As the top of the Premier League wheezes in its death throes, with only the safe Crystal Palace on Saturday standing in the way of an inevitable Chelsea title, it’s at the bottom where the action is as possibly seven clubs fight for survival.

Hull and Leicester, who a few weeks back looked destined for life in the Championship, have climbed out of the drop zone, leaving the North East nervously anticipating a season without a team in the top flight, with

Sunderland in the thick of the relegation dog-fight and Newcastle anxiously searching for the points to keep them safe.

Hull’s heroics in Gameweek 34 saw them beat in-form Palace 2-0 and the (formerly) Champion’s League-chasing Liverpool 1-0.

Integral to these huge wins was the Tigers’ defence, notably 31-year-old Englishman Michael Dawson (pictuerd, AFP), picked by only 1.4 per cent of managers, who was this week’s Star Man with 21 points from the two clean sheets and his winner against the Reds.

Hull’s veteran custodian Steve Harper stayed unbeaten to be the pick of the other Dream Teamers with 19 points.

Marcelo Del, manager of Azzurri Empire FC is entitled to get (ahem) Lippi after his Pirlo (apologies) of a managerial performance bagged him the $20 Cellcard phone credit with a huge 101 points .

Marcelo had Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas as captain for 16 points and two other Dream Teamers, John Terry (16) of Chelsea and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy (12).

There was no winner of the Facebook competition because Arsenal played out a goalless draw against Chelsea after the question was put as to which player would score the first goal in the game between the Boring – sorry, the Blues – and the Gunners.

Gameweek 35 will be played this weekend and the standout tie is Tottenham against Manchester City on Sunday night.