Burnley returned to the top of the Championship with a 1-0 victory in the Lancashire derby against Blackburn Rovers, while the top four teams in League One all dropped points on Saturday.
Sean Dyche's team were displaced at the summit by Middlesbrough's 2-1 win over Wolves on Friday, but Andre Gray's 21st league goal of the season sent them back to the top.
Shane Duffy felled George Boyd with 16 minutes gone at Turf Moor and Gray smashed the penalty in for a first-half lead.
Blackburn pushed for an equaliser but Tom Heaton denied Elliott Bennett and Hope Akpan as Burnley extended their unbeaten Championship run to 12 games.
Cardiff City edged closer to the play-off places with a 2-0 win at Bristol City, coinciding with Sheffield Wednesday suffering a 1-0 defeat at home to Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United.
Despite earning all three points, Rotherham remain in the relegation zone due to MK Dons' 2-0 triumph over QPR, while a 2-1 loss to Leeds United saw Bolton Wanderers return to the foot of the table as Charlton Athletic overcame Brentford 2-1.
In League One, Burton Albion maintained their four-point advantage in first place despite a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Crewe Alexandra.
Second-placed Wigan Athletic failed to take advantage of the leaders' slip-up, as they were held 1-1 by Peterborough United, while Gillingham played out a goalless draw with Scunthorpe United and Walsall went down 3-1 at home to Barnsley.
Ian Henderson's penalty one minute from time consigned Coventry City to a third successive defeat, with Rochdale winning 1-0, while triumphs for Chesterfield United and Shrewsbury Town edged them away from the drop zone.
Dagenham and Redbridge ended a run of eight games without victory by beating fellow League Two strugglers York City 1-0.
Dagenham moved to within two points of second-bottom York courtesy of Joshua Passley's strike, but the distance to safety grew as Hartlepool United ended their winless streak by overcoming Barnet 3-1, Lewis Hawkins scoring twice to propel the visitors to the three points from behind.
John O'Toole netted a double as Northampton Town extended their lead at the summit to 13 points, downing Carlisle 4-1 away as their nearest rivals, Oxford United and Plymouth Argyle, played out a 2-2 draw in the south west.
Portsmouth and Bristol Rovers were victorious at Stevenage and Notts County respectively to boost their play-off chances, while strugglers Yeovil Town made it five games without defeat with a third successive 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town.
Accrington Stanley were denied a goal in a 0-0 draw at play-off rivals AFC Wimbledon when referee Trevor Kettle whistled for half-time during an attack in which the visitors scored, prompting tempers to boil over among the away team's players.
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