Arsenal head into Christmas top of the tree, while Derby remain forlornly rooted to the bottom of the table.
'Big four' all win, while Bolton, West Ham and Reading are victorious
Arsenal head into Christmas top of the Premier League tree, while Derby remain forlornly rooted to the bottom of the table.
The Gunners kicked off the weekend's action with a clash against arch-rivals
Tottenham Hotspur; and came away as
fortunate winners.
The home side rode their luck at times, with Robbie Keane hitting the bar and missing a penalty, but super sub Nicklas Bendtner stole in unmarked to hand Arsene Wenger's men a priceless triumph.
Torres treat
With Arsenal picking up three points, the pressure was on
Liverpool - who had lost two consecutive league games prior to the weekend - to deliver against a
Portsmouth side who boasted a terrific away record.
That record was blown apart though, with Fernando Torres at the heart of all things good for The Reds as Rafael Benitez celebrated a
4-1 success.
Sunderland boss Roy Keane left the Madejski Stadium red faced and frustrated after seeing his side come away
empty handed against
Reading.
With the score at 1-1, Craig Gordon clawed away Stephen Hunt's goal-bound effort, however after consulting with the linesman, referee Steve Tanner awarded Reading a goal - Keane was left aghast.
Djourou throw-in
Plaudits must go to
Bolton as their steady revival under Gary Megson continues to develop following a convincing
3-0 triumph over
Birmingham City.
In a game that will be remembered for Johan Djourou's painful naivety, Nicolas Anelka netted a cool brace to ensure The Trotters climbed up to a comforting 14th in the table.
At The Riverside,
West Ham United dented
Middlesbrough's recent flourish, with Scott Parker striking in the final minute to secure a
2-1 victory for Alan Curbishley's side.
Prior to The Hammers loss Gareth Southgate had steered his side through a turbulent few weeks, and he will be keeping his fingers crossed that his side can bounce back from their blip when they take on Birmingham on Boxing Day.
Colossal Carew
Sven Goran Eriksson's
Manchester City put a halt to some truly torrid away form as they battled hard for
a point at
Villa Park.
The two sides played out a thoroughly entertaining 90 minutes, with the powerful John Carew cancelling out Rolando Bianchi's first-half finish.
In Saturday's final three O'clock kick-off, managerless
Fulham came from behind
to draw with
Wigan.
The Cottagers will be hoping to appoint a new boss as soon as possible, with the club entering a critical period of the season.
Late goals
Manchester United got Sunday's fixtures underway aware that three points were a must in order to ensure they remained within touching distance of Arsenal.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the hero for The Red Devils as his late,
late penalty blemished
Everton's recent form.
Derby County had not tasted victory since they defeated
Newcastle in September and travelled to St James' Park already written off my most pundits.
However, The Rams rallied and were only denied at the death when Mark
Viduka struck to shatter the visitor's hearts.
Chelsea rounded off the weekend's action with a
hard-fought success against a
Blackburn side who have been unfamiliarly shaky of late.
Joe Cole's excellent goal was enough for The Blues as they responded to their loss to Arsenal last weekend.
