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Cardiff City 2 Crystal Palace 3: Bluebirds suffer Premier League relegation
In a thrilling contest, Crystal Palace condemned Cardiff City to an immediate return to the Championship.
Cardiff City have been relegated from the Premier League after falling to a 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Defeat for Neil Warnock's side leaves them four points behind Brighton and Hove Albion with only one game remaining – against Manchester United at Old Trafford next weekend.
Wilfried Zaha put the Eagles ahead after 28 minutes with a cool finish from 20 yards but the Bluebirds were given a lifeline when Martin Kelly put through his own net three minutes later.
They were unable to take advantage of that reprieve, however, falling behind to Michy Batshuayi's strike after 39 minutes.
Despite an improved second-half performance, which saw them go close through Josh Murphy and Kenneth Zohore, their fate was sealed when Andros Townsend added a third 20 minutes from time.
Bobby Reid netted in stoppage time but the damage had been done as Cardiff turn their attention to another season back in the Championship.
Cardiff started in blistering fashion, striking the post inside 40 seconds through Murphy's deflected strike from 25 yards.
Palace eased their way into the game, however, and forged ahead courtesy of Zaha's sixth goal in his last seven away games. The Ivory Coast international collected Townsend's pass on the edge of the penalty area, created a yard of space and drilled low past Neil Etheridge.
The hosts pulled level just three minutes later, though, when Kelly turned Leandro Bacuna's right-wing cross past Vicente Guaita, who had looked well placed to safely scoop up the ball.
Parity did not last long, Palace restoring their lead six minutes before the interval when Batshuayi lashed into the roof of the net after a flowing move had carved Cardiff's defence open.
Murphy and Zohore were punished for squandering glorious openings in the 70th minute when Townsend picked the ball up on the halfway line, cut in from the right wing and drilled a low strike in off Etheridge's left-hand post.
The Bluebirds had opportunities to mount a dramatic comeback, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing hitting the post and Junior Hoilett blazing over, before Reid eventually whipped in a fine stoppage-time strike from 20 yards - but it did little to cheer the despondent home fans.