Reading beat Derby with some ease at Pride Park but were still relegated to the Championship after Fulham’s late victory away at Portsmouth.

The Royals needed to better Fulham’s result to stay up, but Danny Murphy’s goal condemned them to the second tier.

Reading went ahead when James Harper curled a fine shot into the top corner.

Dave Kitson converted Leroy Lita’s cross, Kevin Doyle prodded in a third and Lita powered in a late header - but it was not enough for Reading.

The visitors were cruelly relegated on goal difference - a heartbreaking end to the season for Royals fans and manager Steve Coppell.
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Derby will finish the season with the lowest number of points in Premier League history after Blackburn came from behind to earn a comfortable win.

Kenny Miller gave Derby the lead when he controlled Roy Carroll’s long pass to finish beyond Brad Friedel.

But Roque Santa Cruz levelled after Carroll failed to deal with Morten Gamst Pedersen’s long-range effort.

Bad defending led to Jason Roberts’s second-half goal while Santa Cruz’s header secured the win for Rovers.

Victory over Derby and Wigan’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa ensures Rovers keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying for Europe via the Intertoto Cup.
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Emannuel Adebayor struck a second-half hat-trick as Arsenal piled more misery on relegated Derby at Pride Park.

A ludicrous Darren Moore mistake let Nicklas Bendtner fire in the first before Jay McEveley poked in to level.

Robin van Persie chested a cross down and lashed home and then Adebayor tapped in at the back post.

Robert Earnshaw slotted in for Derby, but Theo Walcott scored a fine solo goal before Adebayor slid in a cross and then rolled home in stoppage time.
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Relegated Derby are still without a win under manager Paul Jewell as West Ham luckily found victory at Upton Park.

A weak Dean Leacock challenge allowed Hammers striker Bobby Zamora to nod home on 25 minutes but Derby, showing rare creative intent, hit back.

Tyrone Mears powered a fine equaliser over Robert Green on 65 minutes and the Rams were looking likely winners.

But substitute Carlton Cole cushioned in a close-range volley 10 minutes later to leave the visitors desolate.

With just one win all campaign, morale-sapped Derby face the prospect of becoming the first club in English league football for 109 years with such a low total of victories.

Aston Villa hammered Derby at Pride Park to plunge the relegated Rams’s season into an embarrassing new low.

Derby keeper Roy Carroll had a torrid first-half, failing to clear Ashley Young’s free-kick for Villa’s first.

John Carew drilled in seconds later before Stiliyan Petrov expertly lashed Carroll’s hideously skewed clearance into the top corner from 45 yards.

Gareth Barry slotted in after half-time then Gabriel Agbonlahor and Marlon Harewood tucked away to end the rout.