LONDON – The relegation battle could be all but over should Brighton beat Cardiff on Tuesday.
The Welsh side are still five points adrift of safety after a controversial defeat at Turf Moor.
Chris Wood gave the hosts a deserved half-time lead, but Cardiff were left furious after referee Mike Dean overruled his assistant's decision to award a penalty to the visitors after the break.
Another big Cardiff penalty appeal was turned down before Wood sealed the win in stoppage time.
Brighton remain catchable for Neil Warnock's men as they succumbed to a humiliating 5-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.
Eddie Howe's side had lost 11 of their last 12 games on the road, but moved up to 12th thanks to goals from Dan Gosling, Ryan Fraser, David Brooks, Callum Wilson and Junior Stanislas.
A dreadful day for the Seagulls was rounded off by a red card for Anthony Knockaert.
Southampton further eased their relegation fears with a 3-1 win over Wolves to move eight points clear of the drop zone.
Nathan Redmond scored twice either side of Willy Boly's equaliser in the first-half before Shane Long sealed a vital three points with 19 minutes left.
Fulham's relegation to the Championship is already assured, but they secured just a fifth win of the season by beating Everton 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Tom Cairney and Ryan Babel.