London: Fulham and Cardiff City were relegated from the Premier League on Saturday after defeats in their penultimate games of the season left them unable to reach safety. Fulham’s 13-year run in the English top flight was ended by a 4-1 defeat at Stoke City, while Cardiff went straight back down to the Championship following a 3-0 loss at Newcastle United.
Both sides’ fates were sealed by fourth-bottom Sunderland’s unexpected 1-0 win at Manchester United, which took Gus Poyet’s side four points above Fulham and five points clear of bottom club Cardiff. Sunderland can secure their own survival by winning their game in hand at home to West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday, although they will effectively be safe if Norwich City lose at Chelsea on Sunday.
Shola Ameobi, Loic Remy and Steven Taylor scored the goals for Newcastle that condemned Cardiff to an immediate return to the second tier after their promotion from the Championship last year. Newcastle’s win ended a run of six successive defeats and came despite a mass fan walkout in the 69th minute in protest at the club’s management. Cardiff and Fulham succumbed to relegation despite both changing their managers during the campaign.
Sunderland’s success at Old Trafford, in Ryan Giggs’s second game as United’s interim manager, was their third victory in a row and followed a 2-1 win at Chelsea two weeks ago. Sebastian Larsson scored the game’s only goal on the half hour, steering in from Connor Wickham’s pass to condemn United to a 12th league defeat of the campaign; seven of which have come at home.
United’s defeat means that Tottenham Hotspur remain in pole position to secure sixth place, and with it Europa League qualification, despite having lost 0-2 at West Ham United. Tottenham centre-back Younes Kaboul was sent off in the 25th minute for a last-man foul.
