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Magpies out of bottom three after vital victory

NEWCASTLE are out of the Premier League’s bottom three following a crucial 1-0 success over Crystal Palace.

Rafael Benitez’s side have been eased to 4-7 with Betfair and Sky Bet for the dreaded drop thanks to Andros Townsend’s free kick and a second-half penalty save from Karl Darlow to deny former Magpies midfielder Yohan Cabaye from 12 yards.

Newcastle head to relegated Aston Villa next before finishing up at home to Tottenham but safety is not in their own hands as Sunderland, one point inferior to their north-east rivals, have a game in hand on the Tyneside outfit.

Things were looking for bleak for the Black Cats at Stoke until Jermain Defoe scored an injury-time penalty to earn them a 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium.

Sunderland are 8-11 with Paddy Power to be relegated and Sam Allardyce will be hoping to get a decent return from their next two matches at home to Chelsea and Everton before a final-day trip to Watford.

Norwich can be backed at 1-5 to go down following a 1-0 loss at Arsenal. The Canaries host Manchester United and Watford in their next two fixtures before travelling to Everton on May 15.

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