Cardiff ended their six-game winless run at home with a 2-1 Championship victory over relegation-threatened Stoke.
The Bluebirds started well and took the lead in the fifth minute as Kion Etete headed the ball beyond Daniel Iversen.
Karlan Grant doubled Cardiff’s lead after 32 minutes before Bae Jun-ho’s first goal for Stoke in the 41st minute gave the visitors hope in south Wales.
But the Potters were unable to find an equaliser after a strong second-half showing as they lost for the sixth time in seven outings to drop into the bottom three.
Erol Bulut’s hosts went into the contest having failed to score in any of their previous four home matches.
But the Bluebirds made a dream start as returning captain Joe Ralls’ corner was headed home by Etete via a flick by Jordan Thompson.
It was the striker’s sixth goal of the campaign, but his first since late September and it set the tone for what was a positive start from the hosts, who then saw Rubin Colwill fire a tame shot at Iversen.
Steven Schumacher’s side settled after a sloppy start though and came within a whisker of levelling from their first attack.
Million Manhoef split the Cardiff defence to put Niall Ennis through on goal, although the forward dragged his shot inches wide.
That slip-up aside, Cardiff looked solid at the back and following a brief flat period, they doubled their lead.
Colwill battled to retain possession on the deck before Ralls threaded the ball through to Grant, whose effort went across Iversen and into the net.
It was a far cry from Cardiff’s recent blunt home showings and the away supporters would have feared the worst when Iversen scrambled to keep out a Nat Phillips header.
But they were handed a lifeline just before half-time after Perry Ng fouled Bae on the edge of his own box.
Ethan Horvath could only push Lewis Baker’s drilled free-kick into the path of Bae, who tapped home from close range.
Ralls had a shot blocked in the dying moments of the first half which ensured the contest remained finely poised ahead of the second.
Lynden Gooch and Josh Laurent replaced Junior Tchamadeu and Luke Cundle for the second 45 and the Potters set out to find an equaliser.
Ennis prodded an effort straight at Horvath before the United States goalkeeper denied the frontman from an acute angle moments later.
Baker then headed wide from Thompson’s cross as Stoke piled on the pressure.
The home side barely laid a glove on their opponents in the second half, with Perry Ng lashing a free-kick into the Stoke wall and Yakou Meite heading wide.
Stoke continued to push for a late leveller, but they slumped to a third-successive away defeat, while victory was Cardiff’s first in five showings.
Last-chance saloon for Napoli in European race
Napoli's Serie A title defence has long since ended, and they must beat Fiorentina on Friday to have any hope of playing in Europe next season.
Napoli strolled to the Scudetto last year, clinching the title with five games to spare and finishing 16 points ahead of runners-up Lazio.
This time around, it was Inter who wrapped up the league with five games remaining, while Napoli sit ninth in the standings, 41 points adrift of the leaders with a Europa Conference League spot their only hope of playing in Europe.
Napoli are without a win in their last five games, though even if they can get back to winning ways, their European hopes would be out of their own hands due to having played a game more than Fiorentina.
Fiorentina have won three of their last five league matches, and won the previous meeting between the sides 3-1, which could prove vital they end the season level on points and the head-to-head record comes into play.
Vincenzo Italiano's side have already qualified for this season's Europa Conference League final, where they face Greek side Olympiacos in Athens.
The Viola, unbeaten in Europe this season, are aiming to end the league campaign on a high and take that momentum into the final - they are looking to go one better than last year when they lost to West Ham in the final.
Napoli are likely to be without top scorer Victor Osimhen, who is a serious doubt due to a muscular problem. Fiorentina, meanwhile, welcome back Andre Belotti who missed Monday's win over Monza.
Ronaldo motivated to keep playing at top level
Cristiano Ronaldo has no intention of stopping as he says he is still motivated to compete with the "young lions" coming through in the game.
Ronaldo is reportedly considering signing a contract extension to keep him at Al-Nassr until June 2026, taking him past his 41st birthday.
The Portugal international has scored 42 goals in 41 appearances for the Saudi Pro League club this season, and he insists he is still motivated to keep going.
Speaking on the Whoop podcast, he said: "I feel proud to have this age and still compete at the highest level. It's great, and it gives me motivation to carry on.
"If you look at my career for the last 20 years, my level is high. If you are top for 20 years, it's unbelievable.
"I do that, and I continue to do that. For me, it's a big achievement."
Ronaldo has scored an incredible 891 goals in his career and is the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football with 128 goals.
"My biggest motivation is to carry on," he added. "It's not easy to be at this level.
"To still push, to still motivate, to carry on, to score goals, to be in good shape, to compete with the young lions that are coming and that when they play against me, they want to show me that they are stronger and faster than me.
"You have to prepare very well, not just physically but mentally, too. This is the challenge.
"Talent without work is nothing and work without talent is nothing. They have to work together at the same time. I have both. I can't say that I have more of one than the other.
"Small details will make the difference. Consistency is the most difficult thing.
"Are you willing to do that? That's the main point, because everyone wants to be Cristiano, but doing it is difficult. Discipline is the most difficult thing."
Vilahamn wants to use FA Cup final defeat as 'beginning' for Tottenham Women
Tottenham Women manager Robert Vilahamn believes his side will use their FA Cup final defeat to start something special, rather than ending their good work.
Spurs were hammered 4-0 by Manchester United Women in Sunday's Wembley Stadium showpiece as Ella Toone and Rachel Williams were on target before Lucia Garcia's second-half double.
Vilahamn's side failed to manage a shot on target but the Spurs boss suggested his team will catch up to the women's elite clubs.
"The main thing I said was this is not the end, it is the beginning," Vilahamn said.
"We still have a gap between us and the top teams but that's normal. We are closing the gap but we haven't closed the gap yet."
Tottenham finished sixth in the Women's Super League as well as reaching this final, their first FA Cup showpiece appearance in their short history.
Vilahamn wants his Spurs players to use this defeat as motivation going forward.
"If you take away the feelings right now, you need to look at these players doing some incredible things this year," he said.
"We are at Wembley playing in front of our fans and they are actually enjoying it and staying, and supporting us after.
"We got a good experience today and we are learning how to play at Wembley more times. We need to look at it that way because the players are amazing."
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