Cardiff up to second

Craig Bellamy set Cardiff on their way to reclaiming the second automatic promotion place in the npower Championship as rivals Swansea and Norwich were each forced to settle for a point.

Bellamy fired home in the 21st minute and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas added a second after 71 as Dave Jones' men beat rock-bottom Sheffield United 2-0 at Bramall Lane and jumped to second.

Queen's Park Rangers took another giant stride towards the Barclays Premier League with Adel Taarabt's first-minute strike enough to beat Barnsley at Oakwell and move Neil Warnock's men 10 points clear.

Norwich took a second-minute lead through Sam Vokes at Watford but Danny Graham and Don Cowie replied for the home side and the Canaries needed Simeon Jackson to earn them a 2-2 draw.

The Swans also led through a 63rd-minute Mark Gower strike but Corry Evans' equaliser seven minutes later gave Hull a 1-1 draw and with it still a slim chance of edging into the play-offs.

Reading stayed in the play-off zone and increased Scunthorpe's relegation worries with second-half goals from Shane Long and Ian Harte handing the Royals a 2-0 win at Glanford Park.

Leeds slipped up again, blowing Max Gradel's 58th-minute opener at Derby, who replied through Jamie Ward and Ben Davies for a 2-1 win, but Millwall failed to capitalise in a goalless home draw with Bristol City.

Instead Nottingham Forest arrested their recent slump and moved back to the brink of the top six as a late David McGoldrick double gave them a 2-0 win over Burnley, who had Marvin Bartley sent off after 32 minutes.

Crystal Palace edged closer to safety in a 1-1 draw at Leicester with Sean Scannell's opener for the visitors cancelled out by Matt Oakley. Second-bottom Preston needed Paul Hayes to cancel out Brian Stock's goal for a 1-1 draw at Doncaster.

Ipswich fought back to claim a 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough at Portman Road, while Marlon King's double and a Gary McSheffrey strike gave Coventry a 3-0 win at Portsmouth, who had Hayden Mullins sent off after 69 minutes for deliberate handball.