West Brom closed in on their return to the Premier League with a clinical 3-0 win over Leicester.
Di Matteo's side edge closer to immediate top-flight return
West Brom closed in on an instant return to the Premier League with a clinical 3-0 win over Leicester.
The Baggies moved within touching distance of clinching an automatic promotion spot in the Championship after goals from James Morrison and a brace from Robert Koren at The Hawthorns on Good Friday.
The win sees Roberto Di Matteo's side move to within a point of leaders Newcastle after their eighth successive home victory, while Leicester's play-off hopes continue to stutter following their recent failings.
The Foxes, who took 82 minutes to register their first shot on target in the Midlands, are now just one point clear of Blackpool, who beat Scunthorpe 4-2 in the day's earlier game.
In-form Albion are now 12 points clear of third-placed Nottingham Forest, who only have another 18 left to play for, and could even be promoted on Easter Monday should results go their way over the next three days.
Having seen Jonas Olsson's header clip a post, Morrison fired the home side into the lead with a sweetly struck half volley - making him the 19th different scorer in the club's league campaign.
Koren doubled the advantage in first-half injury-time as the Foxes again failed to see off a Chris Brunt ball into the box, before grabbing his second late on, ensuring the Baggies claimed their best sequence on home soil since 1948/49.
Unhappy return
It was an unhappy return to The Hawthorns for former West Brom assistant and caretaker manager Nigel Pearson, whose side enjoyed a lot of the ball but only tested Scott Carson's goal in the last 10 minutes of the match.
And a fourth consecutive defeat means the Midlands outfit are now in real danger of falling out of the play-off places.
Former West Brom winger Lloyd Dyer was posing a big threat in the early exchanges but the hosts went close to breaking the deadlock after 17 minutes.
Brunt whipped an inswinging free-kick into the area and Olsson beat Chris Weale to the ball in the air but saw his header hit the outside of a post and bounce away for a goal-kick.
Weale then made a superb save low to his left to flick Ishmael Miller's rasping drive to safety.
Leicester's passing football was proving easy on the eye in the middle of the pitch but it was Albion who were posing the bigger threat in the final third.
And after a significant lull in proceedings it was the home side who grabbed the opener in style with 38 minutes played.
Brunt's left-wing cross was headed clear by Jack Hobbs as far as Graham Dorrans on the edge of the area and he touched the ball off for Morrison to drill home a sweet strike off the post from 25 yards.
Mountain to climb
Leicester were soon presented with a mountain to climb as the Baggies grabbed a second goal in similar circumstances.
The visitors failed to deal with yet another Brunt set-piece and Hobbs' headed clearance bounced off Andy King and fell kindly for the unmarked Koren to fire a scuffed effort into the bottom corner.
Steve Howard should have reduced the deficit shortly after the restart but the veteran striker pulled two chances wide with just Carson to beat.
Both sides were afforded half chances during the second half. Having seen Bruno Berner's handball in the area go unnoticed, it was Koren who latched on to Morrison's through-ball to round Weale and settle matters.
Leicester substitute James Vaughan was denied a consolation goal by a block on the line in the closing stages as Di Matteo watched his side move to within touching distance of an immediate return to the Premier League in what was only his 100th match as a manager.
