Cardiff City's play-off hopes remain firmly on track after a comprehensive 4-1 win over Derby County.
Cardiff too good for Derby
Cardiff City's play-off hopes remain firmly on track after a comprehensive 4-1 win over Derby County.
The win puts Dave Jones' side up a place to fifth in the table, but more importantly puts a five-point cushion between them and Preston in seventh.
Automatic promotion looks to be just out of their reach, with an eight-point gap to Birmingham in second, but hopes of beginning life in their new stadium in the top flight still remain.
Derby remain 17th in the table and six points clear of the drop zone with six games left to play.
The Rams had made the brighter start, with John Eustace having early appeals for a penalty waved away before forcing a fine save from Stuart Taylor in the Cardiff goal with an overhead kick.
And it was against the run of play when Roger Johnson headed the Bluebirds in front after 16 minutes, rising to glance home a superb free-kick into the box from Peter Whittingham after Mile Sterjovski had fouled Gavin Rae on the right.
Michael Chopra then cut inside to force Stephen Bywater into a save, before Sterjovski came close to a leveller after 21 minutes when he chested down Barry Bannan's pass but could only flick his effort past the post.
Jay Bothroyd had a goal disallowed after being set up by Chopra, who was in an offside position, while Rob Hulse headed over the top at the other end from a long throw by Paul Connolly.
Cardiff started the second half the brighter and Whittingham's follow-up after a Bothroyd shot was blocked went over the top.
The second period lacked much of the spark of the frenetic opening half, with Derby's best effort before the hour-mark falling to Eustace, but he headed well over the top from Gary Teale's cross.
Quick-fire double
But the game was soon dead and buried for the Rams with two goals in the space of two minutes.
First Rae collected Stephen McPhail's pass and he strode through from midfield before rounding Bywater and slotting into the empty net.
And almost straight away it was 3-0 as the Bluebirds won a corner, swung in by Whittingham, and the Rams failed to deal with it, with Bothroyd eventually poking home.
The game slowed down considerably after the third goal with a flurry of substitutions, but one of Derby's subs - Emanuel Villa - could have pulled a goal back from Robbie Savage's cross, but he headed a difficult chance over the top from 10 yards.
The Bluebirds netted four for the first time since December 2007 11 minutes from time when sub Eddie Johnson intercepted a pass from Andy Todd and ran through before smashing past Bywater.
Villa had a goal ruled out for a foul in the build-up and Kris Commons forced a fine save from Taylor with a 25-yard free-kick before the visitors did get a goal back from a Teale corner, with Roger Johnson credited with the final touch for an own goal.
