Cardiff City's hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League were dealt a blow when rivals Burnley and Southampton each won.
Sean Dyche's Clarets comfortably overcame Wolves at Turf Moor, courtesy of an early Conor Coady own goal and a second half Dwight McNeil strike.
While that was happening, Southampton triumphed in a south-coast showdown away to Brighton after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg struck in the 53rd minute.
The results put pressure on Neil Warnock's Bluebirds to get something from their Cardiff City Stadium clash with Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
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Cardiff will go into the game five points adrift of Burnley, Southampton and Brighton, each of whom are on 33 points.
The Bluebirds are on 28 points in 18th position, but they have two games in hand on Burnley and one on Southampton.
Cardiff's problem is that their next two matches are against Chelsea and Manchester City and Warnock has yet to work out a game plan enabling his Bluebirds to take a single point against any of the top six sides this season.
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After those matches come season-defining April fixtures away to Burnley, then Brighton, sides the Bluebirds have to haul back in.
Southampton have the easiest run-in on paper of the teams down at the bottom, but their win at Brighton does put Chris Hughton's side in danger of being dragged right into the relegation mix.
Burnley and Brighton do have tough looking run-ins and Cardiff have to believe they can beat them and capitalise upon that.
Technically their fate is still very much in their own hands, but they could really do with the morale-booster of a shock result against Eden Hazard and his Chelsea team-mates.
Rock bottom and doomed Huddersfield lost at Crystal Palace, while Fulham also have a foot back in the Championship after they went down 2-0 at home to Manchester City.
CARDIFF'S REMAINING GAMES (28 points)
Chelsea (h)
Man City (a)
Burnley (a)
Brighton (a)
Liverpool (h)
Fulham (a)
Palace (h)
Man Utd (a)
BURNLEY'S REMAINING GAMES (33 points)
Bournemouth (a)
Cardiff City (h)
Chelsea (a)
Man City (h)
Everton (a)
Arsenal (h)
SOUTHAMPTON'S REMAINING GAMES (33 points)
Liverpool (h)
Wolves (h)
Newcastle (a)
Watford (a)
Bournemouth (h)
West Ham (a)
Huddersfield (h)
BRIGHTON'S REMAINING GAMES (33 points)
Chelsea (a)
Bournemouth (h)
Cardiff (h)
Wolves (a)
Tottenham (a)
Newcastle (h)
Arsenal (a)
Man City (h)
