A miserable day for Salford ended on a low as their place in the bottom four was confirmed following a 40-14 defeat to Warrington.
After the club’s salary cap appeal was turned down earlier in the day, the Red Devils needed three victories from their final three games to have any chance of a top eight spot.
And although they took the lead through Junior Sa’u, the Red Devils were in need of a stunning fightback by half-time as two tries through Ryan Atkins and one for Joe Westerman gave Warrington an 18-4 lead.
Tom Lineham’s try on his return extended the lead, and although Josh Griffin got one back for the Red Devils, tries for Westerman, Declan Patton and Matty Russell ended the contest.
Robert Lui got one back for the visitors, but it was too little too late for Ian Watson’s side, who will now fight for survival in the Qualifiers for a second consecutive year.