Ten-man Cardiff moved a step closer to securing a play-off place with a 2-1 win over Leicester which also served to dent the Foxes' ambitions in the Welsh capital.
Ross McCormack (10) and the prolific Peter Whittingham (45) both struck before half-time before the hosts endured a nervy second half.
Steve Howard pulled a goal back in the 52nd minute and while Gabor Gyepes saw red 20 minutes from the end, the Bluebirds held on to put an eight-point gap between them and those outside the play-off places. Defeat for Leicester, their third in a row, keeps them in the final play-off position with a four-point buffer.
Crystal Palace produced a confident 3-1 win against fellow strugglers Watford to provide reason to believe they can avoid the drop.
Veteran striker Stern John scored the opener after half an hour before second-half goals from Sean Scannell (51) and Neil Danns (66) ensured a good night's work despite Lee Hills' 87th-minute dismissal for a second caution. Danny Graham got a late consolation for the Hornets.
It was Palace's first win in seven games and while it was not good enough to move them out of the bottom three, the gap behind Watford is now just a single point.
Second-from-bottom Plymouth moved five points from safety following a goalless home draw with Barnsley.
In League One, Charlie MacDonald's brace inspired Brentford to a 3-2 win at Oldham.
Pawel Abbott opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before MacDonald's first 10 minutes later. Pim Balkestein fired the Bees ahead on the hour before MacDonald made the points safe. Abbott scored his second eight minutes from the end.
Accrington Stanley's home fixture against League Two rivals Barnet was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.
Source: PA
