Manchester City stretched their perfect home record in the Premier League to nine games on Saturday with a 4-2 win over Bolton.
With the leading clubs all in action yesterday, City climbed the standings to fourth place because Portsmouth's unbeaten home record and 11-match undefeated streak came to an end with a 1-0 loss to Tottenham.
Everton moved level with city rival Liverpool on 30 points after a 2-0 win at West Ham in another of Saturday's eight matches. It was the Toffees' second win in a week at the Hammers, continuing their longest unbeaten run for 21 years.
PHOTO: AFP
City took a seventh-minute lead against Bolton, who had lost just one of their past eight matches, when Rolando Bianchi scored from a rebound after Michael Johnson's shot was blocked.
But Bolton rallied with two goals before half-time, El-Hadji Diouf making it 1-1 with his first Premier League goal in a year and Kevin Nolan scoring from close range in the 40th.
"When I looked at the players as they were about to come out for the second half, they looked a bit like a defeated team," City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson said.
PHOTO: AP
"I said if they carry on looking like that, we would not win the game. It changed them and after that they were a lot more positive," he said.
City equalized three minutes after half-time through Dietmar Hamann's deflected shot, and Darius Vassell put City back in front in the 77th from Martin Petrov's cross.
Kelvin Etuhu rounded off the scoring in injury time with a fierce shot.
Tottenham, who are slowly climbing the standings after their worst start to a season since the 1976-1977 season, had an early goal by Steed Malbranque ruled out for offside at Portsmouth.
But Spurs managed their first away win of the season through an 81st-minute goal by star striker Dimitar Berbatov, who side-footed past goalkeeper David James after a cross by Aaron Lennon.
Although Portsmouth had not lost at Fratton Park until Saturday, they have now dropped 13 of 24 points at home.
Everton stretched their unbeaten run to 12 matches with their win at West Ham, with goals at the end of each half by Ayegbeni Yakubu and Andy Johnson lifting their side to sixth place.
Yakubu, who also hit the winning goal in Wednesday's 2-1 League Cup quarter-final victory at Upton Park, hit his ninth goal of the season in the 45th before substitute Johnson finished the Hammers off in injury time.
Last-place Derby's struggle to avoid relegation looks even tougher after a 1-0 loss to visiting Middlesbrough, with Turkey striker Tuncay Sanli scoring.
The Rams have six points, six fewer than 19th-place Wigan, who beat visiting Blackburn 5-3 helped by a hat trick by Marcus Bent.
Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz also had three goals as his team fought back from 3-0 down to level at 3-3 despite having Brett Emerton sent off in the 57th, but Bent scored in the 66th and 81st.
The home side had led through first-half goals by Denny Landzaat, Bent and Paul Scharner but Santa Cruz got a goal back in the 45th.
The striker scored again in the 50th and once more in the 61st after Emerton was dismissed.
It looked like a remarkable comeback, but Bent put Wigan back in front and then scored into an empty net from a pass by Julius Aghahowa.
Sunderland are a point ahead of Wigan after a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa took them above Fulham, who lost 1-0 to visiting Newcastle.
Birmingham and Reading drew 1-1 in Saturday's other match.
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