Sheffield United claimed a fifth straight Sky Bet Championship win to move level on points with league leaders Burnley.
James McAtee’s stunning individual goal gave the Blades a 2-1 win at struggling Blackpool.
Sander Berge had struck in the first half before McAtee raced from inside his own half to double the lead after the break.
Marvin Ekpiteta responded for hosts Blackpool, who have now gone eight games without a win and are in the bottom two.
In-form Middlesbrough won for the sixth time in nine games under Michael Carrick, beating 10-man Blackburn 2-1 at Ewood Park to move into the play-off positions.
Ryan Hedges’ sixth-minute goal was overturned by Marcus Forss and Riley McGree at the start of the second half.
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Third-placed Blackburn, who had midfielder John Buckley sent off for throwing the ball at McGree’s head with the score at 1-1, are now only three points better off than Boro.
Sunderland moved up five places to fourth with a thumping 4-1 victory at Wigan.
Second-half goals from Ross Stewart, Patrick Roberts and Amad Diallo earned the visitors a fourth win in six games.
Ellis Simms’ early opener had been cancelled out by Will Keane for Kolo Toure’s Latics, who slip to the bottom of the table after a third successive defeat.
Millwall dropped out of the play-off places as Bristol City battled to a hard-fought 0-0 draw at The Den.
Andreas Voglsammer was the closest to breaking the deadlock with his shot striking the crossbar.
The Robins have won only once in nine Championship matches, a run that has seen the pressure grow on manager Nigel Pearson.
Neil Critchley’s first home game as QPR boss ended in a 3-0 defeat to Luton.
Carlton Morris scored twice, taking his season’s tally to 10, as the Hatters condemned Rangers to a fourth straight home defeat.
Alfie Doughty’s brilliant strike with nine minutes remaining sealed a second successive win for new manager Rob Edwards in his third game in charge of Luton.
West Brom beat Preston 2-0 to make it seven wins from eight games.
The Baggies, who have turned their season around since Carlos Corberan was appointed manager in October, took the points through Okay Yokuslu’s goals either side of the break.
Coventry and Cardiff fought out a goalless stalemate, the visitors’ fourth successive draw.
Ben Sheaf struck a post for the Sky Blues against opponents who are the lowest-scoring team in the Championship with just 20 goals in 24 games.
Huddersfield’s 2-0 win over Rotherham moved them off the bottom as the Terriers leapfrogged both Wigan and Blackpool.
The hosts were worthy winners, with Duane Holmes heading them in front just after the half-hour mark.
Jordan Rhodes converted Kaine Kesler-Hayden’s pass from 20 yards after 56 minutes.
Sky Bet League One
Plymouth beat Wycombe 1-0 to extend their lead at the top of Sky Bet League One.
Dan Scarr bundled the ball in from a corner in the 33rd minute, which proved enough for victory.
A third straight league win for the Pilgrims moved them four points clear of Ipswich who fought back with a late equaliser to draw 2-2 at Portsmouth.
Marlon Pack gave Pompey an early lead with a free-kick before Cameron Burgess drew the Tractor Boys level.
Colby Bishop had the hosts back in front on the hour, which had looked enough for victory until three minutes left when Conor Chaplin secured a point to take back to Suffolk.
Michael Smith scored twice, including a first-half penalty, as third-placed Sheffield Wednesday beat Port Vale 2-0 at Hillsborough to move level on 49 points with Ipswich.
Robbie Cundy headed a late winner as fourth-placed Barnsley beat Fleetwood 2-1 at Oakwell.
James Norwood had put the Tykes in front just after the hour, before substitute Admiral Muskwe equalised from a 77th-minute penalty but Cundy had the final say with only four minutes remaining.
Peterborough beat strugglers MK Dons 2-0 at the Weston Homes Stadium and sit in sixth.
Joe Ward put Posh in front before the break, with Ricky Jade-Jones adding another soon after the restart and Jonson Clarke-Harris saw his penalty saved.
Bottom club Morecambe beat Accrington 2-0 for a first league win since the end of October.
Liam Shaw broke the deadlock in the 34th minute with Jensen Weir adding a second shortly before half-time.
A late goal from substitute Bobby Kamwa helped Burton win 2-1 at Forest Green to move out of the relegation zone.
Defender John Brayford put Albion ahead in first-half stoppage time. Rovers striker Jamille Matt saw his penalty saved and Kamwa made it 2-0 with a minute left before Myles Peart-Harris pulled a goal back in stoppage time.
Sam Nombe’s stoppage-time header gave Exeter a 4-3 win at Bristol Rovers, where the visitors scored twice in the closing stages.
Goals from Nombe and Archie Collins seemingly put the Grecians in control by half-time.
However, Rovers fought back as Aaron Collins and Josh Coburn struck either side of the hour before Scott Sinclair’s penalty turned the match around.
Exeter sub Timothee Dieng levelled things up again at 3-3 with five minutes left and there was still time for Nombe to score his second of the game to seal a dramatic victory.
Oxford beat Charlton 3-1 at the Kassam Stadium. Billy Bodin and Matt Taylor had the U’s in control midway through the first half. Although Miles Leaburn came off the bench to reduce the deficit in the second half, Oxford substitute Gatlin O’Donkor made sure of the points with a late third.
Daniel Nlundulu’s first-half goal was enough to give Cheltenham a 1-0 win at Shrewsbury, where both teams finished with 10 men.
Shrews midfielder Luke Leahy and Cheltenham defender Charlie Raglan were both shown red cards following a flashpoint with just over 20 minutes left.
Sky Bet League Two
Swindon beat Northampton 2-1 to end their Sky Bet League Two rivals’ nine-game unbeaten run and underline their own promotion credentials.
Tyrese Shade and Marcel Lavinier set up a win that saw fifth-placed Swindon move to within five points of Northampton, who stayed third.
The Cobblers managed a stoppage-time consolation through Sam Hoskins’ 15th goal of the season.
Carlisle coasted to a 3-0 victory against 10-man Crewe at Gresty Road.
Morgan Feeney put the Cumbrians ahead inside six minutes and Owen Moxon doubled the advantage soon after the interval.
Crewe skipper Luke Offord was sent off in the 51st minute for an off-the-ball incident before substitute Kristian Dennis kept Carlisle riding high in the top four.
Sixth-placed Mansfield stayed in the play-off places after beating Hartlepool 2-1.
Jack Hamilton’s first league goal in English football put the hosts ahead but Rhys Oates, a former Hartlepool striker, levelled early in the second half before Oliver Hawkins claimed the winner.
Bradford move up to seventh – and the final play-off position – after beating Harrogate 1-0 in a Yorkshire derby.
Tyreik Wright grabbed the first-minute winner as the Bantams ended a run of three consecutive league defeats.
Ten-man Tranmere shrugged off Paul Lewis’ dismissal to win 2-1 at victory at Barrow.
Substitute Lewis was sent off for a rash challenge on Bluebirds goalkeeper Josh Lillis, but Kane Hemmings headed the winner eight minutes from time.
Jordan Turnbull had put Rovers ahead after six minutes before Jordan Stevens equalised for Barrow.
Kyle Wootton’s double gave Stockport a 2-0 success at Walsall, while Craig Eastmond’s stoppage-time winner secured Sutton a 2-1 victory over basement club Gillingham.
Sutton had gone ahead through an Elkan Baggott own goal two minutes before the break, with Robbie McKenzie levelling 12 minutes from time.
Matt Smith’s first-half hat-trick sent Salford on the way to a 4-1 win at Grimsby.
Ethan Galbraith also scored as in-form Salford boosted their promotion push, while Otis Khan was on target for the Mariners.
AFC Wimbledon’s fine form also continued with a 2-1 success at struggling Colchester extending their unbeaten league run to 10 games.
Ethan Chislett grabbed a late winner, netting from close range in the 89th minute after Huseyin Biler’s long-range effort was only parried by Kieran O’Hara.
John Akinde had put Colchester ahead from the spot after 51 minutes, but Josh Davidson headed the Dons level.
Doncaster beat Rochdale 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller.
Charlie Seaman and Ben Close put Rovers in control but Devante Rodney and a Ro-Shaun Williams own goal made it 2-2 after 16 minutes.
Harrison Biggins’ superb free-kick restored Rovers’ lead before the break but Rochdale substitute Tyrese Sinclair equalised 13 minutes from time.
However, captain Tom Anderson popped up with the winner four minutes later.