Premier League review:Liverpool have slipped to third after being held to a draw by Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium in a must-win game that saw Rafael Benitez remove both Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard from the pitch. Two goals from Solomon Kalou saw Chelsea past Middlesbrough and into second on goal difference.
Republic of Ireland captain Robbie Keane was a bystander for much of the game and was only introduced in place of Gerrard when debutant Mido equalised from the spot with six minutes remaining.
The Egyptian, signed on loan from Middlesbrough, sent Jose Reina the wrong way from the spot after Lucas had fouled Jason Koumas to cancel out Yossi Benayoun’s opener with nine minutes remaining.
Fernando Torres had headed against the post from Steven Gerrard’s cross before Benayoun put the visitors ahead in the 41st minute.
Javier Mascherano’s through-ball picked out the Israeli’s run and he skipped past keeper Mike Pollitt before finding the net from the tightest of angles, the ball shaving the near post on its way in.
With one eye on Sunday’s clash with Chelsea, Benitez removed Torres with 18 minutes left, but the initiative was lost and Liverpool now trail United, who have a game in hand on all their title rivals, by two.
Chelsea took control against Boro when the visitors failed to clear Frank Lampard’s corner and Kalou lashed a volley in to the roof of the net from inside the after 58 minutes.
And the Ivory Coast international sealed the win in the 81st minute with a close-range header.
At Eastlands, where Shay Given was absent ahead of his expected move to Manchester City, new arrival Craig Bellamy scored what turned out to be the winner against Newcastle United.
Shaun Wright-Phillips had opened the scoring after a neat pass from Robinho in the 17th minute and Bellamy sealed the win in the 77th, though Andy Carroll gave Joe Kinnear’s side a glimmer of hope in with seven minutes to go.
Arsenal’s faint title hopes faded even further despite Robin van Persie’s stoppage-time leveller against Everton at Goodison Park.
The Dutchman controlled Abou Diaby’s long ball on the left side of the area before crashing a fine shot inside the far post.
Tim Cahill’s towering header from Leighton Baines’ left-wing cross, which he directed back across Manuel Almunia, had given Everton a 61st-minute lead.
West Ham continued their bid for a European place with a 2-0 home win over Hull.
They missed the chance to go ahead in the 21st minute when Carlton Cole was fouled in the area. Matt Duke, preferred to Boaz Myhill in the Hull goal, dived to his left to brilliantly claw away Mark Noble’s penalty with one hand.
But the Hammers did take the lead 11 minutes later when David Di Michele fired Cole’s inswinging cross from the left into the roof of the net at the back post.
Cole doubled the hosts’ lead six minutes after the break when he stabbed the ball into an open goal after Di Michele’s angled shot from the left had come back off the near post.
Benni McCarthy made up for an earlier penalty miss with an 87th-minute equaliser to earn Blackburn a 2-2 draw with Bolton, which leaves Rovers a point above the drop zone.
The South African scrambled the ball in after Christopher Samba’s knock-down had been played across the face of goal by Jason Roberts.
McCarthy had earlier seen his penalty saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen after Stephen Warnock’s 66th-minute drive brought Rovers back into the game at 2-1.
In the first half, Ariza Makukula drove the ball across the face of goal and Matthew Taylor got to the ball ahead of Andre Ooijer at the far post to sidefoot home a 12th-minute opener.
Kevin Davies made it two 10 minutes before the break when he reacted quickest to score from close range after Rovers keeper Paul Robinson had superbly blocked his initial effort.
