Chelsea under pressure after Manchester City win

Chelsea's position at the head of the Premier League is under pressure after a 2-1 Manchester City win, with United inching closer to the top.

AFP - Carlos Tevez did his old side Manchester United a favour by scoring the winner as Manchester City beat leaders Chelsea 2-1 in the English Premier League on Saturday.
  
City's win, which followed a run of seven straight league draws, cut fellow big-spenders Chelsea's lead over second-placed United, the reigning champions, to just two points.
  
Chelsea, knocked out of the League Cup in a shoot-out on Wednesday by Blackburn, suffered further penalty misery when, at 2-1 down with nine minutes left, England midfielder Frank Lampard saw his spot-kick saved by Shay Given.
  
The Londoners took an eighth-minute lead at a rain-drenched Eastlands when, from a debatable corner, the ball eventually fell to Nicolas Anelka, whose shot was saved by Given only for the rebound to hit Emmanuel Adebayor and go in for an own goal.
  
But Adebayor scored at the right end seven minutes before half-time when he struck from close range.
  
Argentina striker Tevez then delighted both Manchester clubs by firing in a 56th-minute free-kick that wrongfooted Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
  
Reigning champions United had earlier on Saturday kept the pressure on with a 4-0 victory away to West Ham.
  
United went ahead on the stroke of half-time at Upton Park when veteran midfielder Paul Scholes unleashed a ferocious 20-yard shot.
  
Midfielder Darron Gibson, who scored both United's goals in their mid-week League Cup quarter-final win over Tottenham, added a second with a right-footed shot into the top corner just after the hour mark.
  
Antonio Valencia put the result beyond doubt in the 71st minute with United's third before England striker Wayne Rooney added a fourth goal.
  
"It's always a difficult game and we had six defenders missing before the game," United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports.
  
"Then Gary Neville and Wes Brown had to come off."
  
Ferguson, reflecting on Scholes's opener, added: "It was a great goal to get at an important time."
  
Basement club Portsmouth won in the league for only the third time this season with a 2-0 victory at home to Burnley.
  
Arsenal leapfrogged North London rivals Tottenham, who play Everton on Sunday, into third place with a 2-0 win over Stoke.
  
Liverpool were held to a frustrating goalless draw away to Blackburn while  Aston Villa maintained their push for European football with a 3-0 victory at home to Hull.
  
Birmingham came from behind to beat Wigan 3-2 while Wolves defeated fellow relegation candidates Bolton 2-1.
  
Arsenal, after Cesc Fabregas's penalty was saved by Thomas Sorensem, went ahead through Russia's Andrey Arshavin.
  
But it was not until 11 minutes from time that substitute Aaron Ramsey settled the Gunners' nerves with a second goal in the 79th minute.
  
Richard Dunne, up for a corner, put Villa in front with a 13th minute shot.
  
Hull then lost midfielder Jimmy Bullard to injury at Villa Park before the hosts went 2-0 up after James Milner's cheeky lob over Hull keeper Matt Duke.
  
John Carew's 88th minute penalty made it 3-0.
  
Wigan took a 33rd minute lead though Charles N'Zogbia's curling shot.
  
But Birmingham hit back with two goals in five minutes.
  
Sebastian Larsson equalised with a free-kick just after the hour mark before Christian Benitez made it 2-1.
  
Larsson scored his second goal, another free-kick, but 3-1 to Birmingham became 3-2 when Jordi Gomez scored for Wigan a minute from full-time.
  
At Fratton Park, second-half goals from Iceland defender Hermann Hreidarsson and Ivory Coast striker Aruna Dindane, who had earlier missed a penalty, saw Portsmouth, who remain bottom, to their first win under new boss Avram Grant.
  
Victory meant Pompey closed to within two points of second-bottom Bolton and three of Wolves.
  
The south coast side's relegation rivals faced one another at Molineux where
  
defender Jody Craddock gave Wolves a third-minute lead.
  
And Wolves made it 2-0 through Nenad Milijas in the 63rd minute before Bolton's Johan Elmander netted 11 minutes from time.
  
Sunday's other match sees Fulham face Sunderland.

Date created : 2009-12-05