continued as they earned a point in a goalless draw at Stoke. The Tigers have now lost two of their 13 league games since Rosenior took charge. Aaron Connolly enjoyed the two best chances, but the Brighton loanee failed to add to his two goals since his January move. Teenager Emre Tezgel almost snatched a late winner for tStoke, but their poor league form continues, with one win in seven outings. Jack Whatmough headed home the only goal with 10 minutes left as Wigan moved off the foot of the table with victory over managerless Huddersfield. The big centre-back said it would be the biggest fixture since he arrived at Wigan from Portsmouth in the summer of 2021 and he capped a man-of-the-match performance with the crucial contribution to give his side their first victory in three months. It was their first under the new manager, Shaun Maloney. Huddersfield slip to second from bottom. Blackpool slipped to the bottom of the table after a scrappy 0-0 draw with fellow relegation battlers Rotherham at Bloomfield Road. The Millers midfielder Oliver Rathbone went closest to breaking the deadlock, but Chris Maxwell thwarted him with a fine save as both sides were forced to settle for a point.