Peterborough United caused the upset of the afternoon in the Championship, defeating leaders Cardiff City 2-1 in their own backyard.

Undaunted by the gulf between the sides in the table, Darren Ferguson's side took the game to Cardiff in the opening stages with two early goalscoring opportunities falling to George Boyd.

Posh took a surprise lead in the 22nd minute through a Michael Bostwick screamer. The midfielder found the top corner from outside the area after Lee Tomlin picked him out with a free kick.

Cardiff pressed for an equaliser before the break. Craig Bellamy lashed wide on 25 minutes and Andrew Taylor shot over just before the half-time whistle, but Posh made it to the break with a clean sheet.

Peterborough extended their lead shortly after the restart. Tomlin was the provider once again, playing a low ball into the area for Dagenham & Redbridge loanee Dwight Gayle to tap home.

Malky Mackay's side fought to gain a foothold in the game, but Posh defended well and their goalkeeper Robert Olejnik pulled off a string of decent saves.

The Austrian shot-stopper denied Peter Whittingham on the hour mark and Jordon Mutch 11 minutes later to keep Posh in the ascendency.

However, Peterborough remained the better side and created plenty of opportunities to go further in front. Home keeper David Marshall twice denied Gayle in the closing stages as Cardiff remained on the back foot.

Rudy Gestede ensured a nervy six minutes of stoppage time for Posh when he made it 2-1 in the 89th minute, but Ferguson's men held on for the win they deserved.