Cardiff City earned three huge points by beating Blackburn Rovers 2-1 at Ewood Park on Saturday afternoon.
Omer Riza made five changes to the starting XI, with Joel Bagan, Andy Rinomhota, Joe Ralls, Sivert Mannsverk and Callum Robinson replacing Dimi Goutas, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Robertson, Rubin Colwill and Will Alves.
There was a place on the bench for the returning David Turnbull, back in the City squad for the first time since late November after recovering from injury.
It took just four minutes for the Bluebirds to open the scoring. A swift turn from Mannsverk on the right flank allowed him to burst forward into space, before crossing towards the penalty spot. Yousef Salech was on hand, with his downward header sending the ball skipping off the turf and past Aynsley Pears.
The home side soon clicked into gear and netted a goal of their own after 16 minutes. Emmanuel Dennis was the provider, cutting inside before crossing to the near post. Yuki Ohashi tucked his header past Ethan Horvath, levelling the score.
Riza's men continued to press Rovers in their own half, pinching possession and giving the referee a decision to make. Mannsverk fed Robinson, who turned away from his man inside the box and was upended - though no penalty was given.
Blackburn had the better chances as the half wore on; Makhtar Gueye headed over the crossbar, Tyrhys Dolan had the ball in the back of the net but the flag was raised, and Sondre Tronstad forced a good save from Horvath in the final moments.
There were chances for both sides at the start of the second half, with Robinson curling wide of goal and Gueye seeing a shot well blocked by the impressive Will Fish. Dolan also went close for Rovers, shooting low but just wide.
The introduction of Will Alves gave City a second half spark, and he sent an effort inches wide of goal just minutes after coming on. The winger twisted away from two defenders and tried to bend the ball into the top corner - he wasn't far away from hitting the target.
Yakou Méïté was brought on after 72 minutes, and made the crucial contribution just a minute later. Alves was again involved, sending an inviting cross into the box from the left. Méïté did well to get across his marker and get a flicked header on the ball, diverting it past Pears and into the back of the net.
Looking for another leveller, Rovers flooded forward and forced Ethan Horvath into a few routine saves, including a commanding capture of a dangerous cross.
At the other end, Alves and Méïté almost added a third for City, but both saw their efforts blocked. Alves initially rounded Pears before firing on goal, with the hosts' keeper recovering to make a good save. Yak's effort on the rebound looked to be in, but it was blocked on the line by a Blackburn defender.
As the clock ticked into six minutes of stoppage time, the referee made the dramatic decision to give Valérien Ismaël's side a penalty. It was adjudged that the ball had struck the arm of Callum O'Dowda, but the linesman soon interfered to ensure the correct decision stood. It was in fact Rovers man Gueye who had handled, with City rightly being awarded a free-kick.
After almost eight minutes of additional time, the final whistle sounded to give Riza's men a vital victory at Ewood Park. After the international break, the Bluebirds will face Sheffield Wednesday at Cardiff City Stadium, on Saturday 29th March (3pm kick-off).
Final Score: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Cardiff City
Cardiff City: Horvath, Rinomhota (Davies 60'), Ng, Fish, Bagan, O'Dowda, Ralls (Colwill 37'), Chambers, Mannsverk (Turnbull 72'), Robinson (Méïté 72'), Salech (Alves 60').
Substitutes: Turner, Goutas, Willock, Ashford.
Blackburn Rovers: Pears, Rankin-Costello, Carter, Hyam, Ribeiro, Tronstad (Cantwell 81'), Travis, Ohashi (Woodrow 81'), Dolan, Dennis (Cozier-Duberry 63'), Gueye.
Substitutes: Toth, Powell, Sanderson, Atcheson, Forshaw, Buckley.