Arsenal rallied from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw with Portsmouth on Saturday, allowing Liverpool to move up to third place in the English Premier League after beating Charlton 3-0.
Portsmouth went 2-0 up with goals from Noe Pamarot and Matthew Taylor. Arsenal pulled goals back from Emmanuel Adebayor in the 58th and Gilberto Silva in the 60th.
Arsenal pushed forward but couldn't find the winner. It's now drawn five and won four of its league matches at its new stadium.
PHOTO: EPA
"We had some disappointing draws here at the start of the season -- but I cannot say that today because there was lots of quality and character in the team today," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
Portsmouth goalkeeper David James made several saves from Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas before Pamarot headed in a rebound goal in the 45th minute after David Thompson had hit the post.
Taylor's impressive volley in the 47th minute made it 2-0.
Arsenal rallied with two quick goals, both set up by Theo Walcott who replaced the injured Fredrik Ljungberg early in the match.
Adebayor, who came on as a substitute, scored in the 58th minute from the center of the penalty box and Gilberto Silva made it 2-2 from close range.
Wenger was banned from the bench after complaining about the leadup to Pamarot's goal, but sat only a few rows back in the stands.
Portsmouth striker Nwankwo Kanu and defender Sol Campbell lined up against their old club, while former captain Tony Adams sat on the Portsmouth bench. He became assistant to Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp in June.
"When you get 2-0 up you start dreaming, looking at the finishing line," Redknapp said. "But to come here and pick up a point, it's a fantastic result for us."
Liverpool won its second away game in its 3-0 defeat of relegation-threatened Charlton.
Xabi Alonso converted a third-minute penalty, earned when Djimi Traore's boot caught the head of Liverpool's Jermaine Pennant.
Craig Bellamy made it 2-0 in the 82nd minute, scoring into the bottom left corner after taking a pass from Steve Finnan. Steven Gerrard took a header from Peter Crouch to curl in Liverpool's third goal in the 88th minute.
"It was a good game, we were creating a lot of chances and had a lot of opportunities to score two or three more goals," Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said. "But we made mistakes and they could have scored."
David Bentley scored an 84th-minute winner for Blackburn at Reading. James Harper put the home side ahead in the 41st minute, scoring from the edge of the area. Benni McCarthy leveled in the 64th with a header.
Obafemi Martins scored twice for Newcastle in their 2-1 win over Watford at St James' Park -- heading into goal in the 49th minute and adding his second in the 85th. Hameur Bouazza scored for Watford in the 57th minute.
It was Martins' fifth goal in four games over the last 10 days.
Gary Speed scored the winner for Bolton at Aston Villa with a 75th-minute penalty. The spot kick was given when Villa's Stilian Petrov fouled Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka.
Sheffield United striker Rob Hulse earned his side three points at Wigan when he scored in the 45th minute.
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