Fulham must wait until the end of the week at the earliest to discover whether their great escape has propelled them not only to Barclays Premier League survival, but also, improbably, to next season's Uefa Cup on account of their fair-play record.

Going into the final round of Premier League matches on Sunday, Manchester City seemed certain to be the beneficiaries of Uefa's decision to grant English clubs an additional place in next season's Uefa Cup on account of their excellent disciplinary record in European competition this term, but, after having Richard Dunne sent off in their 8-1 defeat by Middlesbrough, City are in danger of being overhauled by Fulham.

In the last confirmed standings of the Premier League's fair-play table,which were released after 36 of the 38 games, Tottenham Hotspur were top, followed by Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, City, Everton and then Fulham. Clubs are awarded points in five categories at each match.

With the other five clubs having already qualified for Europe, however, City, on 1,199 points, were expected to claim the extra spot, with Fulham eight points behind. But, with a maximum of 40 points available at each match, Fulham were issued only two yellow cards in their final two matches.

Effectively, the issue will be decided by the reports of the Premier League delegates at each match, with Denis Smith, the former Sunderland manager, presiding over City's defeat at the Riverside and Ray Graydon, the former Walsall manager, observing Fulham's victory away to Portsmouth.

The Premier League's final table is unlikely to be audited by Uefa, European football's governing body, until the end of the week and, possibly, not until the start of next week.

Fair game

— The fair-play table is determined by five categories. Teams can gain a maximum of 40 points

Red and yellow cards: 10 points

Positive play: 10

Respect for opponents: 7

Respect for officials: 7

Behaviour of officials: 6

— With two games of the season remaining, Blackburn Rovers were bottom of the table. Chelsea had the fewest number of points for “respect towards the referee”.