Irish defender Jimmy Dunne found the net with an audacious lobbed goal but his QPR side were beaten by Portsmouth in their Championship clash at Fratton Park.
The hosts, seeking a third win on the trot, hit their opponents with a couple of sucker punches shortly after the break. Winger Josh Murphy curled in a stunning strike in the 48th minute to break the deadlock before a mazy run ended up with him setting up Matt Ritchie three minutes later.
With just over 15 minutes remaining, Dunne produced a stunning lobbed finish, after a raking diagonal ball from Ilias Chair, to pull one back for QPR.
Republic of Ireland striker Will Keane also scored in a losing effort as his Preston side were beaten 2-1 away by Coventry.
Jack Rudoni and Bobby Thomas scored in the first half for the Sky Blues as Frank Lampard's side continued their pursuit of the play-offs.
Keane halved the deficit to give Coventry something to think about in the closing stages, but the hosts ended their 17-year wait for a league victory over Preston, spanning 22 matches.
Andy Moran produced an assist for Stoke's second away to Norwich City, capitalising on an error from international colleague Shane Duffy, but the visitors slumped to a 4-2 defeat at Carrow Road.
In-form striker Josh Sargent made it seven goals in six games with a well-taken double, with Lewis Dobbin and a Junior Tchamadeu own goal ensuring a deserved victory.
In first half stoppage time, Shane Duffy's poor pass out of defence went straight to Ben Pearson who quickly picked out Moran and with the home defence stretched the ball was squared for Lewis Baker, who produced a neat finish from just inside the box.
Stoke grabbed a consolation deep into added time when Baker converted from the spot after substitute Million Manhoef had been brought down in the box by Duffy.
Alan Sheehan's second spell in caretaker charge of Swansea got off to a dream start after his side beat fellow managerless side Blackburn 3-0 at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Goals just before the break from Žan Vipotnik and Myles Peart-Harris – both restored to the starting line-up by Sheehan – gave Swansea a commanding and fully-deserved advantage at the break.
Peart-Harris then set up top scorer Liam Cullen for a third in the 62nd minute of the contest.
Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson's first-half error helped boost Hull’s survival chances with a hard-earned 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light.
Patterson flapped Joe Gelhardt’s corner in the 18th minute into his own net, putting Hull on course for a fourth win from their last five away matches while the hosts slipped to consecutive defeats for the first time this season.
West Brom climbed back into the play-off places with a 2-0 home win over goal-shy Oxford.
Former Oxford loan midfielder Alex Mowatt's 11th-minute goal and substitute John Swift’s strike deep into second-half stoppage time returned Tony Mowbray’s side to winning ways and moved them up to fifth.
Josh Coburn scored a stoppage-time winner to snatch Millwall a 1-0 victory at Pride Park and plunge Derby deeper into relegation trouble.
Coburn had seen a late penalty saved but he was in the right place in the fifth minute of time added on to turn in the rebound and secure a win that keeps the Lions in the play-off race.
Plymouth substitute Muhamed Tijani scored a 67th-minute equaliser as Argyle rescued a much-needed point from a 1-1 draw at home to relegation-rivals Cardiff.
The Bluebirds swept into a 14th-minute lead through Yousef Salech but they were reduced to 10 men – eight minutes after the break – when Dimitrios Goutas was sent off, before Tijani came off the bench to earn a share of the spoils.
