Fulham completed their great escape with a win at Pompey, shipping Reading back to the Championship in the process.

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ROVERS MISS EUROPE AFTER BLUE SUNDAY
Brad Friedel conceded four goals as Blackburn finished their season with a 1-4 loss to Birmingham City at St. Andrews.

The Blues were going all out for a win in the hope Fulham and Reading would slip up - but other results meant Birmingham finished the game winners, yet relegated.

The Blues had won only one in six, but bettered their visitors from the off.

Friedel was at fault in letting David Murphy's dipping long-range effort squirm past him just after the half hour, but Blackburn fought back and almost scored when Stephen Kelly's last-ditch clearance denied Brett Emerton a goal after the Australian had rounded goalkeeper Maik Taylor.

Morten Gamst Pedersen leveled in the 49th minute, tapping in at close range after Jason Roberts and Roque Santa Cruz exploited a misplaced pass from Damien Johnson.

Paraguay ace Santa Cruz then spurned a golden chance to give Blackburn the lead when he directed his free header over the crossbar.

Despite the unwanted news of both their relegation rivals winning filtering through St Andrews, Birmingham went for broke anyway and banged in three goals in the final 17 minutes.

Cameron Jerome, having missed a real sitter moments earlier, half-volleyed past Friedel in the 73rd, and then added his second a minute from time as he ran on to a through-ball to side-foot into the net, Friedel only getting a hand to his shot.

Fabrice Muamba headed home unmarked in the final minute, looping the ball over a static Friedel, but the score was immaterial in the end. Birmingham's fans applauded their players but vented their anger on directors Karren Brady, David Gold and David Sullivan, who had to be escorted by police from their seats.

Blackburn finish the season a creditable seventh in the Premier League, seven points behind fifth-place Everton and UEFA Cup qualification and two behind Aston Villa and a place in the summer's Intertoto Cup.

Scoring
BIR - David Murphy 1 31'
BLA - Morten Gamst Pedersen 4 49'
BIR - Cameron Jerome 6 73'
BIR - Cameron Jerome 7 89'
BIR - Fabrice Muamba 2 90'

Line-ups
BIR - Maik Taylor; Stephen Kelly, Radhi Jaidi, Liam Ridgewell, David Murphy, Sebastian Larsson, Fabrice Muamba, Damien Johnson (Mehdi Nafti 73'), Olivier Kapo (Gary McSheffrey 87'), Mikael Forssell (Cameron Jerome 69'), Mauro Zarate

BLA - Brad Friedel; Steven Reid, Christopher Samba, Ryan Nelsen, Stephen Warnock (Benni McCarthy 81'), David Bentley, Brett Emerton, Johann Vogel (David Dunn 67'), Morten Gamst Pedersen (Tugay 67'), Roque Santa Cruz, Jason Roberts

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ROYALS RELEGATED DESPITE BIG WIN
Bobby Convey and Marcus Hahnemann will be playing Championship soccer next season as Reading were relegated from the Premier League despite an emphatic 4-0 win at Derby.

The Royals' fine victory in the end proved Pyrrhic as they slipped down a division courtesy of a weaker goal difference than Fulham.

The Royals travelled to the worst team in the division knowing a win might not be enough to keep them in the Premier League, and so it proved as a valiant effort was cancelled out by the Cottagers winning at Portsmouth.

Marcus Hahnemann went the 90, but Bobby Convey once more watched injured from the sidelines as the Berkshire club demolished their hosts in a must-win challenge. For Derby, Eddie Lewis, an old friend of Hahnemann off the field, went the distance, while Benny Feilhaber was given a rare run-out for the second half.

Following a high-octane opening from Reading, midfielder James Harper calmed his side's nerves by curling in a 15th minute effort. Leroy Lita was denied three times by Rams goalkeeper Roy Carroll as the Royals stormed into their survival task at Pride Park. In addition, the Reading striker lost three decent penalty appeals in the first 45 minutes of play.

The Royals' charge continued after the break and Dave Kitson deservedly doubled their advantage just after the hour mark, sliding in unmarked to score at the far post after Carroll had saved a long-range effort from Nicky Shorey.

Kevin Doyle, on as a substitute, put the result well beyond doubt with a 69th-minute goal, muscling into the net from inside the six-yard box after another Derby defensive calamity.

Lita himself added Reading's fourth with a bullet header in the final minute, but by then news of Fulham's goal was common knowledge and the contest in hand had become irrelevant.

Reading's fans applauded their team's gallant final day flourish, but with relegation now a grim certainty, doubts are growing about the future of their popular coach Steve Coppell. Owner John Madejski, architect of the Reading dream, hobbled away, his vision of a great club in Royal Berkshire returned to where it was in 2006, back in the Football League.

Scoring
REA - James Harper 6 15'
REA - Dave Kitson 10 61'
REA - Kevin Doyle 6 69'
REA - Leroy Lita 1 90'

Line-ups
DC - Roy Carroll; Tyrone Mears, Darren Moore, Lewin Nyatanga, Eddie Lewis, Mile Sterjovski (Marc Edworthy 46'), Robbie Savage (Benny Feilhaber 46'), Hossam Ghaly, David Jones, Emanuel Villa (Paris Simmons 63'), Kenny Miller

REA - Marcus Hahnemann, Graeme Murty, Ivar Ingimarsson, Michael Duberry, Nicky Shorey, John Oster, James Harper (Andre Bikey 86'), Marek Matejovsky (Kalifa Cisse 83'), Stephen Hunt, Leroy Lita, Dave Kitson (Kevin Doyle 66')

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TOFFEES END WITH A FLOURISH
Almost unnoticed on a day of high drama at either end of the table, Everton booked their place in next season's UEFA Cup with a 3-1 win over Newcastle at Goodison Park.

Tim Howard went the 90 as a brace from Ayegbeni Yakubu and a goal from England defender Joleon Lescott cancelled out a Michael Owen strike for Newcastle, leaving Magpies boss Kevin Keegan to ponder his opinion this week that the Premier League is a boring one.

Just short of the half hour, Manuel Fernandes' teasing free kick into a crowded box found Yakubu, who powered his header downward past Steve Harper for his 20th strike of the campaign.

Ninety seconds after the break, Joseph Yobo was adjudged to have brought down Charles N'Zogbia and Owen converted from the spot, his shot squeezing under an unlucky Howard, who had guessed right.

Everton were back in front in the 70th when Lee Carsley took a quick free kick. Fernandes again turned provider with a deft chip to the far post, where Lescott mopped up to side-foot past Harper.

The Toon keeper then excelled in denying a clean through Victor Anichebe, but went the wrong way as Yakubu casually stroked home his second and Everton's third in the 82nd, after Steven Taylor had brought down Leon Osman.

Everton finish the season in fifth place.

Scoring
EVE - Ayegbeni Yakubu 15 28'
NEWC - Michael Owen 11 47'
EVE - Joleon Lescott 7 70'
EVE - Ayegbeni Yakubu 15 (PK) 82'

Line-ups
EVE - Tim Howard; Phil Neville, Joseph Yobo (Leighton Baines 85'), Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott, Steven Pienaar, Manuel Fernandes, Lee Carsley (Jack Rodwell 90'), Leon Osman, Ayegbeni Yakubu, Victor Anichebe (Thomas Gravesen 85')

NEWC - Steve Harper; Habib Beye, Abdoulaye Faye (Claudio Cacapa 46'), Steven Taylor (Peter Ramage 90'), Jose Enrique (Kazenga LuaLua 79'), Alan Smith, Nicky Butt, Charles N'Zogbia, Michael Owen, Andy Carroll, Damien Duff

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MURPHY SAVES THE DAY FOR FULHAM
"FulhAmerica" lives to fight another season after their 1-0 triumph at Portsmouth completed a remarkable flight from relegation, a great escape which looked so unlikely a month ago.

Danny Murphy headed Jimmy Bullard's 76th minute free kick beyond the reaches of Pompey goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown and the Cottagers held out for the remaining minutes to record their fourth win in five and send Reading down to the Football League instead of them.

Clint Dempsey played 72 minutes, while Kasey Keller and Brian McBride went the 90.

Simon Davies almost beat Ashdown at his near post early on, but it was a first half of few chances as Fulham looked nervous and Portsmouth, with nothing to play for but Wembley on their minds, never looked really up for a battle.

Nevertheless, shortly before the break, a streaking Jermaine Defoe cold have broken the deadlock, but Keller was all experience in racing out to narrow the angle, forcing the Pompey forward to lift his hurried shot over him and the goal.

With Reading heading for a win at Derby, Fulham knew that just one goal would save their Premier League status, and with around a quarter of an hour to play, the Cottagers at last turned on the gas.

McBride glanced a header just wide of the upright in the 74th, and less than three minutes later, Murphy broke the deadlock by nodding Jimmy Bullard's free kick in at the far post, profiting from a lack of marking to sail unchallenged through the air to connect to the teasing serve.

Pompey, perhaps at last casting their eye to the FA Cup Final in six days, seemed to lose their zest after the goal, and for the final 10 minutes, Fulham cruised to safety.

Roy Hodgson proved his class in the end with four wins in Fulham's last five games, finally rescuing a club that had looked dead and buried. Crucially, those four wins included victories over drop rivals Birmingham and Reading.

Cottagers' boss Mohamed Al-Fayed took the acclaim of the Fulham faithful at the end, as relieved as anybody that Craven Cottage will be hosting Premier League soccer again next season.

Scoring
FUL - Danny Murphy 5 76'
 
Line-ups
PORT - Jamie Ashdown; Glen Johnson, Sylvain Distin, Noe Pamarot, Hermann Hreidarsson, John Utaka, Lassana Diarra (Sulley Ali Muntari 83'), Pedro Mendes (Sean Davis 73'), Niko Kranjcar, Jermain Defoe, Nwankwo Kanu (Milan Baros 73')

FUL - Kasey Keller; Paul Stalteri, Aaron Hughes, Brede Hangeland, Paul Konchesky, Simon Davies, Danny Murphy, Jimmy Bullard, Clint Dempsey (Erik Nevland 72'), Diomansy Kamara (Leon Andreasen 85'), Brian McBride

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HORNETS STUNG BY RED-HOT TIGERS
Jay DeMerit looks like he will be spending a second consecutive season in the Championship as Watford crashed 2-0 at home to Hull City in their Championship playoff first leg.

Veterans Nicky Barmby and Dean Windass fired the Tigers into what looks like an unassailable advantage in the first of two games to decide who makes it to Wembley and the playoff final.

DeMerit replaced Danny Shittu for the last half hour and made some telling interceptions to keep the score down, but his colleagues at the other end of the field failed to make inroads against their well-organized visitors, who out-passed the Hornets and were good value for their win.

Watford's woeful run of form has fatally continued into the postseason. The Hornets have only recorded one win in their last 15 games, and from leading the Championship early in the season, now have to summon up a Herculean effort to escape from it back to the Premier League.

It all could have turned out differently had the referee allowed Danny Shittu's fourth minute goal for Watford. The big man rose to meet Jobi McAnuff's corner and planted a firm header past Hull's Californian-born goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.

To the consternation of Vicarage Road, Leigh Bromby was blown up for pushing in the box and the goal did not stand, although TV replays later confirmed the Watford defender was innocent.

The Tigers exploited this psychological blow and snatched the lead in the eighth. Frazier Campbell lapped up Shittu's weak header and centered for Barmby to slot under Richard Lee.

Hull took a priceless two-goal away lead in the 23rd when Campbell, on loan from Manchester United, met Andy Dawson's serve with a header that came back off the crossbar and Windass pounced first to head home.

Watford were far from beaten, however, and the slippery attacker McAnuff in particular continued to pose all manner of problems for the visitors. Tommy Smith too was on song and Myhill had to be on his toes to fingertip a fizzing effort from the Watford Player of the Season over the bar on the stroke of half time.

Myhill was again the busier keeper after the restart and was saved by the bar as Shittu sought revenge for his cancelled-out goal with another powerful header. The Californian dived to tip Matt Sadler's stinging shot away and then saved from Nathan Ellington.

The Hornets were reduced to 10 men just after the hour when skipper John Eustace saw straight red for a challenge on Hull's Richard Garcia, another decision that left the home support fuming with anger.

The yellow jerseys streamed forward in search of a strike, but left dangerous spaces at the back. Garcia chipped just over the frame, Campbell drew a stunning save from Lee, Nathan Doyle hit the woodwork and Caleb Folan missed an open net for the Tigers.

Watford substitute Tamas Priskin glanced a header from a DeMerit serve inches wide of an upright late on before the final whistle confirmed the Hornets face a gargantuan task in the second leg at the KC Stadium on Wednesday.

Scoring
HC - Nick Barmby 2  8'
HC - Dean Windass 12  23'

Line-ups
WAT - Richard Lee; Lloyd Doyley (John-Joe O'Toole 73'), Danny Shittu (Jay DeMerit 61'), Leigh Bromby, Matt Sadler, Gareth Ainsworth (Tamas Priskin 73'), Lee Williamson, John Eustace, Jobi McAnuff, Tommy Smith, Nathan Ellington

HC - Boaz Myhill; Sam Ricketts, Michael Turner, Wayne Brown, Andy Dawson, Nick Barmby (Barry Fagan 64'), Ian Ashbee, Bryan Hughes, Richard Garcia (Nathan Doyle 73'), Dean Windass (Caleb Folan 68'), Fraizer Campbell

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ON THE SIDELINE
Jonathan Spector was not named to West Ham's 16 for their 2-2 draw at home to Aston Villa. The Hammers finish the season 10th in the Premier League.