Crystal Palace got their first win in eight as Lennie Lawrence's Bluebirds ended up with two red cards at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles went into a two-goal lead with strikes from Wayne Routledge on 45 minutes and Neil Shipperley two minutes after the break.
Then Willie Boland got a straight red after kicking out at Routledge before Graham Kavanagh got one back for Cardiff on the hour. In the final minute the Welshmen were in more trouble with Andy Campbell being sent off after clashing with Shaun Derry.
This result will bring some relief for Eagles boss Steve Kember who has been under pressure after a run of bad results from his side.
Routledge, recalled to the starting line-up, was Palace's spark. The 17-year-old fired a low shot past Neil Alexander for his first goal of the season following good work from Danny Butterfield on the right.
Routledge then capped an excellent performance with the perfect cross into the six-yard box for Shipperley who got in front of Alexander to put Palace in the driving seat.
Boland tried too hard to stop Routledge and kicked out at the youngster no doubt in frustration and referee Clive Penton had no worry in showing him the red card.
Kavanagh pulled one back with a wonderful volley from 25 yards but it was the home side who were doing the pressing as Shipperley hit the bar and Dougie Freedman had a couple of headers flash just wide.
In the closing stages Campbell clashed with Derry and Penton once again pulled out the red card.
Penton confirmed after the game that Campbell's sending off was for attempting to strike an opponent while Boland was for kicking out but Eagles boss Kember thought the decisions were "harsh and unfortunate".