Cardiff bounce back with crucial win at Blackpool

Guinea international striker Sory Kaba is on loan at Cardiff City from Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland

Cardiff City earned a crucial 3-0 win against relegation rivals Blackpool to add to the host's relegation fears.

On-loan striker Sory Kaba scored his fifth goal in 10 games to double the lead before Joe Ralls tapped home at the back post to make it 3-0.

Blackpool improved after the break, and did pull one back through Josh Bowler but it was too little too late.

Defeat leaves Blackpool seven points from safety with six games remaining, while the win moves to Bluebirds above Reading and QPR into 19th - though just one point clear of the bottom three.

Cardiff's first-half performance was just what the doctor had ordered after their 99th minute defeat by Swansea City last time out.

• Friday's EFL action as it happened

Wickham had been labelled "absolutely stupid" by manager Sabri Lamouchi in midweek after a video appeared to show the striker inhaling laughing gas following their south Wales derby defeat.

But the Cardiff manager gave Wickham a chance to redeem himself as he was named to start for Cardiff.

After 21 minutes, Mahlon Romeo's floated a cross to the back post gave Wickham that opportunity, and he rose highest to score with a looping header over Blackpool's Chris Maxwell.

The hosts looked stunned, but Maxwell kept them in the game with brilliant saves from Cedric Kipre and Jaden Philogene.

But the Blackpool keeper could do nothing to deny Kaba after Husband headed Wickham's long ball into the path of the Cardiff striker, and he calmly rounded Maxwell to score.

With half-time approaching the Bluebirds had a third, Wickham again the provider as he picked out captain Ralls at the back post, who took one touch before scoring with his weaker right foot.

Cardiff looked happy to sit back on their three-goal lead after the restart, but rarely looked threatened by the Blackpool attack.

Lamouchi opted to take Sawyers and Wickham off - replaced by Andy Rinomhota and Rubin Colwill - as the three-goal lead allowed him to cast one eye forward to Monday's when the Bluebirds host Sunderland.

The first real opportunity for the Seasiders came after 68 minutes when Husband was left unmarked from a free-kick, but he headed wide of the target from close range.

That chance gave Blackpool some momentum, and five minutes later they found a way back into the game as Bowler reacted quickest when CJ Hamilton's initial effort rebounded into a crowd of players.

The atmosphere at Bloomfield Road shifted considerably, the home crowd sensing a way back into the contest as Cardiff players noticeably tired.

However, the Bluebirds soaked up the pressure from the hosts, and for all their possession Blackpool failed to test Ryan Allsop in the Cardiff goal.

Defeat leaves Blackpool - and bottom-of-the-league Wigan - detached in the bottom three, with both teams staring relegation to League One in the face.

Just one point separates Cardiff in 19th and Reading in 22nd, as the Royals are plunged into the relegation battle after their six-point deduction for breaching budget restrictions.