Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez refused to accept his side are heading for a return to the Premier League despite a 3-1 win over Huddersfield Town.
The victory leaves the Magpies 11 points clear of third-placed Town and six ahead of second-placed Brighton & Hove Albion who lost 3-0 at Nottingham Forest earlier in the day.
The victory in front of a boisterous and sold-out John Smith's Stadium saw Newcastle race into a two-goal lead in contentious fashion.
Jonjo Shelvey looked to have handled the ball before Nahki Wells was harshly adjudged to have brought down Matt Ritchie for a penalty.
Daryl Murphy then made it 2-0 when he collected Shelvey's long ball but appeared to kick it out of goalkeeper Danny Ward's grasp to slot home in the 32nd minute.
And although Aaron Mooy pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute, Newcastle substitute Dwight Gayle sealed the win in stoppage time.
But despite the comprehensive scoreline for his side, Benitez was taking nothing for granted after the game.
“It is a good result but that's all,” he said. “Huddersfield have a game in hand. That could mean the gap goes down to eight points.
“It is so difficult in this division, it has to be a case of one game at a time and there are still many games to play.”
On his side's performance to extend their lead at the top of SkyBet Championship, the 56-year old added: "I was really pleased with everyone."
"It does not matter whether you have a game plan if you don't have the players. The players gave everything.
"We have a group of players who really try. We made some mistakes but it's important we try to do our best.
"Huddersfield have some good players and we knew what to expect from this game.
"They are a good team, move the ball well and they will always keep pushing."