Newcastle boss Alan Shearer found himself back deep in relegation trouble after Mark Viduka was controversially denied a precious equaliser.

Trailing 1-0 to Fulham as a result of Diomansy Kamara's 41st-minute strike, the Australian thought he had levelled five minutes after the break to give his side a lifeline.

However, referee Howard Webb harshly chalked off his effort for a foul by Kevin Nolan on keeper Mark Schwarzer to dump the Magpies, who played the last half-hour with ten men after defender Sebastien Bassong had been sent off, back into the mire with just one game remaining in which to save themselves.

Craig Fagan scored a vital equaliser as Hull kept their hopes of beating relegation alive with a battling draw at Bolton.

Fagan cancelled out a strike from Gretar Steinsson to earn his side a point from a crucial encounter at the Reebok Stadium.

The result was enough to lift Hull out of the bottom three but the Tigers could have had more had Manucho not squandered a host of chances or Jussi Jaaskelainen been in inspired form.

There was to be no great escape for Middlesbrough as a home draw with Aston Villa all but condemned Gareth Southgate's side to the drop.

Southgate was booed off the Riverside pitch at the end of tense affair where Boro gave everything but once more fell short.

Tuncay's breathtaking overhead strike combined with results elsewhere in the relegation battlefield had given Middlesbrough some hope.

But in a match that summed up their season, a failure to finish off a sluggish Villa side led to nervousness, panic and then the inevitable equaliser by John Carew.

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