Adel Taarabt led QPR to victory over Reading and back to the top of the Championship with a 3-1 win over Reading despite playing the entire second half with ten men.
Taarabt won and converted a first-half penalty, but QPR were reduced to ten when Bradley Orr saw red on the stroke of half-time.
Taarabt's vision then helped set up a second for Alejandro Faurlin and, after Shane Long had pulled one back, the Moroccan's free-kick was turned in by Tommy Smith as Rangers ended a run of four successive draws.
Patrick McCarthy's late own goal proved decisive as Tony Mowbray secured his first win as Middlesbrough manager, seeing off fellow strugglers Crystal Palace 2-1.
After Pablo Counago gave Palace the lead in the first half, Tarmo Kink came off the bench to level things up before McCarthy diverted Tony McMahon's header past his own keeper.
In the day's late kick-off, Derby made it five consecutive victories at Pride Park as they beat in-form Portsmouth 2-0 to move up to fourth in the table.
A first-half Robbie Savage penalty and a second half strike from Paul Green secured another three points for the resurgent Rams, who are riding on the crest of a wave after a shaky start to the season.
Leeds recorded back-to-back wins with a thrilling 3-2 success at Coventry. Robert Snodgrass stole the show, regaining top form after an injury that ruled him out of the first seven weeks of the season, and he laid on an opener for Jonny Howson before netting a wonderful solo second.
Coventry hit back after the break through Lukas Jutkiewicz and, although Max Gradel's penalty was quickly cancelled out by Ben Turner's goal to set up a tense finish, Leeds held on to build on last weekend's 4-1 win at Scunthorpe.
First half strikes from Tamas Priskin and Gareth McAuley lifted Ipswich's promotion hopes in a 2-1 win that deepened Sheffield United's woes. United's makeshift defence were the architects of their own downfall as they allowed Jake Livermore too much space to tee up Priskin.
Stephen Quinn grabbed a deserved equaliser midway through the first-half after a good spell of pressure from the Blades, and McAuley scored what turned out to be the winning goal when he was given space to bring down Grant Leadbitter's cross and fire home.
Andrew Crofts netted an injury-time equaliser - and was then sent off - as Norwich denied Burnley their first away win of the season in a 2-2 draw at Carrow Road, while Michael O'Connor snatched an 89th-minute winner to give Scunthorpe their first league success over Humber derby rivals Hull in over seven years.
Lewis McGugan again showed his golden touch in front of goal as Nottingham Forest claimed a 1-1 draw in the Championship at Watford, and David Healy enjoyed a dream debut as his second-half winner fired Doncaster to a 2-1 victory over Millwall.
Leicester claimed their fourth win in six league outings after Angelo Miguel Vitor's first goal for the club and a late Andy King strike were enough to see off an abject Barnsley 2-0, while a Billy Jones own goal rescued a 1-1 draw for Bristol City against fellow strugglers Preston.
