Newcastle and Norwich were the day's big winners in the Premier League on an afternoon to forget for Tottenham.
Ben Arfa beauty sets Toon on their way; Spurs slump at the Lane; Toffees run riot
Newcastle were the day's big winners in the Premier League as their home victory over Bolton moved them above Chelsea and level on points with Tottenham in fourth after Norwich City left White Hart Lane with a surprise three-point haul.
Chelsea, meanwhile, lag two points behind in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification after being held by local rivals Fulham.
Everton also had reason to smile as an emphatic second-half display saw them defeat Sunderland 4-0 after what was an instantly forgettable goalless first 45 minutes at Goodison Park.
Owen Coyle's decision to utilise Kevin Davies as a lone front man ahead of a packed middle five was always likely to manifest a war of attrition and so it ensued at St James' Park as
Newcastle struggled to break down a resolute
Bolton backline in an insipid first half.
Newcastle, so decisive on the counter-attack at Swansea on Friday, found it considerably more difficult when the roles were reversed in being charged with the task of taking the game to their visitors.
Indeed they were indebted to Tim Krul not long after the commencement of the second half as he had to be at his best to repel Chris Eagles' effort.
In such games a moment of individual brilliance is always likely to decide things and, in Hatem Ben Arfa, Newcastle have at their disposal a playmaker with few equals on his day.
On 73 minutes he showed all his class with a goal that will live long in the memories of those Newcastle fans present. A majestic turn on the halfway line had Eagles bamboozled before Mark Davies was left in his slip-stream. To be fair Bolton's backline then parted like the Red Sea but that should not detract from a memorable slalom run and composed finish that set Newcastle on their way to a fifth successive victory.
What followed had a sense of the inevitable about it as Papiss Demba Cisse etched his name on the scoresheet when substitute Shola Ameobi broke down the right and laid the ball on a plate for his strike partner to tap in his tenth goal since landing in the North East in January.
That
Tottenham had kept just one clean sheet in six home appearances prior to the visit of
Norwich would have encouraged Paul Lambert's side and there was a sense from the off that the Canaries had no intention of curbing their natural attacking inclinations.
A sense of purpose accompanied their every forward foray in an engrossing first period and there was little surprise when it was Norwich that opened the scoring in the 13th minute.
Tottenham's backline was guilty of some Keystone Cop defending as Aaron Wilbraham's infectious hustling punished first Younes Kaboul's loose touch and then Ledley King's failure to read the danger, as the ball fell fortuitously to Anthony Pilkington in the box to calmly convert his eighth Premier League goal of the season.
Norwich's inventive movement and ability to push the ball around at will drew further chances and just past the half-hour mark Grant Holt was left apoplectic when referee Michael Oliver ruled King's challenge on him in the box to be a fair one. Replays showed a tug back on the Euro 2012 hopeful should have led to a Norwich penalty and likely red card for the Spurs centre-half.
Holt and his team-mates' frustrations were exacerbated just seconds later when Pilkington had his pocket picked in the centre of the
