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A five-minute second-half goalfest sent Stoke City into dreamland and moved Tony Pulis' play-off hopes into the realms of reality.
Goals from Ricardo Fuller, Liam Lawrence and Mamady Sidibe earned the Potters their first run of five back-to-back victories for six and a half years.
Stoke's five-minute goal glut was enough to cement the play-off place they earned with Saturday's victory of West Brom and topple Cardiff from the Championship throne they had occupied since September 16th.
Pulis welcomed back the goal-getting prowess of Fuller with a place on the bench as both managers resisted temptation to tinker with teams undefeated in their respective weekend outings.
And Stoke's joint top-scorer, returning from a three-match suspension, endured the spectacle of a first-half littered with examples of how not to finish.
Sidibe mustered a weak header which was met with a routine clearance in the eighth minute before Michael Chopra found himself wondering how the net didn't bulge.
Cardiff's top-scorer evaded City's security and sent Paul Parry's centre back where it came from, when a more composed presence would have earned the visitors an early lead.
Seemingly dissatisfied with his earlier endeavour, the former Magpie decided to whack a speculative attempt into the Welsh contingent behind Steve Simonsen in the 23rd minute.
Steven Thompson's 51st minute swipe at Michael Duberry, and the Stoke defender's 53rd minute revenge attack, earned both players cautions before the home support erupted
Fuller had seen enough woeful finishing and climbed off the bench early in the second half to tuck away his first attempt before Lawrence and Sidibe finished off five minutes of jubilation.
Fuller's 60th minute strike triggered a goal frenzy, when first Lawrence steered Lee Hendrie's flag-kick home through a sea of blue shirts then Sidibe got in on the act.
The lanky striker, with only a solitary goal in 18 outings this term, stroked home Fuller's unselfish lay-off when really the Jamaican could have doubled his tally.
Stephen McPhail compounded the Bluebirds' misery five minutes before time when a petulant flailing arm on Hendrie warranted referee Mike Riley's red card.