Premier League round-up:Arsenal all but secured third place in the Premier League after Champions League-chasing Manchester City held them to a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium.
Much of the pre-match hype had surrounded the return of former Gunners striker Emmanuel Adebayor, but he was left on the bench by City boss Roberto Mancini —before being introduced to resounding jeers early in the second half.
Arsenal had the better of possession, yet only tested Shay Given a couple of times before the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper was stretchered off with a suspected broken shoulder.
Hull’s two-year stay in the Premier League is effectively over after they were beaten at home by Sunderland 1-0 thanks to Darren Bent’s seventh-minute goal.
The result, coupled with West Ham’s win over Wigan, means the Tigers are six points from safety with two games left and with a vastly inferior goal difference.
It could have been different had Jimmy Bullard scored a 41st-minute penalty rather than hit a post, while both sides were reduced to ten men in first-half injury-time after an off-the-ball clash between Jozy Altidore and Alan Hutton.
Scott Parker fired West Ham a giant step towards safety with a blistering match-winner against Wigan.
Parker’s 25-yard strike settled a roller-coaster clash at Upton Park and leaves West Ham on the verge of securing their top flight status.
West Ham were a goal down after four minutes when Jonathan Spector turned Ben Watson’s corner into his own net — but they hit back with strikes from Ilan and Radoslav Kovac.
The Hammers struggled to deal with Watson’s corners all day and Hugo Rodallega profited from more poor defending to draw Wigan level.
But Parker, West Ham’s player of the season who returned to the side after a two-match ban, settled the nerves with a long-range strike.
If Burnley fail to beat Liverpool tomorrow, West Ham will effectively be safe because their goal difference is far superior to both Hull and Burnley.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake came off the bench to rescue a point for Wolves and put them on the brink of survival after a 1-1 draw against Blackburn at Molineux.
Ebanks-Blake had only been on the pitch for barely a minute when he headed home an 80th-minute centre from Stephen Ward.
It cancelled out a first-half opener from Rovers skipper Ryan Nelsen and was Wolves’ first goal in 469 minutes
On-loan striker Aruna Dindane’s brace gave Portsmouth an unlikely point against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.
Dindane’s goals came in the second half and marked a spirited response by a side already relegated.
Ivan Klasnic made the breakthrough for Bolton in the 26th minute and two minutes later Kevin Davies added a second but they faded badly.