Ipswich kept their automatic promotion bid on track after Conor Chaplin's 13th goal of the season gave them a 1-0 win at Blackburn that sent the Tractor Boys top of the Championship table.
Buoyed by Leicester’s defeat in the early kick-off, Kieran McKenna’s men flew out of the traps and made their early dominance count through Chaplin’s well-worked goal, though Blackburn’s Aynsley Pears ought to have done better.
But this barely told the story of the game as the struggling hosts, still looking for their first win under John Eustace, were more than a match and will feel aggrieved that they had goals in either half contentiously ruled out.
The league’s top scorer Sammie Szmodics missed a glorious chance 11 minutes from time, but Ipswich dug in admirably to notch their eighth win in nine.
Anis Mehmeti's brilliant strike put another dent in Leicester’s stuttering promotion bid.
The Bristol City winger accepted a square ball from Mark Sykes on the edge of the box and sent a sweet left-footed shot into the roof of the net in the 73rd minute to earn his side a 1-0 victory at Ashton Gate.
Leicester had arrived looking to reignite their promotion push after just one win in five Championship games but paid for missed chances, with Jamie Vardy twice denied by outstanding Max O’Leary saves.
Fourth-placed Southampton missed the chance to close the gap on the Foxes after a 90th-minute equaliser from Middlesbrough’s Emmanuel Latte Lath cancelled out Adam Armstrong’s early opener in a 1-1 draw.
Sixth-placed Norwich came from behind to beat lowly Plymouth 2-1. Arygle had led through Morgan Whittaker’s 10th-minute opener but Josh Sargent equalised before an own goal from Ashley Phillips in the 74th minute.
Coventry and Preston both kept alive their hopes of snatching a play-off spot with victories over Huddersfield and Rotherham respectively.
Ellis Simms continued his hot streak in front of goal with an early double in Coventry’s 3-1 win over struggling Huddersfield while Emil Riis struck twice to add to Duane Holmes’ opener in Preston’s 3-0 victory against bottom side Rotherham.
Former Ireland U-21 international Jimmy Dunne’s brilliant injury-time volley gave QPR a dramatic 2-1 victory in the big battle at the bottom against Birmingham.
Juninho Bacuna gave City the lead in the 62nd minute but Steve Cook equalised with a deflected effort three minutes later before Dunne fired in the winner from the edge of the box after chesting the ball down.
Birmingham remain just outside the bottom three after Sheffield Wednesday were pegged back in a 1-1 draw with Swansea.
Bailey Cadamarteri gave the hosts the lead at Hillsborough four minutes before half-time but Jamal Lowe levelled in the 76th minute.
Second-half goals from Josh Laurent and Ki-Jana Hoever gave Stoke a precious 2-0 win over play-off chasing Hull to move the Potters five points clear of the bottom three.
Adil Aouchiche and Jobe Bellingham were on target for Sunderland in the first half in a 2-0 victory over Cardiff while John Swift’s penalty rescued a point for play-off chasing West Brom in a 1-1 draw at Millwall.
The Lions were a goal ahead at the break after a fine finish from Duncan Watmore but Swift converted from the spot in the 67th minute after Grady Diangana was fouled.
In League Two, Wimbledon's Republic of Ireland winger Ronan Curtis was sent off moments after equalising in a 1-1 draw with Harrogate at Plough Lane.
Matty Daly had given Harrogate the lead after eight minutes, with Curtis levelling for the Dons just before the hour.
He was then shown a red card for a reckless challenge, with Wimbledon having to settle for a point, leaving them one point outside the play-off places.
Dons manager Johnnie Jackson was adamant that decision was both wrong, and cost his side dear.
He said: "The red card was ridiculous. He’s not got his studs up, he’s trying to toe poke the ball, he’s from the side and the referee’s on the wrong side.
"The linesman has got a great view of it and he’s not been involved in the decision process.
"It baffles how he’s given that – you’ve got to be absolutely certain that’s violent conduct, or serious foul play or whatever they call it, and it’s not.
"It probably robs us of the chance of going on and getting all three (points) and for a referee to have made a call like that and at this stage of the season where there’s so much riding on it, is a tough one to swallow.
"It’s not a disappointing point as in what the lads produced in the second half and the way we went for it when we had 10. It’s a mad year this year and that might be a valuable point but of course we wanted all three."
