Portsmouth eased its relegation worries by edging fellow struggler Fulham 1-0 at home, Gary O'Neil scoring the only goal of the game four minutes before halftime. Starting the day five points from the safety zone, Pompey now has 17 -- two fewer than 17th-place West Brom.
The day's surprise result was Blackburn's 3-0 victory at fifth-place Wigan. Morten Pedersen, Steven Reid and Craig Bellamy got the goals.
Although Middlesbrough is going strong in the UEFA Cup, it is sliding toward the relegation zone after being held 0-0 at home by Manchester City. With 21 points, Boro has only four more than next-to-last Portsmouth.
In the League Championship, Shane Long scored a late equalizer to give leader Reading a 2-2 draw at Derby County. Second-place Sheffield United beat Stoke 2-1, cutting the Royals' lead to seven points. Third-place Leeds is 11 points further back after beating Hull 2-0.
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