West Ham 2-1 Middlesbrough

That sinking feeling: Boro players see their slim hopes of survival diminish fuirther as Carlton Cole opens the scoring

Middlesbrough's relegation was confirmed after Brad Jones' blunder gave West Ham a 2-1 win.

Gareth Southgate's men needed a big victory and for results to go their way but they failed to do their part, with Junior Stanislas' weak shot sneaking past Jones for the winner at Upton Park.

Carlton Cole had given the Hammers a first-half lead but Boro were given encouragement when Gary O'Neil levelled and their relegation rivals were losing.

After Stanislas struck there was a resigned attitude to Boro as their fate was sealed.

Boro's stint in the top flight lasted 11 years and included a League Cup win and a UEFA Cup final appearance - but now they are heading for tricky away fixtures at the likes of Doncaster, Blackpool and Scunthorpe.

Southgate has been undermined by a lack of goals from Brazilian flop Afonso Alves, who missed this clash through injury along with England winger Stewart Downing.

Without them, the odds were stacked against Boro winning and getting the five-goal swing they needed to overtake Hull.

The focus will now be on whether Southgate will remain as manager and whether players such as David Wheater, Downing and Tuncay Sanli will have to be sold.

Southgate is considered one of England's brightest managerial prospects but this season has not found the goals or away points required to get out of trouble.

This match summed up their problems. Southgate's young players are promising but they lacked the cutting edge needed.

Adam Johnson wasted their first opportunity, blazing over when he was given time and room at the far post. Had that gone in, Boro may have been on course for the big win they needed.

When the ball broke in the penalty area after Robert Huth challenged Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green it fell to the wrong person, with Wheater hooking it over the crossbar.

The Hammers were far more dangerous in front of goal, and Stanislas had struck the crossbar early on from 25 yards after Boro defenders jumped out of tackles.

The opener came in the 33rd minute. Luis Boa Morte held the ball up and played Herita Ilunga down the left.

The full-back's cross went between Justin Hoyte and Huth, then Cole sent the ball back in the direction it came - between the two defenders but this time into the corner of the net.

Favourable scorelines were filtering through but Boro were not putting up a fight. Something had to give so Southgate took off Tony McMahon and Julio Arca at the break, with Josh Walker and Joe Bennett coming on.

Boro were level within five minutes of the restart.

Tuncay wriggled his way into the area but resisted the temptation to shoot, instead offloading to O'Neil who found the bottom corner with an angled drive.

Parity lasted eight minutes thanks to Stanislas. Jack Collison had retrieved a lost situation with his endeavour, then got the ball back and found Stanislas 25 yards out.

The youngster was encouraged to shoot from the crowd and by Boro's defenders backing away, with his shot lacking power but squirming past Boro goalkeeper Jones.

It was a howler from Jones and he was determined to make up for it when he dived at the feet of substitute Kieron Dyer to prevent a third goal.

The Hammers went in search of another, while Boro moved centre-back Wheater up front without reward.

West Ham 0-3 Liverpool

With Manchester United playing on Sunday, Rafael Benitez's men overtook them on goal difference - but time has almost run out and they only have two matches left.

United have four games and may not need them all to secure the title, although the efforts of Gerrard has at least stretched them well into May.

The 28-year-old's goals at Upton Park took his tally to 23 for the season, with Ryan Babel adding a late third to seal the win.

Liverpool's hopes this season have been built on the firepower of Fernando Torres and Gerrard - and the pair combined after 76 seconds for the opener.

Torres, back fit after a hamstring problem ruled him out of the win over Newcastle, received the ball in midfield but was given the time to turn and pick his pass, threading ball through to Gerrard beyond the Hammers defence.

The hosts were claiming offside but James Tomkins had played Gerrard on, with the England midfielder taking the ball around Robert Green and finishing into an empty net.

Steven Gerrard scored twice against West Ham to send Liverpool top of the Premier League and keep alive their slim title hopes.

The early opener stunned the hosts, who kicked off knowing Fulham had won and Tottenham picked up a point earlier in the day in the race for the Europa League next season.

Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola believes four more points will see them secure seventh place - which will get them into Europe if UEFA grant them a club licence - and they had their moments after the setback of Gerrard's opener.

As they attempted to find a way back into the game, Diego Tristan flicked a header at goal from Mark Noble's free-kick that required Jose Reina to save.

They got a little closer just before the half-hour mark when Noble earned a free-kick on the left and swung the set-piece into the danger area. Radoslav Kovac got in front of Reina to meet the ball but his header flew over the crossbar.

Their progress was undone when Luis Boa Morte suffered a nightmare 30 seconds which resulted in conceding a penalty just before the break.

He was furious that no free-kick was given when Javier Mascherano brought him down, then chased back to own penalty area and hauled down Torres when Yossi Benayoun scooped the ball through.

Green saved Gerrard's spot-kick but the rebound fell to the Liverpool captain to tap home.

David di Michele should have pulled a goal back when he seized on a mistake by Jamie Carragher. He raced through and got his feet tangled up as he tried to take the ball around Reina.

It was a shocking miss and referee Alan Wiley rubbed salt in the wound by booking the Italian for diving.

Boa Morte was trying to atone for own his first-half error after the restart but one powerful run was ended by Fabio Aurelio, earning the full-back a caution.

Liverpool threatened to score a third, with Benayoun volleying over from Dirk Kuyt's cross and Torres looping a header just over the crossbar.

The Hammers defence looked under pressure but Matthew Upson was exposed in a different way when he received a bloody nose - the centre-back had to strip down to his underwear on the sidelines to change his kit.

Upson was among the players racing back when Liverpool broke on the hour mark, with the hosts saved by Green rushing out to block Kuyt's effort.

Benayoun then exchanged passes with Torres before shaving Green's post with a drive.

There were ironic cheers when Di Michele was taken off for Freddie Sears, as there were when Tristan put the ball in the net after clearly being offside.

The visitors were able to keep out any genuine efforts and added a third through Babel with five minutes remaining.

Kuyt crossed for his fellow Dutchman, Green saved the initial header but the rebound was tapped home.

Blackburn 1 - 0 West Ham

Neill puts his body on the line to leave Rovers frustrated

Predictably, Sam Allardyce left Ewood Park snarling about referee Chris Foy after Blackburn failed to lift themselves away from relegation trouble.

Big Sam and his pal at Hull City, Phil Brown, seem to take it in turn to berate match officials and yesterday Allardyce was fuming at West Ham's 35th-minute opener through Mark Noble.

Never mind that the goal was created with a classic series of one-touch passes, completed when Noble tucked away Diego Tristan's pass with the outside of his boot, the Rovers boss was angry that nobody had spotted Luis Boa Morte marginally offside earlier in the move.

ONE FOR ME: Keith Andrews (right) hails his leveller for Blackburn

He fumed: 'I have been angry at losing early goals this season but not today. It wasn't the fault of my players - it was the fault of the referee's assistant. With so much at stake, the officials' decisions have to be spot-on. There was no excuse for the assistant not to see the offside.'

Fortunately for the more sophisticated supporter, West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola is as charming as Allardyce is confrontational, even though his side conceded a 51st-minute equaliser to sub Keith Andrews.

'I didn't see the offside, but we also might have had a penalty when Christopher Samba pushed Kieron Dyer. It was very, very close,' twinkled the Italian.

Zola inherited a club in crisis owing to the Icelandic banking crash and an anticipated £20million pay-out to Sheffield United over Carlos Tevez, leading to a January fire sale of top players, including Craig Bellamy. But somehow they are in seventh place and looking good for the final European spot.

LAUGHING BOYS: West Ham celebrate Mark Noble's goal at Blackburn

'I hope we can have the problem of being in too many competitions next season,' he said. 'It will be a nice problem. Playing in Europe is always a fantastic experience and we will do everything we can to get there.'

West Ham's escape from Ewood Park owed more to heroic defending than the beautiful game Zola is known for. Ex-Rovers defender Lucas Neill, booed throughout by home fans on his return, will be battered and bruised this morning having got so many blocks in.

COLLECTOR'S ITEM: Kieron Dyer in action at Ewood Park

West Ham scored with a Zola-style goal when Noble started a glorious move in his own half. Boa Morte may have been offside in the build-up, but what followed after was exquisite, with the Portuguese winger and Tristan exchanging passes before Noble finished with aplomb.

Allardyce's decision to introduce Andrews at half-time paid quick dividends when Morten Gamst Pedersen's long throw was headed by Herita Ilunga straight to the Rovers sub, who scored his first Ewood Park goal from eight yards.

Rovers might have gone on to win it but James Tomkins, Scott Parker and Neill got their bodies in the way of everything fired at them.

BLACKBURN (4-4-2): Robinson; Ooijer (Andrews 46min), Samba, Nelsen, Givet; Diouf, Mokoena, Warnock, Pedersen; McCarthy, Roberts. Subs (not used): Brown, Tugay, Dunn, Khizanishvili, Villanueva, Treacy. Booked: Nelsen, Mokoena.

WEST HAM(4-4-2): Green; Spector, Tomkins, Neill, Ilunga; Noble, Parker, Kovac, Boa Morte (Lopez 79); Tristan (Payne 90), Di Michele (Dyer 82). Subs (not used): Lastuvka, Sears, N'Gala, Stanislas. Booked: Parker.

Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).

West Ham 0 - 0 West Brom

Marc-Antoine Fortune is challenged by West Ham United's Matthew Upson

Basement club West Brom failed to take advantage of an injury-hit West Ham side in a mediocre draw at Upton Park.

The Baggies had the best chances, with Jonathan Greening firing over, James Morrison seeing his shot saved and Shelton Martis hitting the bar.

West Ham rarely threatened, although both David di Michele and Savio should have hit the target with their efforts.

The home side also had centre-back Matthew Upson carried off in the first half with a leg injury.

However, it was later revealed that Upson was walking freely after being taken into the tunnel on a stretcher.

That was the only bit of good news for Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola, who watched his side produce a below-par performance.

The Baggies conjured up the best and only clear chance of the first half when Morrison was inexplicably allowed to weave into the penalty area before firing in a low shot that was saved by the feet of Robert Green.

West Ham failed to come up with anything as exciting in the West Brom box during that period, although the spritely Freddie Sears had an effort on goal blocked, while his other shot was deflected on to the roof of the net.

The Hammers cause was certainly not helped by the injury to centre-back Upson, who was replaced by Jonathan Spector.

West Ham improved slightly after the break but again failed to give Scott Carson much of a workout in the West Brom goal.

Both Di Michele and Savio, making his first start, should have tested the keeper but both fired wildly over.

West Brom wasted two good chances to punish the London side but first Greening dinked his shot over the bar from six yards and then Martis powered his header on to the bar from closer in.

Three points would have given the basement side a glimmer of hope of survival but at the end of the 90 minutes it seems Tony Mowbray's team will now need a miracle.