Blackpool, Birmingham relegated on final day

Soccer Betting Lines

05/22/2011 - Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blackpool's time in the Premiership lasted just one season as the Tangerines were relegated on Sunday after a 4-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Park Ji-Sung put United in front after 21 minutes, but Blackpool rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the second half as Charlie Adam's free kick put the visitors on level terms at halftime before Gary Taylor-Fletcher put Blackpool in front in the 57th minute.

A win would have kept Ian Holloway's men in the top flight, but Anderson evened the match five minutes later for United with Ian Evatt's own goal putting Blackpool down a goal with 15 minutes to play.

A draw would have given Blackpool a chance at survival, but United's Michael Owen killed the game off with a goal 10 minutes from time.

Blackpool was unbeaten in its last four games, but the loss leaves the club one point from safety, while United ends the season as champions after posting a 18-0-1 record at home.

Tottenham 2, Birmingham 1

London, England - Roman Pavlyuchenko scored two goals, including the winner in stoppage time, as Tottenham secured fifth place in the league table and sent Birmingham down with a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Pavlyuchenko handed Spurs the lead early in the second half, but Craig Gardner's goal 11 minutes from time gave Birmingham hope of staying up.

However, Pavlyuchenko scored a second goal three minutes into stoppage time to seal the fate of the Blues.

Blackburn 3, Wolverhampton 2

Wolverhampton, England - Blackburn and Wolverhampton both avoided the drop on Sunday at Molineux Stadium even though Rovers came away from the contest with a 3-2 win.

Both teams entered the match one point clear of the relegation zone, but it was Blackburn that started quickly with first-half goals from Jason Roberts, Brett Emerton and David Hoilett.

However, Wolves rallied in the second half with goals from Jamie O'Hara and Stephen Hunt and got the right results elsewhere with Blackpool and Birmingham both losing their matches.

Wigan 1, Stoke City 0

Stoke-on-Trent, England - Hugo Rodallega's goal in the 77th minute kept Wigan in the top flight as the Latics claimed a 1-0 win over Stoke City on the final day of the season on Sunday to finish three points above the drop zone.

Wigan began the day in the bottom three, but with losses for both Birmingham and Blackpool, the Latics needed a point to stay up.

And they got more than that as Rodallega scored his ninth goal of the season by finishing off a cross from Mohamed Diame.

Manchester City 2, Bolton 0

Bolton, England - Manchester City locked up third place in the Premiership table on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.

Joleon Lescott provided the opening goal two minutes before halftime, with Edin Dzeko adding a second on the hour mark.

Bolton then had Daniel Sturridge sent off four minutes from time, leaving City with its fifth win in the last six games to secure an automatic berth in the Champions League.

Aston Villa 1, Liverpool 0

Birmingham, England - Aston Villa ended its season on a high note on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Liverpool at Villa Park.

The lone goal of the contest came from Stewart Downing in the 33rd minute, and it hands Liverpool its second successive loss to end the season after three straight wins.

Villa, meanwhile, ends the campaign with one loss in its last eight games.

Everton 1, Chelsea 0

Liverpool, England - Everton claimed a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Goodison Park on Sunday despite playing nearly 40 minutes with 10 men.

The Toffees had Seamus Coleman sent off in the 52nd minute of a 0-0 game, but Jermaine Beckford scored the game's only goal in the 73rd minute to leave Chelsea without a win in its final three games.

Fulham 2, Arsenal 2

London, England - Theo Walcott scored in the 88th minute to salvage a 2-2 draw for Arsenal at Fulham on Sunday.

Steve Sidwell put Fulham in front but had his opener canceled out quickly by Arsenal's Robin van Persie, who leveled the contest two minutes later.

Bobby Zamora restored Fulham's lead in the 55th, but Zoltan Gera received a red card for the Cottagers 15 minutes from time, allowing Walcott to tally the late equalizer.

Newcastle 3, West Bromwich 3

Newcastle, England - Somen Tchoyi's second-half hat trick helped West Bromwich rally from three goals down to claim a 3-3 draw with Newcastle at St James' Park on Sunday.

The Magpies came out strong with Steven Taylor and Peter Lovenkrands putting the hosts up two goals at halftime, while an own goal from West Brom's Jonas Olsson made it 3-0 in the opening minute of the second half.

But Tchoyi opened his account on the day in the 62nd minute, and proceeded to add goals in the 70th and 89th to claim a point for his side.

Sunderland 3, West Ham 0

London, England - West Ham's final game of the season before being relegated ended with a 3-0 defeat to Sunderland at Upton Park on Sunday.

A first-half goal from Boudewijn Zenden had the Black Cats in front before Stephane Sessegnon doubled the advantage early in the second half.

Cristian Riveros then scored in stoppage time to secure the win, leaving the Hammers without a victory in their last nine games.