MICHAEL Kightly netted the only goal of the game as Burnley returned to the top of the Sky Bet Championship with a 1-0 win over managerless Barnsley.
The Clarets were third at the start of the day and Kightly's 65th-minute strike at Turf Moor, along with results around them, ensured they took the second-tier lead once more.
QPR missed the chance to pull clear at the top of the table after a lacklustre goalless draw against Blackburn.
Harry Redknapp's side dropped points at home for only the second time this season and are now behind new leaders Burnley on goal difference.
This term, Rangers have developed a happy knack of grinding out 1-0 victories from similarly uninspiring matches, but their goal touch for once deserted them.
Ashley Barnes scored twice and Craig Conway hit the other as Brighton upset high-riding Leicester with a 3-1 victory at the Amex Stadium.
Andy King had reduced the score to 2-1 for the Foxes in the second half but a penalty from Barnes put the result to bed as Leicester slipped to their second successive defeat in the Championship.
They sit third in the table, one point behind leaders Burnley, while Brighton move within three points of the play-off places.
Simon Cox's fifth goal of the season was enough to steer Nottingham Forest into the top six as they secured a 1-0 win over managerless Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, while Reading's unbeaten nine-match home run came to an abrupt end as they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to lowly Bournemouth at the Madejski Stadium.
Troy Deeney equalised with four minutes to go as Watford got a 3-3 draw at Leeds in a game they appeared to have thrown away.
Gianfranco Zola's men had not won in seven before the clash, but appeared set to change when they took a 2-0 lead into the break thanks to goals from Deeney and Christian Battocchio.
Leeds - on a run of five straight home wins - roared back at them, though, and with 12 minutes left were ahead thanks to a thrilling comeback started by Danny Pugh, extended by Matt Smith and finished by the in-form Ross McCormack.
But there was still time for more drama as Deeney cashed in after Paddy Kenny failed to deal with George Thorne's long-range grass-cutter.
Daryl Murphy headed home a dramatic winner to cap a perfect week for Ipswich and beat unlucky Huddersfield 2-1 at Portman Road and Uwe Rosler was given an indication of how hard his job at Wigan will be as he watched from the stands as his new charges fell to a 2-1 defeat against Millwall at the New Den.
Scotland international Chris Burke showed his value to Birmingham as he inspired a spirited fightback that secured a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough, while Joe Mason and Andre Moritz's first-half goals helped fire Bolton to a comfortable victory 3-0 over Doncaster
Elsewhere, Yeovil pulled off a superb second-half comeback to secure a spirited 2-2 draw with 10-man Charlton.
