West Ham unstoppable, Norwich in trouble - Aaron McLean's EFL takeaways

What the report says

BBC Sport Football reports that pundit Aaron McLean used Saturday’s EFL fixtures to highlight contrasting runs for several clubs across the Championship, League One and League Two. His main focus was West Ham, who beat Swansea City with a Divine Mukasa goal and moved to within a point of the league leaders. McLean said the result underlined their momentum after a strong scoring start, and noted that Jarrod Bowen’s form has been a major factor in their campaign.

At the other end of the table, Norwich City’s slump drew sharp criticism after a sixth straight defeat, this time at Portsmouth. McLean said the team look short of confidence and recovery, and suggested there would be serious questions for both the squad and manager Philippe Clement if results do not improve soon. The article also says Norwich are now only a point above the relegation zone, despite preseason expectations of a promotion challenge.

Watford ended a run of four losses by beating Charlton 2-0, which lifted them three points clear of danger. McLean described the win as important for manager Alessio Dionisi, but said it was too early to say the club had fully turned a corner. In League One, MK Dons finally earned their first league win under Paul Warne by edging Luton Town 2-1, a result McLean said could help settle the side. In League Two, Rotherham’s defeat at Fleetwood left them in the bottom two, increasing pressure on first-time manager Alex Bruce.