Last updated on .From the section Championship

Josh Murphy's goal was his first in the Championship since 30 August against Fulham

Cardiff City won their second successive away game for the first time all season as they beat Huddersfield Town at the John Smith's Stadium.

First-half goals from Josh Murphy and Will Vaulks gave the Bluebirds a commanding half-time lead the hosts rarely looked like threatening.

The Terriers did have a strong shout for a penalty in the second half when Andy King's shot appeared to ricochet off a Cardiff arm but referee Darren England waved away appeals.

And moments later Cardiff put the result beyond doubt as Callum Paterson reacted quickest after Jonas Lossl had saved Junior Hoilett's initial effort to put the Bluebirds three goals up.

Defeat for Huddersfield sees another opportunity missed to put distance between themselves and the bottom three as they remain just five points above 22nd-place Wigan.

However the Bluebirds move up to eighth in the Championship, four points behind sixth-place Preston, as their play-off push continues to gain momentum.

Victory for the Bluebirds means they have suffered just one defeat in their last 11 Championship fixtures, as Neil Harris' side look to challenge for a top-six finish.

And they got off to the perfect start against Huddersfield as Lee Tomlin set free Murphy, who beat the offside trap before chipping the ball over Lossl with the look of a man brimming with confidence.

Vaulks doubled Cardiff's lead as he volleyed home from a corner, as the travelling fans were treated to his back-flip celebration for a first time this season.

Tomlin almost got on the scoresheet himself when he was left one-on-one with Lossl but Lewis O'Brien raced back to put the midfielder under pressure as he fired over.

Instead it was Paterson who added Cardiff's third, as the Scotland international scored his sixth league and cup goal of 2020 to secure back-to-back away wins for Harris' men.

Huddersfield Town manager Danny Cowley told BBC Radio Leeds:

"I thought we started the game pretty well, we had some pretty patterns and got into the final third time and time again.

"They didn't have a box entry until the 24th minute and they scored with their first and second touches in our box.

"Ultimately football is won in both boxes and if you're soft in your defensive box and power-puff in the attacking area, don't expect to win matches."

Cardiff City manager Neil Harris told BBC Radio Wales:

"I thought it was a really strong Championship away performance, the team was hugely positive going into the game with an air of calmness and focus.

"The team is in a really good place at the moment, the togetherness is just outstanding. We took the lead maybe slightly against the run of play but we could have been further ahead by half-time.

"I think you can see in tonight's performance how good Lee Tomlin is at the moment, he has always had that quality in him."