Hull City were a class above their opponents Burton Albion as they secured a 4-1 win at The KCOM Stadium. A red card to Brewers midfielder Jackson Irvine proved to be the turning point in the match.

The Australian midfielder scored the equaliser for his side in the 33rd minute before being given his second yellow card only minutes later.

Brentford and Nottingham Forest played out a classic at Griffin Park. Goals from Andreas Bouchalakis and Daryl Murphy were enough for Warburton’s men to overcome a stubborn Brentford outfit in a thrilling encounter which ended 4-3 in favour of Forest.

Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City had cause for celebration as they claimed a massive scalp in Steve Bruce’s Aston Villa. Having yet to concede this campaign, The Bluebirds were convincing 3-0 winners over the Midlands outfit as they moved to the summit of the Championship table.

With such a poor showing in their second outing, Villa are struggling to kick start their 2017/18 campaign.

There was plenty to dissect from Reading’s 1-1 draw with Fulham, most notably Fulham defender Tomas Kalas' controversial sending off only 39 seconds after kick off.

Here is the best and worst from the second round of Championship fixtures as we look ahead to the next 44 rounds.
 

THE GOOD

Birmingham off the mark

Birmingham registered their first points of the season against Bristol City. With plenty of talk in the lead up, this match was poised to entertain both sets of supporters. Despite being reduced to 10 men late in the second half, Harry Redknapp’s team were resolute as they put in a strong second half performance against The Robins to secure all three points.

The Bluebirds are soaring

Cardiff City supporters would have been looking for consistency from their side after a difficult 2016/17 campaign. But after grabbing maximum points from their first two encounters, the Welsh side have placed themselves at the top of the Championship table as they set the chase against their nearest rivals.

Warnock’s side will be in contention for the play-offs if they can continue to deliver the level of performance they displayed against Aston Villa.
 

THE BAD

Dark day for Derby

The Rams were disappointing in their 2-0 loss to unbeaten Wolves. In a match where neither goalkeeper was tested, Derby boss Gary Rowett will be disappointed by his team’s performance.

The Rams recorded a similar amount of shots compared to their opponents but they struggled to capitalise on their opportunities as they were held goalless in their first home match of the campaign.

Where to next for Villa?

Aston Villa have struggled in their first matches. Following a draw against Hull City at home, The Villains were favourites coming into their match against Cardiff City.

With Steve Bruce none too pleased with side’s performance, the Villa boss came out in his post-match press conference and commented that “it was on the edge of embarrassment”. If Villa don’t turn around their season quickly they’ll be instore for a long and difficult campaign ahead.
 

THE UGLY

Tomas Kalas plays a remarkable 39 seconds

The Fulham defender was the centre of attention in his side’s meeting with Reading. With the match kicking off at 3pm, Kalas was given his marching orders before the clock had turned to 3:01. The Czech defender was sent off 39 seconds into the affair for a foul on Reading striker Mo Barrow.

This incident wasn’t the first for the defender, having handballed and given away a penalty in last season’s Championship playoff semi-final, Kalas will hope that he’s seen the back of the Madejski Stadium.