Premier League round-up

United, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Everton and Chelsea all taste success

Last updated: 8th December 2007   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Premier League round-up

Giggs: 100th league goal

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Manchester United moved to within a point of Premier League leaders Arsenal with a comfortable win over Derby, while Portsmouth, Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton also recorded three-point hauls.

In the day's early kick-off Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth were too strong on their travels to Aston Villa, before at 3 o'clock Everton brushed aside Fulham at Goodison Park and Newcastle built on their impressive midweek display against Arsenal with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Birmingham.

In the evening kick-off Reading ended Liverpool's unbeaten record in the Premier League with a 3-1 win at the Madejski Stadium.

Second half goals from Kevin Doyle and James Harper gave Reading a shock victory to dent Liverpool's title hopes.

Stephen Hunt gave Reading the lead early on with a controversial penalty, but Steven Gerrard drew Liverpool level with his 50th Premier League goal for the club.

Sunderland, on their trip to the capital, fell to a 2-0 defeat against Avram Grant's Chelsea.

A rain-sodden Old Trafford awaited bottom of the pile Derby County and the weather proved to be an accurate omen for Paul Jewell and his side as they endured another miserable afternoon in falling to a 4-1 defeat.

Ryan Giggs' 100th league goal for United opened the scoring five minutes before the break, when he slotted in from close range after Stephen Bywater could only parry Cristiano Ronaldo's strike into the path of the Welshman.

Wayne Rooney saw the funny side after his clipped shot hit the post when he was clear on goal, but his manager Sir Alex Ferguson might not have, had Carlos Tevez failed to ease United into a two-goal lead at the break, as the Argentine punished some kamikaze defending in Derby's box from Ronaldo's chipped in free-kick.

In the second period it was the diminutive striker that again shone, as he added his second with an angled finish after being fed by an advanced Wes Brown.

One bright spot for Derby was Steve Howard's consolation ten minutes before the end, as he bundled in Tyrone Mears' right wing cross for Derby's first away goal of the season, but it was United that had the final say as Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot after Mears brought down the Portuguese winger.

Chelsea released a statement just before kick-off confirming Didier Drogba had gone under the surgeon's knife but against Sunderland, his replacement, Andrei Shevchenko, proved to be the man on the spot in West London.

Roy Keane's side battled hard at Stamford Bridge but when Salomon Kalou was allowed too much space out wide, Shevchenko was left unattended to dive in and head home the game's opening goal in the 22nd minute.

Any chance of a Black Cats fightback was extinguished in the second half as Frank Lampard dispatched from the penalty spot after Danny Higginbotham was adjudged to have fouled Alex. Sunderland's woes were compounded when Liam Miller was sent-off for shoving Claudio Pizarro.

Yakubu Aiyegbeni was red hot for Everton as he helped himself to a hat-trick against Fulham.

The big Nigerian opened the scoring five minutes the break when he snapped up the rebound after Antti Niemi had parried Tim Cahill's snapshot.

Yakubu made it two on the hour mark when he ghosted past his marker at the far post to nod home, after Phil Jagielka had flicked on Mikel Arteta's corner.

His hat-trick strike was the game's best as he showed all the confidence of a man in form, as he turned his marker just inside the box and slotted a fine finish past Niemi.

Cameron Jerome's second goal in as many games put Birmingham into the lead at Newcastle as he capitalised on some sloppy defending by David Rozehnal to round Shay Given and finish calmly.

The Blues striker struck in the eighth minute but by half-time Newcastle were level after Mathew Sadler was ruled to have fouled Obafemi Martins; who dusted himself down to just about beat Maik Taylor from 12 yards.

And it got better for Newcastle in the final minute as a defensive lapse from Birmingham allowed Habib Beye to steal in at a corner and flick his header past Taylor.

Away day specialists Portsmouth picked up their sixth win on the road as they beat Aston Villa 3-1 courtesy of a quintessential smash-and-grab job in the Midlands.

Portsmouth needed just ten minutes to take the lead as Craig Gardner put through his own goal under pressure from Benjani Mwaruwari.

Villa's responsive was impressive but their finishing less so as Martin Laursen, caught in unfamiliar attacking territory, twice headed wide when free in the box.

The big defender was left to rue his wastefulness when five minutes before the break, Sulley Muntari was given time and space on the edge of the box to curl a sumptuous effort past Scott Carson.

And it got better for the powerful midfielder in the second half as his stunning strike after a solo run put Portsmouth in complete control; as Gareth Barry's penalty for Villa was rendered a mere consolation.