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Fulham's Brede Hangeland and team-mate David Stockdale celebrate wildly after the final whistle. Nigel French/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Drama

Wins for Fulham and Cardiff make it a not-so magnificent seven-team battle for survival

The Cottagers got the better of Norwich in their relegation six pointer while Cardiff surprised Southampton.

THINGS HAVE TIGHTENED up at the foot of the Premier League table as relegation-threatened Fulham and second-bottom Cardiff both won to close the gap on the teams immediately above them.

Norwich may have sacked manager Chris Hughton in a bid to preserve their Premier League status but the Canaries first match under former youth coach Neil Adams left them even closer to relegation after a 1-0 defeat at Fulham.

The Canaries fell behind when Hugo Rodallega rifled the ball into the roof of a net five minutes before half-time at Craven Cottage.

Victory left Fulham still in the bottom three but saw the west London club close the gap between themselves and Norwich to just two points with four games remaining.

Cardiff meanwhile moved to within three points of safety with a shock 1-0 win away to Southampton, with Juan Cala’s 65th-minute shot from the edge of the box proving decisive at St Mary’s.

The goal came against the run of play as the home side dominated possession throughout most of the game and should have gone into half-time with a 1-0 lead after Gaston Ramirez hit the crossbar.

Cardiff keeper David Marshall denied substitute Sam Gallagher and Nathaniel Clyne superbly in the closing stages as his side gained a much needed three points.

- © AFP, 2014

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