Swansea beat Rotherham to close the gap at the top of the Sky Bet Championship to four points as leaders Norwich were held by Middlesbrough, but it was Brentford who caught the eye as they put seven past Wycombe.
The Canaries kicked off first in the lunchtime fixture but could not take advantage as it finished goalless at Carrow Road.
Emi Buendia was sent off for the fourth time in his Norwich career, picking up a second yellow card for a needless lunge on George Saville with 23 minutes left to play.
Swansea capitalised as they extended their unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions with a 3-1 win.
Conor Hourihane and Matt Grimes put the Swans in control before the break and though Freddie Ladapo pulled one back in the 65th minute, Jay Fulton made sure of the points.
But Brentford are just two points back with a game in hand after a 7-2 win over Wycombe.
The sides went in level at the break as Wycombe’s Uche Ikpeazu and Admiral Muskwe cancelled out goals from Ethan Pinnock and Tariqe Fosu.
But Fosu’s second put the Bees back in front before Ivan Toney scored a brace, one from the spot, and Sergi Canos and Josh Dasilva also added to the scoring in a stunning second-half display.
Blackburn moved to within striking distance of the play-off places with a 1-0 win over Luton thanks to Adam Armstrong’s late header.
That moved Rovers above Bristol City and Stoke, who both dropped points.
The Robins were the latest victims of Derby’s move away from trouble as the Rams won 1-0 at Pride Park.
An early goal from Colin Kazim-Richards was enough to earn a third straight victory under Wayne Rooney, and put Derby five points clear of Rotherham in 22nd place.
Stoke are still searching for their first win of 2021 as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Huddersfield.
Steven Fletcher scored a penalty against his former club after Pipa put Huddersfield ahead, but Stoke were reduced to 10 men in first-half stoppage time when Rhys Norrington-Davies saw red for a dangerous tackle.
Sheffield Wednesday moved to within four points of safety as they recorded a fourth consecutive home win, beating Preston 1-0 at Hillsborough thanks to Liam Palmer’s first-half goal.
They sit one point behind local rivals Rotherham but have 21st-placed Nottingham Forest in their sights after Chris Hughton’s side were held to a goalless draw by Barnsley.
Mick McCarthy is still seeking his first win in charge of Cardiff but was grateful for a point as Kieffer Moore rescued a 1-1 draw against Millwall.
Moore, who salvaged a point with a late header against Barnsley in midweek, needed to deliver more heroics after Aden Flint’s early own goal put Millwall in control.
But Moore popped up with 19 minutes left to ensure the Bluebirds remain just about the Lions in midtable.
Birmingham’s winless run at home extended to 10 games as they were held to a 1-1 draw by their tenants Coventry at St Andrew’s.
Jeremie Bela’s 17th-minute penalty put Birmingham ahead but Coventry deservedly levelled through Gustavo Hamer 12 minutes later.
