Birmingham 1 - 1 Fulham
Chelsea 2 - 1 Newcastle
Portsmouth 0 - 1 Middlesbrough
Sunderland 3 - 1 Bolton
Tottenham 6 - 4 Reading
West Ham 2 - 1 Man Utd
Wigan 1 - 2 Aston Villa
Everton 1 - 4 Arsenal
Sun, Dec 30:
Derby 1 - 2 Blackburn
Man City 0 - 0 Liverpool
SUMMARY:
Arsenal reclaimed top spot on the Premiership ladder with a 4-1 away win against Everton while Manchester United suffered a 2-1 defeat against what surely must be their bogey team, West Ham.
Chelsea are hot on the tails of the Red Devils with a 2-1 win over Newcastle while Liverpool were held nil-all by a gritty Man City side at the Stadium of Light and remain ten points behind the leaders, albeit with a game in hand.
The match of the weekend, however, was Tottenham's amazing 6-4 win over Reading at White Hart Lane where the rugby league like scoreline included four goals from Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov.
The visiting Reading held the lead three times in the second half after goals from Kalifa Cisse, Ivar Ingimarsson and a double from Dave Kitson, but Berbatov's strikes were the difference with Steed Malbranque and Jermain Defoe grabbing the others.
A truly amazing game and one which makes the Premier League arguably the most exciting football league in the world.
Manchester City's 100% Premier League home record was ended in dramatic fashion overnight as visiting Blackburn earned a 2-2 draw at the City of Manchester stadium.
England striker Darius Vassell nodded City ahead in the 27th minute only to see the in-form Roque Santa Cruz equalise for the visitors just a minute later.
But just minutes later, the home side found themselves ahead when Rovers skipper Ryan Nelsen slid the ball into his own net to give City the lead until six minutes from time.
Blackburn's David Bentley swung over a right-wing cross for Santa Cruz to power home his 13th goal of the campaign amid suspicions of offside. However, nearside linesman Darren Cann who had earlier raised the flag, immediately retracted his decision and proceeded to advise referee Howard Webb he had made an incorrect decision in ruling a non-active David Dunn offside.
Thus the goal from Santa Cruz stood to end Manchester City's perfect Premier League home record under former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson.
Understandably, Blackburn boss Mark Hughes was delighted with the 'brave' call of assistant referee Darren Cann.
"The flag went up very early and when you see that, you expect the goal to be chalked off," said Hughes.
"In fairness to the assistant, he was strong enough and brave enough to admit that he had made a mistake. We are grateful for that, although it was the right decision."
On the other side of the coin, City boss Eriksson felt his side were hard done by.
"Dunn was in an offside position and he tried to flick the ball but it went over him.
By being in that position, Dunn decides what our goalkeeper is going to do. Whether that is interference according to FIFA I don't know but to me it is interference. I asked the referee to explain it to me afterwards and he did say it is a big grey area." he said.
The result denied City fourth spot in the Premier League table - a position they can rectify this coming Sunday against Liverpool.
Chelsea 4 - 4 Aston Villa
Tottenham 5 - 1 Fulham
West Ham 1 - 1 Reading
Birmingham 3 - 0 Middlesbrough
Derby 1 - 2 Liverpool
Everton 2 - 0 Bolton
Sunderland 0 - 4 Man Utd
Wigan 1 - 0 Newcastle
Portsmouth 0 - 0 Arsenal
SUMMARY:
The traditional boxing day fixtures in the English Premier League saw Manchester United storm to the top of the ladder after a 4-0 thumping of Sunderland while Arsenal and Chelsea were held to draws by Portsmouth and Aston Villa respectively.
Manchester United barely raised a sweat in their demolition of Sunderland at the Stadium of Light courtesy of goals from Wayne Rooney, the in-form Cristiano Ronaldo and a brace from Louis Saha.
Meanwhile in London, Chelsea and Aston Villa played out a pulsating draw which produced eight goals and three red cards. Michael Ballack appeared to have snatched victory for Chelsea with a free-kick two minutes from time but Gareth Barry's injury-time penalty rescued a deserved draw for the visitors.
Portsmouth held Arsenal to a deserved draw at Fratton Park to deny the visitors the three points they needed to secure top spot on the Premiership ladder. Arsene Wenger's side spurned late chances to take the three points but never looked like achieving their objective in a disappointing display.
They now trail Manchester United by one point.
At Pride Park, bottom-side Derby almost held visiting Liverpool to a draw until captain fantastic Steven Gerrard bundled the ball into the goal in the dying minutes to secure three points for the Reds.
Earlier, Fernando Torres had given his side the lead with his 15th goal in 18 games but Derby leveled in the 67th minute to send Pride Park wild - the team's first goal at home for almost 500 minutes of football - when Eddie Lewis lifted a free-kick into the box from the right and it was allowed to bounce around before McEveley fired past Jose Reina.
In other matches, Tottenham thrashed a hapless Fulham 5-1 while wins were also recorded for Birmingham, Everton and Wigan.
The 2007-09 season Blackburn home shirt features the club's traditional colour of blue and white.
There are mesh panels at the underarms and shoulders with the club crest embroidered on the left chest. Manufactured by Umbro and sponsored by bet 24, the strip features Climate Control and is made using 100% polyester.
English clubs have it tough in the first knockout phase of Europe's Premier club competition with Arsenal and Liverpool drawing reigning European champions AC Milan and Serie A leaders Inter Milan respectively.
Manchester United faces a tricky tie against French champions Lyon while Chelsea has the easiest of draws against Olympiakos.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is optimistic that his young side can overcome champions Milan.
"It's an exciting draw. If you look at last season's results then it's the hardest draw because they are the champions.
"It's a big challenge but if you ask me do we have a chance to knock them out then I say 'yes'." he said.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez said his team will draw on the experience of winning the tournament in 2005 and finishing runners-up last year while Sir Alex Ferguson described Lyon, who knocked Rangers out in the group phase, as the toughest opponents they could have been drawn against.
Full draw:
Celtic v Barcelona
Lyon v Manchester United
Schalke v Porto
Liverpool v Inter Milan
Roma v Real Madrid
Arsenal v AC Milan
Olympiakos v Chelsea
Fenerbahce v Sevilla
Ties will be played on 19/20 February and 4/5 March, 2008.
Arsenal 2 - 1 Tottenham
Aston Villa 1 - 1 Man City
Bolton 3 - 0 Birmingham
Fulham 1 - 1 Wigan
Liverpool 4 - 1 Portsmouth
Middlesbrough 1 - 2 West Ham
Reading 2 - 1 Sunderland
Sun, Dec 23:
Man Utd 2 - 1 Everton
Newcastle 2 - 2 Derby
Blackburn 0 - 1 Chelsea
SUMMARY:
The thrilling London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham ended with the Gunners emerging victorious once again, but not without a huge scare.
Spurs star-man Dimitar Berbatov had cancelled out Emmanuel Adebayor's opener before earning a penalty for Robbie Keane whose spot-kick was saved by Manuel Almunia. On came Arsenal substitute Nicklas Bendtner to score the winner with his first touch to ensure that his side carries on their run of impressive results against their bitter rivals.
Liverpool bounced back from two disappointing defeats to beat in-form Portsmouth 4-1 at Anfield.
A brace from Spanish sensation Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun's opener and a Sylvain Distin own goal sealed a convincing win for the Reds. Aussie winger Harry Kewell played another great game and had a wonderful opportunity to open the scoring for his side.
Liverpool gaffer Rafa Benitez said: 'It was a great performance from the team, especially in the first half.
'We looked good and created a lot of chances."
Meanwhile, Newcastle United had Socceroo captain Mark Viduka to thank for in their dramatic 2-all draw with bottom side Derby County.
Dukes cancelled out Giles Barnes' sixth-minute opener with his fourth goal of the season on 27 minutes and struck again at the death just as it looked as though Kenny Miller's effort early in the second half would hand the Rams a double over the Magpies this season.
In other matches, Manchester United kept the heat on League leaders with a 2-1 win over in-form Everton courtesy of a Ronaldo brace. Wins were also recorded for Bolton, West Ham, Reading and Chelsea.
After a blistering start to life in the English Premiership, Liverpool's Fernando Torres talks to the club's official website about life in England and the rich vein of form he is in at the moment.
Having scored twelve goals already this season, Liverpool's record signing has settled down better than anyone would have expected for a player his age (23) in his rookie season at a new club in a foreign country.
With one goal in every 1.6 matches this season, Torres has surpassed his goal scoring exploits with former club, Atletico Madrid, by a huge margin - his record at Atletico was 82 goals in 214 league appearances.
Fernando Torres celebrates yet another goal
When asked about his brilliant form, the humble Spaniard credited his team-mates for helping him settle down at the club:
Strikers only really score goals because of the efforts of their teammates. So far I've been scoring pretty much a goal a game and I feel very lucky and happy with that. It's in a large way down to the very good teammates I have. At Liverpool we always play with a high tempo and with a good rhythm, so that helps.
He was also asked to compare about English football and the football in his native Spain and this is what he had to say:
Well, I would say football in England is better. It is more attractive than football in Spain, I would say, and certainly faster. It's more physical. The progress of the game is slower and there are a lot more fouls in Spain. The football here is more dynamic and it is more fun for the team and the individuals.
He was also flattered by the support of the Kop and despite his poor English, which is improving on a daily basis, he understands the supporter's song about him where the crowd claps and then shouts his name:
To be linked with players like Dalglish and Fowler gives me pride and great satisfaction. They were some of the greatest players in the history of Liverpool Football Club. I have just arrived and still have a long way to go, but I am proud of the association.
It is safe to say that with the amount of goals he has already scored plus the overall contribution he has made to the side this season, the rumoured £26.5 million transfer fee the Reds paid for him already looks like a bargain.
Chelsea are through to face Everton in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup after knocking out Liverpool at the quarter-final stages overnight.
With Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez showing little intent in a starting line-up that included reserve keeper Charles Itandje, youngsters Jack Hobbs and Leiva Lucas and a substitutes bench missing captain Steven Gerrard and Spanish striker Fernando Torres, it was always going to be an up-hill struggle against a near full strength Chelsea side.
Chelsea's class and experience prevailed in the second-half courtesy of strikes from Frank Lampard and Andriy Shevchenko to seal a 2-0 win for the London club.
The match was marred by a moment of madness from England striker Peter Crouch who was red-carded for a two-footed lunge on Mikel John Obi shortly after Lampard's opener in the 59th minute.
Crouch will now miss Liverpool's home clash with Portsmouth and the visits to Derby and Manchester City over the festive period.
In the other draw, bitter London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham will battle it out for a place in the final.
Arsenal's classy youngsters and and ten-man Tottenham advanced through to the semi-finals of the Carling Cup overnight with wins over Blackburn and Manchester City respectively.
Fielding an entire reserve side, Arsene Wenger's team of youngsters look set to emulate last season's runners-up with a gritty extra time win over Blackburn. The visitors started sensationally and took a 2-0 lead through Abou Diaby's volley and Eduardo's low finish.
The home side returned fire with a brace from the classy Roque Santa Cruz but Arsenal striker Eduardo slotted the winner in extra time to send the Gunners into the semi-final despite losing Denilson to a red card at the end of normal time.
Meanwhile, at the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester City's proud 100% home record under Sven Goran Eriksson was ended by ten-man Spurs courtesy of goals from England striker Jermain Defoe and Steed Malbranque.
Tottenham were reduced to 10 men as early as the 21st minute when Zokora was sent off by referee Steve Bennett for a lunge at Elano with the score at 1-0 to the visitors.
Understandably, Spurs were soon on the back foot but dug deep to hold off the attacking Manchester City to seal the win in the 82nd minute with Malbranque's strike.
Provided that both Arsenal and Tottenham progress through to the finals, we shall witness an interesting clash between London's most bitter rivals.
As widely expect, AC Milan and Brazil playmaker Kaka has won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in a glittering ceremony in Zurich overnight.
In a poll of all national coaches and captains, Kaka polled 1,047 votes - more than double that of second-placed Lionel Messi (504) and third-placed Cristiano Ronaldo (426).
Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba came fourth in the voting with 209, while 2004 and 2005 winner Ronaldinho came fifth after a rather bland season by his high standards.
The 25-year-old superstar was named European player of the year earlier this month and this latest accolade caps off a remarkable year for the talented attacking midfielder who led his club side AC Milan to Champions League glory in 2007, scoring 10 goals in the process.
Kaka becomes the fifth Brazilian - after Romario, Ronaldo (3), Rivaldo and Ronaldinho (2) - to win the prestigious award.
After receiving the award, Kaka said: "It's really special for me - it was a dream for me just to play for Sao Paulo and one game for Brazil,".
Birmingham 1 - 1 Reading
Derby 0 - 1 Middlesbrough
Man City 4 - 2 Bolton
Portsmouth 0 - 1 Tottenham
Sunderland 1 - 1 Aston Villa
West Ham 0 - 2 Everton
Wigan 5 - 3 Blackburn
Fulham 0 - 1 Newcastle
Sun, Dec 16:
Liverpool 0 - 1 Man Utd
Arsenal 1 - 0 Chelsea
Sun, Dec 16:
The Premiership 'Big Four' went head to head over the weekend with Manchester United and Arsenal coming out on top with 1-0 victories over Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
Despite dominating the match at Anfield, Liverpool failed to make any in-roads pass the United defence and were made to pay when Carlos Tevez pounced on a Ryan Giggs corner to fire home the winner late in the first half.
The win for Sir Alex Ferguson's men has left United nine points in front of their fierce north-west rivals.
Meanwhile at the Emirates, Arsenal captain William Gallas made his former club pay by heading home the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time. The Frenchman cashed in on an uncharacteristic error from Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech to give his side victory and a six-point cushion over their London rivals.
The match of the weekend - an eight-goal thriller - took place on Saturday between Wigan and Blackburn at the JJB stadium.
Marcus Bent and Roque Santa Cruz both completed hat-tricks in a pulsating match which saw Wigan throw away a three-goal lead before eventually overcoming 10-man Blackburn 5-3 to end their 14-match winless run.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Middlesbrough, Man City, Tottenham, Everton and Newcastle.
Italian Fabio Capello is all set to become the next manager of the England national football team after the English Football Association board approved his appointment subject to the successful conclusion of contract negotiations.
The contract 'negotiations' includes the small matter of Capello accepting a four-and-a-half year deal worth £6.5m PER year - or £4 a year AFTER tax.
I can't see any problem there!
The 61-year-old football manager is keen to bring his own backroom staff of three or four fellow Italians with him, including his trusted aide Franco Baldini as an assistant. The English FA, however, is keen to include an Englishman in the setup with former defender Stuart Pearce and goal-scoring legend Alan Shearer at the top of the list of candidates.
Fabio Capello is a former AC Milan, Juventus, Roma and Real Madrid coach with one of the most impressive CV's in world football today. He has won 9 league titles in 16 years as a coach, picking up silverware with all four clubs he has been in charge of.
He won the Champions League with Milan in 1994 by a 4-0 margin over Barcelona in one of the most destructive performances in the Champions League's history.
He will be charged with restoring pride in the Three Lions after the country failed to qualify for next year's Euro 2008 Championship finals under the reign of Steve McLaren and to qualify (and win) the 2010 World Cup.
Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers have failed to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League after Lyon blasted in three goals without reply to join Barcelona into the knockout stages of the competition from Group E.
Despite needing a draw to make it through, Sidney Govou's opener and a late double from Karim Benzema secured the win for the French champions. Rangers will now have the scant consolation of the UEFA Cup to look forward to.
Meanwhile in the other Group E match, Barcelona beat VfB Stuttgart with a come from behind 3-1 win at the Camp Nou. Giovanni, Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho all scored for the Spanish giants.
In Group F, Manchester United's perfect record was ended by Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. The dead-rubber match saw Sir Alex Ferguson field a team of youngsters against the Italian club yet they still managed to hold the home side to a 1-all draw.
For the second season running violence marred Manchester United's visit to the Italian capital with a 16-year-old believed to be among seven Red Devils fans requiring hospital treatment after trouble outside the stadium.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Sporting Lisbon, Fenerbahce, Inter Milan, Arsenal and FC Sevilla.
Olympiakos 3 - 0 Werder Bremen
Real Madrid 3 - 1 Lazio
SUMMARY:
English Premier League giants Liverpool booked a place in the Champions League knockout stages at the expense of Marseille with a convincing 4-0 win at Stade Vélodrome.
Knowing nothing less than a win would do, Rafa Benitez's men delivered a hearty performance through goals by captain Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres inside just 12 first half minutes to settle any nerves for the visitors. Second-half strikes by Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel sealed the emphatic win for the Reds, although the visitors could have scored even more goals, such was their dominance.
The result meant the Reds finished second in Group A behind Porto and qualified from the pool stages for the fourth year in succession. They will face a group winner in the Round of 16.
In other matches, Chelsea, who had already qualified as Group B winners, played out a bore nil-all draw with Valencia at Stamford Bridge. The result meant that the Spanish club failed to even qualify for the UEFA cup.
Meanwhile at the Bernabeu, Spanish giants Real Madrid secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League as Group C winners with a reasonably comfortable victory over Italian club Lazio.
First half goals from Julio Baptista, Raul and Robinho were enough to seal the win for the home side.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Porto, Schalke 04 and Olympiakos.
Dutchman Pim Verbeek has been named the new Head Coach of the Socceroos through to the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign by Football Federation Australia.
But what do we know about the man in charge of leading the Socceroos to South Africa in around two and a half year's time?
Not a lot. And neither does Socceroos and West Ham defender Lucas Neill, apparently.
“I only know him from googling.
“Truthfully it surprised me, it surprised me the fact that we were bandying about Jurgen Klinsmann, Gerard Houllier and Pim Verbeek never came into the equation.
“When it was announced last night and I got the message it was like not a bad surprise, oh we have got him.”
Badoom-Touche!
He recovers by saying that he had heard previous coach Guus Hiddink speak of Verbeek highly and that his vast experience in Asian football should be vital in leading Australia to the World Cup finals in 2010.
Huh? VerbEEEEEEEEEEEK?
“I know stories from the time we were together during the World Cup when (coach) Guus (Hiddink) spoke of him and he spoke highly of him.
“He is experienced in Asia and he got South Korea third in the Asia Cup and let’s face it we failed (at the Asia Cup).
“What he is going to bring is an experience in Asia and how to win games in Asia.
“When we get to the World Cup it is a world thing but at the moment we just have to focus on getting through Asia and maybe he is the best man for the job in Asia.”
According to Wikipedia, Verbeek is 51 (March 12, 1956) and has been mostly managing Dutch football clubs since 1981. He was the assistant coach of South Korea at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup and was promoted to head coach for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. He led Korea to a third-place finish thus guaranteeing them an automatic berth in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup tournament.
Now that we have this new little Pim Verbeek fact-file on Soccer.org.au, perhaps the other Socceroo members can learn more about their new head coach from Orbling?
Aston Villa 1 - 3 Portsmouth
Chelsea 2 - 0 Sunderland
Everton 3 - 0 Fulham
Man Utd 4 - 1 Derby
Newcastle 2 - 1 Birmingham
Reading 3 - 1 Liverpool
Sun, Dec 2:
Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Arsenal
Bolton 4 - 1 Wigan
Tottenham 2 - 1 Man City
Blackburn 0 - 1 West Ham
SUMMARY:
The unbeaten records of Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League this season came to an end over the weekend after surprise away losses to Middlesbrough and Reading respectively.
Boro ended their 11 match winless streak in dramatic fashion by upsetting the table-topping Gunners lifting the club out of the relegation zone and eased the pressure on manager Gareth Southgate.
The Gunner's lead at the top of the table were reduced to just a single point over second placed Manchester United as they were frustrated by the home side's work rate and resilient football that inhibited Arsene Wenger's men from playing their natural game.
The Gunners have now picked up just 1 point out of a possible 6 from their last two games.
A Liverpool side with one eye on the mid-week Champions League clash with Marseille allowed Reading a taste of victory against one of the "Big 4's" at the Madejski Stadium.
Goals from Stephen Hunt (penalty) and second-half strikes from Kevin Doyle and James Harper gave the home side a famous 3-1 win over their illustrious opponents. Captain Steven Gerrard had equalised Hunt's penalty, but could find no answer for the two second-half goals.
To Liverpool's credit, the referee appeared to have a shocking game by calling the Reading penalty incorrectly and also failed to spot two occasions when Liverpool should have been awarded spot-kicks.
The Reds will acknowledge, however, that they will need to lift their games against Marseille in mid-week to ensure qualification to the knock out stages of the Champions League.
In other matches, evergreen Ryan Giggs scored his 100th goal in Manchester United's 4-1 win over Derby and Chelsea remain hot on the heels of the leaders with a 2-0 win over Sunderland which included an admirable performance from under-fire striker Andriy Shevchenko.
Wins were also recorded for Portsmouth, Everton, Newcastle, Bolton, Tottenham and West Ham
AC Milan's Brazilian playmaker, Kaka, has won the prestigious Ballon D'Or as European Footballer of the Year for 2007.
The Brazilian, 25, was the Champions League's top scorer last season with 10 goals as he led his team to the title, beating Liverpool in Athens in the final.
"This is very special for me - it culminates an astonishing year for me," Kaka said.
The Ballon D'Or is awarded annually by France Football magazine who poll 96 prominent football journalists for their votes on who they think is that year's best player from a shortlist of 50. In the end, Kaka won by a large margin on 444 points with second placed Cristiano Ronaldo, 22, on 277 points. Barcelona's Lionel Messi came third.
World Champions Italy have been drawn in the same group as France and Holland for the European Championship finals next summer in Austria and Switzerland.
The draw is based on European qualifying so the Italians will play France in a repeat of the 2006 World Cup final in the last Group C game despite progressing from the same qualifying group. Group C is the tournament's ultimate group of death.
France coach Raymond Domenech had complained of the seeding system before the draw and he will now have a tough task to get his team through to the quarter-finals.
The draw was made at a ceremony in Lucerne, Switzerland which featured former European Championship winners such as Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, Marco Van Basten and Jurgen Klinsmann.
AC Milan 1 - 0 Celtic
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 - 2 Benfica
SUMMARY:
Scottish champions Celtic are through to the knock-out stages of the UEFA Champions League for the second season on the trot despite going down 1-0 to AC Milan at the San Siro.
Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi broke the deadlock on the 70th minute with his 63rd goal in UEFA club competitions - a new record - to seal the win, and top spot in the group, for his side.
In the opening stages, the visitors looked nervous knowing that a draw would seal their place in the next phase of Europe's premier club competition. Once the nerves had settled, Celtic were happy to sit back and hit Milan on the counter-attack but lacked the incisive cutting edge to break the Rossoneri defence.
However, the Scottish champions were stunned 21 minutes from time when Brazilian Cafu squared the ball inside the area for Inzaghi to score his record breaking goal.
Despite the loss, the Scottish side were still able to celebrate qualification after Shakhtar Donetsk's 2-1 loss to Benfica in the other Group D match.
Manchester United to returned to winning ways in the English Premier League with a home win over Fulham courtesy of a brace from newly crowned European Player of the Year runner-up, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portugese winger opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a superb snap and volley from 10 yards out that left Fulham keeper Antti Niemi with absolutely no chance.
In the second half, Ronaldo scored his 13th goal this term when he pounced on a John O'Shea cross to execute a downward header for his side's second goal of the match.
There was a chance for the United No.7 to seal his hat-trick for the club in the 79th minute after he was put clean through by Louis Saha. Flicking the ball past Niemi, he tried to leap over the keeper’s body to reach it but could not make it, and was clipped and went down. However, referee Rob Styles saw things very differently and not only did he fail to award a penalty, Ronaldo was also booked for diving - a decision that Sir Alex Ferguson felt was very harsh.
The game also marked the return of England striker Wayne Rooney from injury but this match was all about Ronaldo, who at the rate he is going at the moment, will get his long awaited hat-trick for the Red Devils sooner or later.
Chelsea 1 - 0 West Ham
Blackburn 3 - 1 Newcastle
Portsmouth 0 - 0 Everton
Reading 1 - 1 Middlesbrough
Sunderland 1 - 0 Derby
Wigan 1 - 1 Man City
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Arsenal
Sun, Dec 2:
Liverpool 4 - 0 Bolton
Tottenham 2 - 3 Birmingham
SUMMARY:
Arsenal maintained their unbeaten run and lead in the English Barclaycard Premiership with a come from behind 2-1 away win against Aston Villa.
Craig Gardner scored first on the 14th minute to give the home side the lead with his third goal of the campaign but the Gunners responded by producing a footballing masterclass for the remainder of the half with goals from Mathieu Flamini and Emmanuel Adebayor.
The second half was a much tighter affair with neither teams able to add to the scoresheet.
Chelsea moved into second place on the ladder with a gritty 1-0 win over West Ham at Stamford Bridge. While the stats show the home side dominated possession and shots on goal, in reality, the Blues seemed off colour and the contest itself was a lot closer than what the stats suggest.
It took until the 76th minute for West Ham old-boy Joe Cole to score what turned out to be the winner - a move that was contributed by Drogba and Kalou before the England midfielder rounded the keeper to fire high into the empty net.
On Sunday, Liverpool also maintained their unbeaten run in the Premier League with a thumping 4-0 win over Bolton at Anfield.
Liverpool started the match brightly and were rewarded with goals from Sami Hyypia and Fernando Torres. After the break, a Steven Gerrard penalty sealed what was a comfortable victory before Ryan Babel tapped in the fourth to send Liverpool into third place on the ladder with a game in hand on second-placed Chelsea.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Blackburn, Sunderland and Birmingham.
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