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Arsenal move two points clear after routing Tottenham

Arsenal have pulled clear at the top of the Premier League after coming from behind to beat north London rivals Tottenham 3-1 on Saturday.

The victory at White Hart Lane left Arsene Wenger's unbeaten side two points clear of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United as the upper end of the table took on a predictable look after a month of the new season.

Both Chelsea and Liverpool were held to goalless draws, by Blackburn and Portsmouth respectively, but champions United continued to recover from their shaky start to the season by racking up a third straight 1-0 victory courtesy of a late winner at Everton.

Elsewhere, there were home wins for Birmingham, Sunderland and West Ham while Wigan and Fulham shared the points in a 1-1 draw at the JJB Stadium.

Gareth Bale's superb first-half free-kick had put Tottenham Hotspur on track to claim their first derby win in eight years.

But Arsenal displayed the resilience that has been a recurring theme in their strong start to the campaign with three goals in the final 25 minutes of the match.

Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice either side of a superb Cesc Fabregas solo effort, prompting a rave review from Wenger of the way his side is "blossoming and growing."

Chelsea could count themselves unlucky to have been held by Blackburn Rovers.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho was furious after referee Howard Webb and his linesman ruled out Salomon Kalou's second half goal, even though he was clearly onside.

As well as the controversial offside decision, Mourinho's side were also frustrated by an inspired performance from Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

Sunderland put some breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over Reading that ended a run of three successive defeats for Roy Keane's side.

Kenwyne Jones marked his home debut for the club by opening the scoring just before the half hour mark and Ross Wallace doubled the lead before Dave Kitson headed in a late consolation effort for the Royals.

Dean Ashton scored for the first time since last year's FA Cup final as West Ham United climbed into the top half of the table by beating Middlesbrough 3-0.

In other games, it was: Birmingham City 1, Bolton Wanderers 0; Wigan Athletic 1, Fulham 1.
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