Roger Johnson celebrates after opening the scoring for Cardiff
Cardiff kept alive their automatic promotion hopes with an emphatic win.
Roger Johnson's glancing header broke the deadlock against the run of play and Gavin Rae rounded keeper Stephen Bywater to make it 2-0 after the break.
Jay Bothroyd slotted in a close-range third and substitute Eddie Johnson's cool one-on-one finish made it 4-0.
The same player then sliced Gary Teale's late corner in his net to get the Rams on the scoresheet in the last floodlit league match at Ninian Park.
Cardiff manager Dave Jones:
"I don't think we have played as well as we are capable of.
"This was a big one for us because we've been chasing [the top two] down for a long time and we had to get the three points tonight.
"It doesn't really matter whether it's a great performance or a poor performance, it was the result at the end of the day.
"We were clinical in front of goal."
Derby County manager Nigel Clough told BBC Radio Derby:
"We lost because Cardiff's two central defenders were outstanding and our defence wasn't.
"We have looked good going forward in the last three months - but not defensively.
"We played some very good stuff, we played good penetrating football against one of the best teams in the division.
"We created chances all throughout the game and we are very pleased with that aspect of it. It wasn't a 4-1."
Cardiff: Taylor, McNaughton, Gyepes, Roger Johnson, Kennedy, Rae, Whittingham (Burke 86), McPhail, McCormack (Parry 69), Bothroyd (Eddie Johnson 65), Chopra. Subs Not Used: Heaton, Comminges.
Goals: Roger Johnson 16, Rae 61, Bothroyd 63, Eddie Johnson 79.
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