Neither strugglers could get the three points that would have kept alive their slim hopes of staying in the top flight next season.
Both Reading and Queens Park Rangers were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday afternoon after playing out a goalless draw at the Madejski stadium.
A win for either side would have kept alive their slender chances of staying up at least until Aston Villa’s clash with Sunderland on Monday.
But both looked wracked with nerves during a goalless stalemate which condemned Nigel Adkins’ Reading and Harry Redknapp’s QPR to starting next season in the Championship.
Bottom club Reading and second bottom QPR are both nine points behind fourth bottom Aston Villa with three games remaining, but a complicated equation means there is no chance of either avoiding the drop.
If Wigan and Villa lose their next three games they will go into the final day on 32 and 34 points respectively, while back to back wins for QPR and Reading win would give them 31 points ahead of the last match.
However, with Wigan and Villa playing each other on the last weekend, only one of them could be overtaken by QPR and Reading, meaning QPR and Reading are guaranteed to be in the bottom three at the end of the season.
Later on Sunday, third placed Arsenal host champions Manchester United looking to cement their position in the top four, while fourth placed Chelsea will aim to do the same when they face Swansea at Stamford Bridge.
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