Sheffield Wednesday stand on the precipice of relegation to the Nationwide League after crashing to their 23rd defeat of the season this afternoon. Wednesday tamely surrendered against Coventry at Highfield Road, losing 4-1 to leave their hopes of survival now hanging by the slenderest of threads. After nine years in the top flight, the Owls went into a desperate do-or-die battle knowing they needed victory to keep their dream alive of staying in the Premiership. However once Gary McAllister scored seven minutes before the break, the result was never in doubt as the Sky Blues skipper then added a second - and his 13th of the season - in the second half, with Ysrael Zuniga and Mustapha Hadji also adding to Wednesday's woe. Gilles De Bilde grabbed a consolation for the Owls, who must beat Arsenal and Leicester in their last two games and see both Wimbledon and Bradford lose their final matches - then hoping goal difference is good enough - if they are to stay up.
Meanwhile, Wimbledon go back above Bradford on goal difference. The Bantams were still in their game at Leicester by the hour mark, but crashed 3-0, conceding all three goals in the space of nine minutes as a Matt Elliott brace - the central defender taking his tally to 11 for the season - preceded a Tony Cottee strike.
Elsewhere, Derby - who still had an outside chance of going down at the start of the day - remain in the Premier League despite being held to a goalless draw by Newcastle United at Pride Park.
Away from the basement battle, Arsenal are virtually guaranteed Champions League football next season after beating Chelsea 2-1 at Highbury. A brace either side of half time from Thierry Henry - his 10th and 11th goals in the last nine games - put the Gunners on their way, with Gustavo Poyet's late strike not enough.
Middlesbrough's Robbie Stockdale scored his first goal for the club in the 27th minute to give the Teessiders the half-time lead against Watford at the Riverside, but Darren Ward salvaged a point for the already-relegated Hornets with a 68th minute equaliser.
Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips joined an elite club by scoring his 30th Premiership goal of the season - with only Andy Cole and Alan Shearer the other two players to have reached such a prestigious mark. Phillips scored the only goal of the game at another packed Stadium of Light in the 14th minute against Harry Redknapp's fading West Ham side.
Wimbledon's destiny is now back in their hands after John Hartson scrambled a late equaliser to force a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa at Selhurst Park. The Dons looked on the brink of a ninth successive defeat as second-half goals from Lee Hendrie and Dion Dublin had overturned Ugo Ehiogu's 15th minute own goal. However Hartson, sent off at Bradford last week and facing a misconduct charge after a bust-up in the Valley Parade tunnel, went from villain to hero by coming off the bench to score the goal to move Wimbledon back out of the bottom three.
