Chelsea closed the gap on leaders Arsenal to five points with a 4-1 win over London rivals Charlton Ath-letic on a muddy Stamford Bridge pitch in London on Saturday.
Goals from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, William Gallas and Eidur Gudjohnsen put Chelsea 3-0 up before the 40-minute mark.
PHOTO: AP
Charlton striker Jason Euell gave the visitors a toehold with a 42nd-minute penalty but after the break Chelsea's former England full-back Graeme Le Saux killed off the Addicks' revival hopes.
The result ensured Chelsea stayed third but Arsenal will once again be eight points clear of their capital rivals if they managed to beat Birmingham at St Andrews yesterday.
Charlton had taken 1-0 victories on their last two trips to Stamford Bridge but Chelsea capitalized on the visitors' errors to ensure they did not make it a hat-trick.
A dreadful pitch, which was due to be dug up after this game, hindered both sides.
Bolton Wanderers 0, Fulham 0
A draw was always on the cards at the Reebok Stadium with Wanderers having managed only two home wins in the top flight this season and Fulham just one win away.
Fulham will be happier with the point after weathering long periods of pressure. Goalkeeper Maik Taylor made a fine save from Nigerian Jay Jay Okocha's free kick, while midfielder Sylvain Legwinski cleared off the line to deny Ricardo Gardner.
Liverpool 1, Aston Villa 1
The misery goes on for Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier. His side, who topped the table from mid-October to mid-November, have now gone 11 league games without a win and are 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.
Michael Owen, restored to the starting line-up after a hamstring injury, crashed home an unstoppable first-time shot after good work from El Hadji Diouf to give the home side a 38th minute lead. It was the England striker's first league goal since Nov. 2.
Villa made a bright start to the second half with Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland denying Ian Taylor and Lee Hendrie. The visitors deservedly drew level on 49 minutes, Dion Dublin casually converting a penalty awarded for Sami Hyypia's trip on Gareth Barry.
Manchester City 2, Leeds United 1
City bounced back from their FA Cup defeat by Liverpool to end Leeds's mini revival, victory cementing a top-half place for Kevin Keegan's side after an indifferent start to the campaign.
Midfielder Eyal Berkovic's fine pass allowed striker Shaun Goater to net a 29th minute opener, his sixth goal of the season.
Danish defender Niclas Jensen added a stunning second five minutes after the re-start, netting with a first-time volley from a 50m pass, and City held on, despite a late reply from Harry Kewell.
Middlesbr 2, Southampton 2
Resurgent Southampton looked set to end Middlesbrough's unbeaten home record but Steve McLaren's battlers netted twice in the last 17 minutes to earn a draw.
Saints were cruising thanks to two goals from in-form striker James Beattie, who took his premier league tally for the season to 15 and now leads the scoring chart.
Beattie volleyed home five minutes from the break after exchanging passes with Chris Marsden, before pouncing on a poor Tony Vidmar pass to make it 2-0 on the hour with a fine first-time strike from 25 metres.
Noel Whelan began Boro's recovery on 73 minutes and a penalty from Massimo Maccarone eight minutes from time made it 2-2.
It was the Italian striker's first goal since Sept. 28.
Sunderland 0, Blackburn 0
Struggling Sunderland failed to break down Rovers but could at least take consolation from the fact that none of the other bottom five sides won.
Sunderland's luck was summed up by Jody Craddock's second-half miss, the defender blasting against the post from just 6m.
West Brom 1, Man United 3
United came from a goal down to maintain the pressure on leaders Arsenal as West Brom sank to the bottom of the table.
Albion went ahead after six minutes when midfielder Jason Koumas picked the ball up on the halfway line and ran at the United defense before unleashing a scorching 25m drive.
But the lead lasted less than 90 seconds, David Beckham picking out Ruud van Nistelrooy to poke home through the legs of Russel Hoult from close range for his 21st goal of the season in all competitions.
Paul Scholes volleyed United ahead on 22 minutes, meeting Roy Keane's cross from the byline to score from eight metres, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer crashed home a third early in the second half.
West Ham 2, Newcastle United 2
New signing Lee Bowyer was the center of attention at Upton Park but he was denied a winning debut by a late goal from Jermaine Jenas.
There were protests from anti-racist West Ham fans against Bowyer before the match following his mid-week move from Leeds.
The midfielder, cleared last year in a court case involving an attack on an Asian youth in Leeds, had a quiet game as West Ham failed to earn their first home league win of the campaign.
Newcastle striker Craig Bellamy fired the visitors ahead on nine minutes before Joe Cole equalized five minutes later and Jermaine Defoe put West Ham 2-1 up just before halftime.
Glenn Roeder's side were eight minutes from their first league win in 12 games, but Jenas spoiled the party by chesting down and volleying in an 81st-minute equalizer.
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