Cardiff winger Chris Burke celebrates his third goal in four games at Palace

Cardiff City bolstered their play-off push with a battling win at Selhurst Park to send Crystal Palace deeper into the Championship relegation mire.

Gabor Gyepes' first goal this season, a tap-in from Peter Whittingham's low corner, gave Cardiff an early lead.

Clint Hill had hit the Cardiff crossbar in the first-half but the Palace man levelled just after the break as he headed in Darren Ambrose's corner.

Cardiff's Chris Burke's 10th goal this season - a sweet half-volley - won it.

The Bluebirds' triumph at Selhurst Park was their third league victory in four games to move the Welsh club to fourth place in the table and give them a comfortable play-off cushion.

But Palace's third defeat in four games - extending their winless run to six games - means Paul Hart's strugglers remain in the bottom three on a miserable run that a side in desperate need of points could do without.

Gyepes had given Cardiff the early advantage when Palace failed to clear a low Whittingham corner, flicked on by Stephen McPhail, and the big Hungarian international slid the ball left-footed into the near corner from close range.

Gabor Gyepes celebrates his third goal in two years as a Cardiff City player

The 28-year-old's third career goal gave Cardiff the edge in the battle of the Championship's cash-strapped clubs as Palace were docked 10 points for going into administration in January while the Bluebirds have until 5 May to pay a £1.9m tax bill or face being wound-up.

Yet the hosts reacted positively to going behind and rattled David Marshall's crossbar inside the opening 20 minutes as Clint Hill's looping header from Darren Ambrose's deep right-wing free-kick had the Cardiff keeper beaten.

But Marshall was at his best when Darcy Blake inadvertently headed into Ambrose's path.

The former England under-21 international volleyed goalwards but the Scotsman made a superb one-handed point-blank save at his near post.

Ambrose went close again moments later but his 15-yard lob dropped over Marshall's goal.

Cardiff had been dominated by Palace since their fourth-minute opener but returning striker Kelvin Etuhu - playing his first game since December, in for the suspended Jay Bothroyd - should have doubled the visitors' lead.

Michael Chopra's flick set the on-loan Manchester City striker free but Etuhu dithered and, with Hill closing in, his shot was well-saved by onrushing Palace stopper Julian Speroni.

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Palace had a penalty shout rejected by referee Carl Boyeson after Stern John was hauled down in the box by Tony Capaldi following an Ambrose corner.

Cardiff were made to pay for their missed chances as Hill, who hit the woodwork in the first half, went one better in the second as capitalising on lacklustre Bluebirds defending to equalise.

The Palace defender found space at the near post to head another dangerous Ambrose right-wing corner in at the near post for his first goal of the season.

But Cardiff showed why they are serious play-off contenders as despite being second best, they scored the winner when the odds were against them.

Paul Quinn headed Mark Kennedy's deep free-kick back to Burke as the Scottish winger controlled and volleyed the ball past a helpless Speroni to score his third goal in four games.

The win was not quite a smash-and-grab but Cardiff, continuing their good run against Palace - now no defeats in eight against the London club - had the hallmarks of a side that look set to secure a top-six play-off place.

Crystal Palace manager Paul Hart said:

"You have to look at a blatant penalty - how it's been missed I'll never know.

"And then a handball when the ball has been battered at the player from a yard. Up to that point there was only one team in it.

"I think it was a magnificent performance. We are patching players up and we have kids on the bench - we are what you see.

"We've got seven games to go and if we play like that we will win football matches. The players are disappointed and angry."

Cardiff City manager Dave Jones said:

"The ball was in the air a long time, it was difficult to get the ball down and play - and I thought we dealt with it as best we could.

"At this stage of the season, sometimes you have got to win ugly."

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