Premiership

Champions Arsenal left it until the very last minute before taking all three points at Highbury on Saturday against a Fulham side who have now won just once in their last 13 Premiership away games. Despite taking a 17th-minute lead through a Robert Pires header, Fulham drew level 12 minutes later through French Under-21 international Steed Malbranque's fifth goal in his last three games, before Arséne Wenger's side won the match courtesy of Pires's last-gasp strike, his 12th in his last 26 games for the club. Arsenal are five points better off than at this point last season.

That late intervention from Pires means that Manchester United remain six points behind their north London rivals, with a game in hand, despite becoming only the second team this season to have come away with three points from St Mary's.


 

First-half goals from Ruud van Nistelrooy, his tenth Premiership strike of the season and 25th in all competitions, and Ryan Giggs meaning that Sir Alex Ferguson's side have gone nine League games without defeat, as well as keeping their first clean sheet of the season away from home.

Chelsea stay in fourth after a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, who were delighted to end a run of no win in their last six League games at Stamford Bridge thanks to Teddy Sheringham's 299th career goal, the visitors' first in west London for five Premiership games, that was cancelled out just before the break by an exquisite Gianfranco Zola free-kick, the Italian's 12th goal of the season. Incredibly, despite drawing the game, Spurs have now gone 13 years and 25 games without a win against Chelsea.

And now level on points in fifth with the Londoners are Everton, who overcame an embattled Leeds United side 2-0 at Goodison Park for their third Premiership win in a row. A David Unsworth penalty eleven minutes after the interval put the home side in front and the win was secured 12 minutes later by Canadian international Tomasz Radzinski's ninth Premiership goal of the season.


 

Robbie Fowler's debut for Manchester City was ruined by West Bromwich Albion, whose 2-1 victory at Maine Road was not only the away sides first win on their travels in the Premiership since September, but it also moved them off the bottom of the table and this despite having striker Jason Roberts dismissed late on for violent conduct.

Replacing Albion in 20th place are Sunderland after they suffered their eighth Premiership defeat of the season at the newly-named 'Stadium of Fright' against a Charlton Athletic team that currently have the most away wins in the top-flight, Saturday's 3-1 victory being the club's sixth of the season.

Incredibly the visitors led 3-0 at the break thanks to a hat-trick of own goals, a Premiership first, in the space of seven first-half minutes and despite Kevin Phillips reducing the deficit with a late consolation penalty after missing his previous four from the spot, Alan Curbishley's side have now lost just once in their past 13 games.


 

In an equally perilous state are West Ham United after they were comprehensively outplayed by Liverpool on Sunday, losing 3-0 at Upton Park thanks to early strikes from Milan Baros, in for the rested Michael Owen, and only Steven Gerard's second Premiership goal of the season. The win was completed thanks to Emile Heskey's third League strike in a row, while also playing yesterday were Aston Villa, who in front of the television cameras beat Blackburn Rovers 3-0 to record their second successive League win in the space of five days, overtaking their opponents in the table as a result - Dion Dublin's 13th and 14th goals of the season mean that Rovers have now not won in seven games.

And finally in the battle of the two French internationals at the Reebok, Yuri Djorkaeff and Christophe Dugarry, it was the former who helped his side to what could turn out to be a vitally-important 4-2 win come the end of the season with his sides third goal of the game in front of Sam Allarydce's four new deadline day signings, who were watching from the stands. And when Delro Facey struck late on to make it two goals in the final six minutes, Bolton could celebrate ending a run of no wins in their last five Premiership games, in the process moving to within two points of their opponents who have themselves now not won in seven League matches. Earlier in this six-pointer Bolton had taken the lead thanks to Kenny Cunningham's 12th-minute own goal, only for Robbie Savage to equalise with just his second goal for Birmingham, the other coming in the reverse fixture in November. However, the home sides lead was restored just 30 seconds into the second period through Henrik Pederssen, before Clinton Morrison drew Steve Bruce's team level for the second time in the match, ending a personal run of nine matches without a goal.


Division One

In Division One, leaders Portsmouth maintained their slender two-point lead over second-placed Leicester City with their first home win since November, 3-0 over Grimsby in what was Tim Sherwood's debut for the club. And another man making his first appearance for Harry Redknapp's side, Nigeria striker Yakubu Ayegbeni, opened the scoring within four minutes of the kick-off, before further strikes via a Simon Ford own goal and Nigel Quashie (pictured) rounded off the win.

Leicester though had to wait until 13 minutes from time before breaking down a stubborn Crystal Palace, Paul Dickov's long-range strike proving the difference between the two sides, while third-in-the-table Sheffield United lost for first time in ten League games, 1-0 at Millwall, Paul Ifill's wonder strike meaning that the home side are now unbeaten in nine matches.

Nottingham Forest have closed the gap on third-placed United to four points after David Johnson's last-minute goal gave Paul Hart's men a 3-2 win at Wimbledon to stay in fourth and the final two play-off places are taken up by Reading and Wolves respectively. Former English international John Salako grabbed a brace as Reading ended a poor recent run of no wins in six by scoring five at Burnley, with new £250,000 signing from Arsenal Steve Sidwell also amongst the scorers, while Wolves scored four times at second-from-bottom Sheffield Wednesday without reply, Adam Proudlock with a double for Dave Jones's side.

And dropping out of the play-off slots are Norwich and Coventry, neither team managing to record a win on Saturday. Norwich were denied all three points by an 88th-minute Lee Mills goal for Stoke, who as a result move out of the bottom three, and Coventry lost to Watford for the second time this season, Micah Hyde with the winner two minutes after Youssef Chippo had been dismissed on his return to the Sky Blues starting eleven following two months out with injury for a deliberate handball, his second booking of the game.


Elsewhere, 43-year-old Dave Beasant made his debut for bottom-of-the-table Brighton, his 12th new club in a 24-year career, but could do nothing to stop Jorge Leitao's (pictured) tenth goal of the season for Walsall, Bradford ended Ipswich's recent good run by taking advantage of Hermann Hreidarsson's 50th-minute red card to score twice in the final 28 minutes of the game, 18-year-old striker Danny Forrest grabbing the second on his League debut.

And finally Derby, minus the departed Malcolm Christie, Chris Riggott and Danny Higginbotham, beat ten-man Rotherham 3-0, while Preston ended a run of six defeats in their last seven games to beat Gillingham 3-0 at home.


Division Two

Division Two's action got underway on Friday evening in front of the camera's when fourth-placed Cardiff entertained third-in-the-table Oldham, the game ending 1-1 after David Eyres scored late on to maintain the visitors' unbeaten away run this season.

League leaders Wigan, despite drawing a blank at home against bottom-of-the-table Cheltenham, maintained their 12-point lead at the top of the table after second-placed Crewe could also only draw, 3-3 at Gresty Road against Northampton, Steve Jones with two goals for the home side. And on a day of draws in the Second Division, fifth-placed Bristol City were held 0-0 at Blackpool, although QPR amazingly became the only side in the top-six to record a win on the weekend when they came from behind on Sunday to win 4-2 at Chesterfield.

At the bottom, Mansfield remain in the drop zone on goal difference after losing 3-1 at Plymouth, with the visitors Liam Lawrence scoring at both ends, while the side one place above Mansfield in the table, managerless Colchester, were grateful to Joe Keith's 88th-minute strike that earned his side a 1-1 at fellow strugglers Stockport, who have now gone eight games without a win.

Elsewhere, yet another own goal, this time from Port Vale's Sean McClare, handed Tranmere a 1-0 home victory, Wycombe beat Notts County 3-1 with Richard Harris scoring twice for the home side, while Barnsley and Swindon and Peterborough and Luton all fought out 1-1 draws.

 

Divsion Three

Division Three leaders Hartlepool needed a late goal from Marcus Richardson to get the better of fifth-placed Torquay in a five-goal thriller to extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points over Rushden, who could only manage a 1-1 draw live on television against bottom-of-the-table Swansea and even then they needed a 71st-minute equaliser from the head of Paul Hall to earn a point.

Fourth in the table Scunthorpe, reduced to ten men, lost 2-1 at Wrexham, Bournemouth overcame ten-man Boston 2-1 despite trailing with just a minute to go thanks to two injury-time strikes at Cherry Road and York stayed in contention for a play-off place on Sunday courtesy of a 2-1 win over Mansfield.

Elsewhere, Southend, reduced to ten men, beat Hull 3-0, Bristol Rovers went down 2-1 at home to a Carlisle side that also had a player dismissed, Richie Foran's second-half winner easing the club's relegation worries and Exeter and Shrewsbury fought out a 1-1 draw despite the home side failing to convert a late spot-kick.

The games at Middlesbrough in the Premiership, Brentford in the Second Division and Bury, Lincoln, Darlington and Leyton Orient in the Third Division were all postponed because of frozen pitches.


 

Player of the weekend: Yakubu Ayegbeni (Portsmouth)

The 21-year-old Nigeria striker made his debut on Saturday at Fratton Park for Division One leaders Portsmouth having been signed by manager Harry Redknapp during the January transfer window on loan until the end of the season from Israeli side Maccabi Haifa. Redknapp has an option to buy the player for £4.5m and judging by his electric performance against Grimsby, that may well be taken up. Ayegbeni scored within four minutes of his debut, speeding past a startled George Santos before coolly slotting home.