Brief Premier League match reports
on Saturday:
ARSENAL 3 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0
Arsenal swept to a resounding win, albeit helped by a controversial
penalty, that should settle their nerves after consecutive defeats
at Bolton and Fulham.
Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor opened the scoring in the 20th
minute, evading Tottenham's offside trap to fire past Paul
Robinson. Gilberto then converted a controversial 42nd minute
penalty, harshly awarded for Pascal Chimbonda's tackle on Tomas
Rosicky, and then scored another in the 72nd minute after Robin van
Persie was tripped from behind by Jermaine Jenas.
BLACKBURN ROVERS 2 FULHAM 0
Days after beating Arsenal, Fulham slumped to a sobering defeat by
Mark Hughes's men at Ewood Park.
Democratic Republic of Congo forward Shabani Nonda lobbed Fulham
keeper Jans Lastuvka in the sixth minute and his South African
strike partner Benni McCarthy struck the second in the 24th minute
with a deflected shot.
PORTSMOUTH 2 ASTON VILLA 2
Two goals from Portsmouth's Matthew Taylor looked to have turned
this match around after Villa's Gareth Barry converted and then
conceded a penalty at Fratton Park.
Villa went in front in the 37th minute when Pompey keeper David
James clipped wingback Gabriel Agbonlahor in the area and Barry
converted the spot kick. Portsmouth levelled in the 52nd minute
through Taylor after good work by striker Benjani Mwaruwari.
Taylor then put Pompey in front from the spot in the 80th minute
after a hand-ball by Barry, but Villa clawed back a point when
Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel pounced on a poor clearance by
Sol Campbell. A frustrated Portsmouth finished with 10 men after a
late red card for Pedro Mendes.
READING 1 BOLTON WANDERERS 0
Reading ground out another victory that moves them up to sixth in
the table after absorbing plenty of second half pressure from Sam
Allardyce's side.
Ireland striker Kevin Doyle got the winner in the 33rd minute,
heading in his eighth goal of the season, from a cross by John
Oster. Steve Coppell's men were put to the sword in the closing
stages but held out for a fourth league win on the trot that puts
the promoted club in the race for European football next
season.
SHEFFIELD UNITED 2 CHARLTON 1
United had to come from behind for a dramatic late victory in a
relegation dogfight that lifted Neil Warnock's side out of the drop
zone.
Andy Reid gave Charlton a 17th minute lead, following up from
Darren Ambrose's parried effort, but United levelled with a Chris
Morgan header from a corner. They snatched victory with a Keith
Gillespie piledriver from outside the area in the 88th minute, to
the delight of the Bramall Lane faithful.
WIGAN ATHLETIC 0 LIVERPOOL 4
A day after manager Liverpool Rafael Benitez said he hoped to see
the best of Craig Bellamy, having been cleared of assault charges
by a Cardiff court, the Welsh forward scored two and made another
in a rout at the JJB Stadium.
Bellamy finished off a long deflected ball from John Arne Riise and
repeated the feat with a Steven Gerrard through ball inside 26
minutes. He unselfishly laid the ball on for Dutch forward Dirk
Kuyt to make it 3-0 and there was still time before the break for
Wigan's Lee McCulloch to score an own goal.
Liverpool cruised through the second half to register their first
away league win of the season.
