Arsenal maintained their push for the English Premier League title with a 2-0 win away to Bolton Wanderers on Sunday.
Goals from Spanish midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Fran Merida helped leave the third-placed Gunners just three points behind leaders Chelsea after Owen Coyle’s first match as Bolton manager ended in defeat.
The Gunners’ victory saw the “usual suspects” at the top of the table, with second-placed reigning champions Manchester United in between London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal.
PHOTO: AFP
Arsenal will go into first place, on goal difference, however, if they beat Bolton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday in a match re-arranged following the recent cold snap in Britain.
Arsenal took the lead at the Reebok Stadium in the 28th minute when Fabregas, returning from three games out with a hamstring injury, played a rapid one-two with Eduardo on the edge of the box, before shooting into the far corner.
Wanderers, who remain in the relegation zone, had chances, but their failure to equalize was punished when Merida scored 12 minutes from time.
“It is always difficult to come to Bolton and we are proud to win,” Fabregas said. “It is important to win again on Wednesday for the title race.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was full of praise for Fabregas.
“When I speak about players with more personality on the pitch, I have to talk about him. He has an authority, he scored again and was very influential,” Wenger said.
Coyle, who controversially quit as manager of top-flight Burnley to take charge of Lancashire rivals Bolton, said the result was harsh on his team.
“With what we offered to the game, on another day we could have had a positive result,” former Bolton striker Coyle said. “If we play at that level, we will pick up points in this league and we can make a game of it on Wednesday.”
Earlier, Aston Villa failed to make the most of slip-ups by their Champions League rivals in a goalless draw at home to strugglers West Ham United.
The point saw Martin O’Neill’s men stay sixth, two places outside the Champions League spots, after a Saturday when fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur were held to a goalless draw by Hull City and Manchester City lost to Everton.
“When you drop points at home it can be considered a missed opportunity, but I think this result and other ones this weekend involving teams near us in the table highlight how difficult this league is,” O’Neill said.
The draw was a boost for West Ham, lifting the London club out of the relegation zone.
Elsewhere, Blackburn Rovers moved up two positions into 12th with a 2-0 win at home to Fulham, both goals at Ewood Park scored by defenders from set-pieces.
Chris Samba opened the scoring in the 25th minute after Benni McCarthy’s corner to the near-post had been cleared off the line by Damien Duff.
South Africa’s McCarthy was also involved in League Cup semi-finalists Rovers’ second goal, after halftime, when New Zealand defender and Blackburn captain Ryan Nelsen headed in his free-kick.
Defeat for Fulham, still ninth, was made worse by US international Clint Dempsey limping off with what manager Roy Hodgson feared was a long-term knee injury to follow the expected two-month layoff for striker Bobby Zamora (shoulder).
“Clint will be scanned tomorrow [Monday], but we feel it might be a posterior cruciate knee ligament, which would be very bad for us and he would be out for a while,” Hodgson said.
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