Blackpool 1-3 Arsenal

Arsenal reduced the gap with leaders Manchester United to seven points with a solid win at Blackpool.




Robin van Persie killed off a Blackpool fightback as Arsenal kept their slender Barclays Premier League title hopes alive.

Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Eboue put Arsenal into a commanding position at Bloomfield Road but Gary Taylor-Fletcher replied as relegation-threatened Blackpool played for their top-flight lives.

Taylor-Fletcher felt he was denied a penalty but Van Persie made victory safe for Arsenal after 76 minutes.

An in-depth match report will be available shortly.

Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Stoke City

Tottenham Hotspur returned to winning ways against Stoke City at White Hart Lane.




Harry Redknapp's decision to keep faith with Peter Crouch paid off as the striker scored twice against Stoke to give Tottenham their first victory in almost two months.

Despite his costly dismissal against Real Madrid, the England striker started the match and took only 10 minutes to open the scoring with a well-taken header before Luka Modric made it 2-0.

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Crouch added his second after Matthew Etherington had pulled one back for Stoke but Kenwyne Jones smashed one in off the bar to make it 3-2 just before the break.

Despite an impressive second-half performance, the Potters could not find an equaliser and Spurs were made to hold on for the narrow win.

Sunderland 2-3 West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion came from behind to seal a stunning victory at the Stadium of Light.




Paul Scharner was West Brom's hero as they eased their own Barclays Premier League relegation fears by dumping Sunderland into the mire.

The Austria international snatched all three points with a 72nd-minute strike after the visitors had twice come from behind at the Stadium of Light.

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Nicky Shorey's 10th-minute own goal had ended the Black Cats' seven-and-a-half-hour drought, but Peter Odemwingie levelled, and although Phil Bardsley restored the home side's lead, Youssouf Mulumbu cancelled it out nine minutes after the break.

Manchester United 2-0 Fulham

Manchester United eased past Fulham at Old Trafford after two first half goals.




Dimitar Berbatov netted his 22nd goal of the season when he was given the benefit of the doubt with a very tight offside decision.

Antonio Valencia doubled the lead just after the half-hour when he nodded home from close range after Aaron Hughes had tried to clear Nani's goalbound effort.

Chelsea 1-0 Wigan Athletic

Chelsea were made to work hard for a narrow victory against bottom side Wigan Athletic.




It was an often frustrating afternoon for the Barclays Premier League champions who found it tough going against the Latics.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 66th minute when substitute Fernando Torres prevented Ali Al Habsi claiming David Luiz's flick-on from Didier Drogba's corner and Florent Malouda drilled home through a crowd of players.

Bolton Wanderers 3-0 West Ham United

Bolton Wanderers enjoyed a comfortable victory at home to relegation-threatened West Ham United.




On-loan Chelsea striker Sturridge opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a superb solo effort.

Lee Chung-yong then headed a second five minutes later when he got on the end of a cross from Martin Petrov.

The home side sealed the points after 51 minutes when Sturridge drifted in from the left and got the better of Scott Parker on the edge of the area before steering a shot beyond Rob Green.

Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Birmingham City

Relegation rivals Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City shared the spoils in a hard-fought match.

The visitors took the lead when Lee Bowyer headed home Cameron Jerome's cross in the 32nd minute.

But an injury to Roger Johnson meant a long period of stoppage time at the end of the first half and David Hoilett took advantage with an opportunist equaliser.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-3 Everton

Wolverhampton Wanderers' relegation fears increased with a comprehensive home defeat by Everton.




Wolves started brightly but the match turned after the visitors took the lead against the run of play through Jermaine Beckford after 21 minutes.

John Heitinga found Leon Osman in space out on the right and his cross picked out Beckford who got in between Christophe Berra and Richard Stearman to head past Wayne Hennessey.

Phil Neville doubled Everton's lead on 38 minutes. Hennessey managed to keep out at full stretch a misdirected header from George Elokobi from Leighton Baines' corner.

But the ball landed at the feet of Neville on the edge of the Wolves box and his rising shot flew past Hennessey into the roof of the net.

On the stroke of half-time Diniyar Bilyaletdinov made it 3-0 after latching onto a loose pass and breaking from the halfway line to hammer an unstoppable 25-yard shot into the top left corner to clinch the Merseysiders' first win at Molineux since 1982.

Gerrard out for season

Liverpool have suffered a second injury blow in three days after captain Steven Gerrard was ruled out for the season.




The England midfielder returned to training a week ago after a groin operation in early March but sustained a similar but not identical injury last Friday.

He has spent the week undergoing assessment and manager Kenny Dalglish confirmed the worst at the club's Melwood training ground on Friday morning.

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"We still don't know definitively what the problem is," said the Scot.

"We will wait to get a precise answer from the people that he has to see but he won't be involved again this season."

On Wednesday defender Daniel Agger had his campaign ended prematurely when it was confirmed he would be sidelined for at least two months with a knee tendon injury sustained in Saturday's defeat at West Bromwich Albion.

Dalglish is also without right-backs Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly (both hamstring injuries) for the next month.

Hodgson knows value of Odemwingie

West Bromwich Albion head coach Roy Hodgson says he may have to fight to hold on to star striker Peter Odemwingie.






The Nigerian forward has scored 10 goals so far this season, the second most of any player in a bottom-half Barclays Premier League team.

His performance during Albion's 2-1 win over Liverpool was particularly eye-catching, as although he failed to score, his pace and skill led him to be brought down for both penalties.

Hodgson paid tribute to Odemwingie, and was asked if he would have to brace himself for offers for the 29-year-old later in the year.

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"Perhaps, but I'll worry about that when the time comes," he said.

"Whatever happens after the season finishes I'll concern myself with at that time.

"Peter's been an excellent signing for the club.

"I knew of him at Fulham, when I was working there he was on our scouting radar.

"We were interested in him, but didn't need a centre forward at the time."

Hodgson believes that no matter how many goals Odemwingie scores this season, he will be judged by how the team performs as a whole.

The manager continued: "He'll be pleased with his season so far, but I hope he's going to agree with me that the only way he can really be satisfied is if he does well for his club and his club stays in the league."

Match preview - Mon 11th Apr

A look ahead to Monday's fixture in the Barclays Premier League.




Liverpool and Manchester City go head-to-head at Anfield on Monday.

City will be aiming to bolster their push for a Champions League place while the Merseysiders will need to get back on track following their 2-1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion.

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City have already beaten Liverpool this season winning 3-0 when the sides met at Eastlands in August.

Carlos Tevez scored twice and Gareth Barry opened the scoring as Roberto Mancini's men won convincingly.

The last two Anfield meetings between the sides have finished all-square with Liverpool winning the previous four all by a single goal.

City have not won at Anfield since their 2-1 success in May 2003 and they will need to improve on their recent away form if they are to end that record.

City have not won in their last three road trips, losing three. By contrast the Merseysiders have taken 10 points from a possible 12 in front of their own fans.

The Reds have not lost at home since Kenny Dalglish returned as manager, winning four and drawing two of their six outings.

Premier League backs cycle ride

The Premier League is supporting Arsenal legend Bob Wilson as he cycles to all 20 Barclays Premier League grounds.






Setting off on Monday 18th April, Bob will cycle to each club plus Scotland's Hampden Park, meeting old rivals along the way, as he aims to raise more than £250,000 for his charity, the Willow Foundation.

The former Arsenal and Scotland goalkeeper founded the Willow Foundation, which provides empowering and memorable special days for seriously ill 16 to 40 year olds. The charity was founded with his wife Megs in memory of their daughter Anna, who died of a rare cancer aged just 31.

Backed by the Premier League, Bob will take on the tough challenge, kicking off the 500-mile trip at Fulham's Craven Cottage on Monday 18th April then on to London clubs, Chelsea, West Ham United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, before heading to the Midlands, then the north west followed by the north east of England. Bob expects to complete his adventure in Scotland on Friday 29th April.

Testimonial for Gary Neville

Long-serving Manchester United defefender Gary Neville has been granted a testimonial match against Juventus.

Gary Neville's 18-year Manchester United career will be honoured when the Red Devils tackle Italian giants Juventus in a testimonial at Old Trafford on Tuesday 24th May.

The veteran full-back had intended to play a testimonial fixture at the start of this season but was forced to put the match back due to the impossibility of finding a suitable date.

Since then, the 36-year-old has announced his retirement.

His final match at West Bromwich Albion on 1st January saw him fortunate to escape a red card for the second time this season and it was clear the huge number of injuries Neville suffered in the latter stages of his career had taken their toll.

Those difficult last few matches will not be allowed to overshadow a fabulous career though, which began with a debut against Torpedo Moscow as a 17-year-old.

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By the time he retired, Neville had made 602 appearances for the clubhe supported all his life, won eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and the Champions League in 1999.