Liverpool missed the chance to extend their advantage as they had to settle for a draw against Arsenal.
Points shared at Emirates; Villa climb; Allardyce impact
Liverpool missed the chance to extend their advantage at the Premier League summit as they had to settle for a draw against 10-man Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
While Rafa Benitez was absent from the touchline in North London as he continues to recover from an operation to remove kidney stones, the Spaniard kept in constant contact with the bench to pass on his tactical instructions.
And despite enjoying numerical superiority for the final 28 minutes of an intriguing encounter after Emmanuel Adebayor's dismissal, the Reds never truly gained the upper hand or threatened Manuel Almunia's goal.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and Adebayor were both left fuming over the red card, with referee Howard Webb not helped by Alvaro Arbeloa's theatrical reaction to the challenge from the Togo international.
Although contact between the two was minimal at best, replays clearly showed that the Arsenal striker's boot was raised as he challenged the defender, which will doubtless have influenced Webb's decision.
Robin van Persie had given the Gunners a first-half lead with a superb strike as they threatened to continue their impressive record against the so-called 'Big Four' before Robbie Keane responded with a goal of equally high quality.
Liverpool have now drawn four of their last five matches and, although they remain strong contenders for the title, further dropped points in the second half of the season could see their wait for the top-flight crown extend into a 20th year.
Aston Villa continue their quest to upset the status quo in the Premier League and climbed into third place on Saturday with a late victory over
West Ham at Upton Park.
Martin O'Neill's men took full advantage of Manchester United's Club World Cup commitments to move above the Red Devils after James Milner's late effort took a huge deflection off Lucas Neill and looped home over the stranded Rob Green.
For Gianfranco Zola's Hammers the defeat extended their recent poor run to just one win in 12 games and they will spend Christmas only one point above the relegation places with further upheaval predicted in the January transfer window.
Turkeys
Mark Hughes' festive celebrations may also be somewhat muted with
Manchester City turning into Premier League turkeys after a last-gasp defeat at the hands of bottom club
West Brom.
For all the Abu Dhabi United Group's vast wealth, the string of top stars linked with a move to Eastlands are unlikely to be tempted by the very real possibility of future trips to Championship sides Barnsley and Ipswich when they want to be facing Barcelona and Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League.
Roman Bednar's late header ensured that while the Baggies will be bottom on 25th December, they are at least in touch with the teams above them. The Hawthorns outfit are also the only side in Premier League history to beat the drop having been bottom at this stage of the season.
Blackburn are the occupants of the third relegation place, but they too have cause for optimism after Sam Allardyce made an immediate impact on his return to football management by guiding his new club to a 3-0 victory over
Stoke City.
With Paul Ince shown the door at Ewood Park after just 17 games of his Premier League career and the club mired in a relegation battle, former Bolton and Newcastle boss Allardyce could not have asked for a better start to his reign.
Benni McCarthy's brace either side of a Jason Roberts strike put Blackburn out of sight by the 27th minute to bring an end to Stoke's four-game unbeaten run and leave Tony Pulis' men just two points clear of the bottom three.
Newcastle have managed to put some distance between themselves and the drop zone under the no-nonsense stewardship of Joe Kinnear, with substitute Damien Duff grabbing a last-minute winner against
Tottenham at St James' Park on Sunday.
The Magpies have now gone six games without defeat and back-to-back victories against Portsmouth and Spurs will give cause for optimism among the Toon Army, although striker Michael Owen's future remains in doubt with the transfer window looming large.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was left stunned by the late defeat having seen his side create the better chances after Luka Modric cancelled out Charles N'Zogbia's opener, and for all their improvement under Juande Ramos' replacement the White Hart Lane side are only a point above the relegation trapdoor.
Pole position
Sunderland claimed arguably the most impressive result of the weekend as they followed up their 4-0 home win over West Brom with a 4-1 triumph away to high-flying
Hull City.
Caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia has moved into pole position to become Roy Keane's permanent successor and clearly has the support of the Black Cats dressing room after changing the atmosphere in recent days.
Steed Malbranque was instrumental in the KC Stadium victory as he rifled home a long-range opener, while the final scoreline was a little harsh on the hosts as they folded somewhat following the late dismissal of Sam Ricketts.
But Phil Brown can reflect on a first half of the season which has exceeded all expectations with victories away to Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle and their recent 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield.
Fulham have quietly put together an unbeaten run of six games to move into the top half of the table and can also boast a defensive record which is only bettered by Chelsea and Manchester United.
The Cottagers kept their fourth clean sheet in their last five games as they triumphed 3-0 over
Middlesbrough in a clash which saw some questionable decisions by the match officials.
First, Julia Arca escaped with only a yellow card after a late, high lunge on Andy Johnson which the Fulham forward was lucky to get up from, before referee Keith Stroud awarded a penalty against Tony McMahon on the advice of his assistant after the Boro defender's clearance had hit Bobby Zamora and ricocheted back onto his arm from point-blank range.
Bolton climbed above
Portsmouth and into ninth place in the table after a blistering start helped the Trotters secure a 2-1 victory at the Reebok Stadium.
Matt Taylor returned to haunt his former club as he bamboozled Hermann Hreidarsson in the opening seconds before drilling the ball beyond David James and Ricardo Gardner then added a second with just three minutes on the clock.
Peter Crouch headed home Niko Kranjcar's exquisite left-wing cross before the break to bring Pompey back into the contest, but the FA Cup holders could not find a way past Jussi Jaaskelainen as they fought to level the scores.
Tony Adams' men have slipped somewhat in recent weeks with just one win in their last six games and will be wary of being dragged further down the table into the packed relegation scrap which is developing below them.
