Championship roundup: Leeds take top spot, Rooney's agony deepens

Leeds returned to the English Championship summit on Sunday after being briefly dislodged by Sheffield United as pressure mounted on Plymouth boss Wayne Rooney following another demoralising defeat.

Daniel Farke's team closed out the year two points clear at the top after Brenden Aaronson's 79th-minute strike following a fine team move secured a 1-0 win at Derby -- their eighth victory in their past 10 matches.

Farke said his team's win was "fully deserved".

"Normally you can't miss so many chances to win points in such a difficult place but then obviously we scored, for me, the goal of the season. It was an unbelievable team goal," he told the BBC.

"I'll put it straight away into my poetry album, I loved this goal I have to say."

Sheffield United's 1-1 draw at home against managerless West Brom lifted them to the top for a few hours.

Andre Brooks gave Sheffield United the lead before Karlan Grant's equaliser in first-half stoppage time.

"We are so stretched it's unbelievable, and I'm so proud of my team," said Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder.

"I thought we were light at the start of the season but I've learned so much about their attitude, especially late on. A few of them have not been well this week, but they left everything out there."

Third-placed Burnley drew 0-0 with Middlesbrough in the late kick-off and are a point behind Sheffield United.

Fourth-placed Sunderland lost 1-0 at Stoke, for whom Tom Cannon struck a stoppage-time winner, and Blackburn's promotion bid was dealt a blow as they lost 1-0 at home to Hull.

Rooney's Plymouth remain rock bottom of the table after a 2-0 defeat at Oxford extended their winless league run to nine matches.

Ciaron Brown put the hosts ahead in the first half and Przemyslaw Placheta doubled their lead just after the hour mark.

"We didn't create enough chances and didn't do enough to stop them scoring their goals," said former Manchester United and England forward Rooney.

"I expected a bit more today and we didn't get it but that's football, and unfortunately we come away with the defeat."

Watford suffered a setback in their bid for a top-six finish, losing 2-1 at home to Cardiff.

Anis Mehmeti fired a first-half double as Bristol City beat relegation-threatened Portsmouth 3-0 at Ashton Gate.

Marcelino Nunez's late strike rescued a point for Norwich in a 1-1 draw against QPR while Myles Peart-Harris's stoppage-time header clinched Swansea a 2-1 home win against 10-man Luton.

Frank Lampard's Coventry were held 0-0 at home by Millwall and Preston beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-1.