Barnsley made it four wins from their last five games with a 2-0 home success against Blackburn Rovers.
The Reds got their first Boxing Day victory in eight years thanks to Sam Winnall's early header and an injury-time strike from Marley Watkins after the visitors had a man sent off. The result moved Barnsley up three places to ninth, three points off the play-off places and 14 clear of the relegation zone.
Paul Heckingbottom kept the same team which won 4-3 at Cardiff City a week earlier for a home match against a side in the relegation zone.
Barnsley had a great chance after 54 seconds. The ball bobbled around the visitors' box following a Marc Roberts long throw and James Bree's header played Tom Bradshaw through but he blazed over from seven yards out.
Bradshaw had another fine chance when, after comfortably beating former England defender Wes Brown, his shot from the left of the box was touched by goalkeeper Jason Steele just past Josh Scowen a few yards from goal. Bree crossed the ball back in and Bradshaw headed narrowly wide.
It was Bradshaw's strike partner Winnall who got the opening goal, and his tenth of the season, after 14 minutes when he met a Conor Hourihane cross from the right and headed into the bottom right corner from close range.
While the hosts were well on top for the first 20 minutes, the lowly visitors came back into the game and had plenty of chances to level. Blackburn's first real attack came midway through the first half when a cross from the left reached Marvin Emnes but his shot was well wide, even with a deflection from Danny Graham which took it marginally closer to goal. Graham then nodded down a long ball to Emnes whose shot from the edge of the box was well tipped over by home goalkeeper Adam Davies.
Brown was then first to a free-kick from the left wing and went clean through but his smashed shot hit Davies from close range and stayed out. Rovers were on top by this point and Graham missed a fine chance when he shot into Davies' arms from 15 yards out after a good passing move from the right got them into the Reds box.
Barnsley almost doubled the lead against the run of play with two minutes left in the first half when left-back Andy Yiadom swapped passes with Hourihane and fired a low shot just wide from 20 yards.
The Reds were much better early in the second half. Their energetic pressing allowed them to nick the ball off their visitors several times, with one occasion leading to a four-on-two break in which Scowen played Hourihane clean through but the Reds captain checked back onto his favoured left foot then fired high and wide from 12 yards.
Bradshaw headed a wide from a cross by Scowen, who then curled a free-kick over the bar from just outside the box. But Barnsley almost gifted their visitors a leveller against the run of play on 70 minutes when Davies scuffed a simple clearance straight at Angus MacDonald who could not control it and Rovers substitute Corry Evans almost lobbed the home goalkeeper but hit the bar from 40 yards out.
Hourihane brought a full-length save out of Steele from the edge of the box after a fine run by Ryan Kent down the right.
Darragh Lenihan was dismissed in the 88th minute for a wild tackle on Sam Morsy, but Blackburn still had several chances. Emnes fired over after the ball broke to him on the left of the box 15 yards out then Davies made an excellent one-on-one save from Sam Gallagher who had been played clean through.
Watkins then secured the win in the 92nd minute after another four-on-two break finished with him collecting Bree's pass and finding the bottom left corner.
