Premiership round-up: Chelsea extended their lead at the top of the Barclays Premiership to 15 points as second-placed Manchester United were beaten 4-3 at Blackburn.
The champions were held 1-1 at Villa Park despite taking the lead through Arjen Robben, who fired past Thomas Sorensen after Joe Cole had chested down William Gallas’ cross.
Villa equalised on 77 minutes, Luke Moore credited with the final touch after Glen Johnson had almost turned Mark Delaney’s cross into his own net.
David Bentley was Blackburn’s hat-trick hero in an action-packed game at Ewood Park which saw Rio Ferdinand sent off. The former Arsenal player’s first goal was quickly cancelled out by Louis Saha, but he put the home side ahead again on 41 minutes.
Ferdinand’s bizarre back header left Edwin Van der Sar stranded and Bentley was credited with the final touch as he battled Wes Brown for the loose ball. Brown was then penalised for handball just before the interval, Lucas Neill coolly converting from the penalty spot.
Two Ruud van Nistelrooy goals in the space of five second-half minutes ensured a frantic finish but Rovers held on as Ferdinand’s misery was completed by collecting two yellow cards in the space of three minutes.
Arsenal’s season went from bad to worse as West Ham recorded a shock 3-2 win at Highbury. The Gunners, knocked out of both cup competitions last week, had started brightly, but fell behind to Nigel Reo-Coker’s breakaway goal following a mistake by Sol Campbell on 25 minutes.
Former Spurs striker Bobby Zamora made it 2-0 after latching on to a long ball from defence and shrugging off Campbell before curling a shot into the far corner.
Although captain Thierry Henry pulled a goal back before half-time, Matthew Etherington’s late strike wrapped up the points despite Pires grabbing his second goal of the game in the 90th minute.
Manchester City increased the pressure on Graeme Souness with a 3-0 victory over Newcastle at Eastlands. Want-away midfielder Joey Barton was jeered everytime he touched the ball in the first half hour, even after he had helped set up Albert Riera for City’s opener.
Andy Cole powered home a superb header for City’s second and Darius Vassell killed off the game just after the hour with the third for Stuart Pearce’s side.
Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw against 10-man Birmingham as Robbie Fowler made a sensational return to Anfield. Fowler looked to have snatched an amazing winner with an overhead kick in stoppage time but his effort was correctly ruled out for offside.
The key moment of the match came in the 27th minute when Damien Johnson received a straight red card for a foul on Agger. Johnson’s foot caught Agger on the knee as they both threw themselves at the ball.
Referee Uriah Rennie was only a few feet away and had no doubt about the decision, despite Birmingham protests.
Steven Gerrard put the home side ahead from Fernando Morientes’ cross on 62 minutes - just seconds before Fowler replaced Peter Crouch - but Xabi Alonso chested an Emile Heskey header past his own goalkeeper with just two minutes remaining.
Khalilou Fadiga missed a first half penalty but then netted with a fortunate 69th-minute free-kick for his first goal of the season to seemingly set up Bolton for their latest win and destroy Portsmouth’s brand new world at Fratton Park.
But Harry Redknapp’s Pompey, who started with two new players among the nine who have signed for them in January, picked up a precious Barclays Premiership survival point.
Substitute Azar Karadas, signed by previous boss Alain Perrin on loan from Benfica, volleyed a dramatic 84th minute equaliser from Wayne Routledge’s cross.
