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Tuesday December 6, 2006

Arsenal Take The Honors In The North London Derby

While United Keep Setting The Pace At The Top Of The Table

Arsenal 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0

At Ashburton Grove, Arsenal without the injured Thierry Henry saw off north London rivals Tottenham 3-0. Emmanuel Adebayor bagged the Gunners' opener and Arsenal got a second when Pascal Chimbonda 'tripped' Tomas Rosicky and Gilberto scored from the 42nd-minute penalty. Gilberto added a third from the spot, although it was a dubious award as Jermaine Jenas was ruled to have 'fouled' Robin van Persie.

Wigan Athletic 0 Liverpool 4

At the JJB Stadium Craig Bellamy put a week of courtroom drama behind him and was on the mark twice as the Reds thrashed Wigan 4-0. Bellamy found the target in the ninth and 26th minutes. Dirk Kuyt's strike and an own goal from Lee McCulloch gave Liverpool an impressive first-half advantage which they were unable to add to in the second period.

Portsmouth 2 Aston Villa 2

At Fratton Park Portsmouth and Aston Villa saw out a 2-2 draw. Gareth Barry scored from a 37th-minute penalty after David James brought down Gabriel Agbonlahor in the box for a half-time lead, but Matthew Taylor headed an equalizer in the 52nd minute. Barry then conceded a penalty, handling the ball in the box and Taylor scored from the spot. However, Pompey's lead lasted just two minutes as Juan Pablo Angel thumped a shot which deflected into the net off Sol Campbell. Pedro Mendes was sent off in the 86th minute for a late challenge on Gavin McCann.

Reading 1 Bolton Wanderers 0

Kevin Doyle scored for the fifth consecutive game as eighth-placed Reading saw off Bolton 1-0 at the Madejski Stadium. John Oster delivered a right-footed cross and Republic of Ireland striker Doyle headed the ball back across Jussi Jaaskelainen to give the Royals a 33rd-minute lead. It proved to be the winner.

Blackburn Rovers 2 Fulham 0

Blackburn claimed their first league win since October 1 as they beat Fulham 2-0 at Ewood Park. Shabani Nonda gave Rovers the lead after five minutes and Benni McCarthy added a second in the 24th minute.

Sheffield United 2 Charlton Athletic 1

At Bramall Lane United climbed out of the bottom three with a 2-1 win against Charlton. Andy Reid scored for the Addicks in the 17th minute after Darren Ambrose's effort had been parried by Paddy Kenny. But the Blades' captain Chris Morgan headed an equalizer in the 64th minute before Keith Gillespie grabbed the winner two minutes from time.

Middlesbrough 1 Manchester United 2

In the late game on Saturday, Man Utd took advantage of Chelsea's weekend off and won 2-1 at Boro to go six points clear at the top of the EPL. Utd were ahead on 19 minutes when Cristiano Ronaldo went down as Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer dived at his feet, although replays suggested little contact had been made. Louis Saha scored from the resulting penalty. Boro leveled on 66 minutes through substitute James Morrison. But within two minutes Darren Fletcher headed home from a Ryan Giggs cross to seal victory.

Everton 2 West Ham United 0

In Sunday's game at a windswept Goodison Park, Leon Osman and sub James Vaughan scored as Everton beat West Ham 2-0. Osman hit the net with a spectacular volley shortly after the break before 18-year-old Vaughan wrapped up the points with an injury-time goal. The win lifts Everton to seventh - just one point behind third-placed Arsenal.

Manchester City 0 Watford 0

City climbed into the top half of the table as a result of this point at Eastlands and may have had all three points if it weren't for Watford goalkeeper Richard Lee who performed heroics to earn Watford a 0-0 draw. In the end the Hornets ran down the clock for a vital point which leaves them three points behind third-from-bottom Newcastle.