Javier Hernandez proved the hero as
Manchester United grabbed a late 1-0
win against Everton to further
enhance their Premier League title
bid.
- Palmer: Torres breaks his duck
Hernandez, having been foiled by
Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard on
more than one occasion in the
preceding 83 minutes at Old
Trafford, was in the right place at the
right time to nod Antonio Valencia's
pinpoint ball just inside the
scrambling American's far post -
belatedly securing all three points just
as it looked like David Moyes' resolute
side would hang on for a goalless
draw.
Sir Alex Ferguson made a number of
changes for the contest, resting the
likes of Nemanja Vidic and Ryan
Giggs ahead of the midweek
Champions League semi-final with
Schalke, while Moyes clearly set his
side out to be solid in midfield.
Despite that, United started the
brighter of the two teams, Nani firing
straight at Howard after good work
from Wayne Rooney.
At half-time Everton made changes,
with Tim Cahill and Victor Anichebe
replacing the ineffective duo of
Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Jermaine
Beckford, and they almost had the
desired effect as Jack Rodwell forced
Edwin van der Sar into a world class
save. Gradually United took back
control of the game, Hernandez
testing Howard's reflexes with a
back-post header that looked
destined for the net.
The little Mexican had his revenge
minutes later though, as the No. 19
nodded the ball inside the near post
in an almost identical situation from
Valencia's clipped cross, moving
United a step closer to Premier
League title No. 19.
Fernando Torres broke his scoring
drought as Chelsea won 3-0 against
West Ham to close the gap on Man
Utd to six points.
On a wet Stamford Bridge pitch,
Frank Lampard opened the scoring
just before half-time after a great run
and cross from left-back Ashley Cole.
Then, with West Ham close to
equalising after great chances for
Carlton Cole and Robbie Keane,
Torres replaced Didier Drogba and
opened his Chelsea account.
The £50 million Spanish striker raced
onto Nicolas Anelka's pass and, with
the ball held up in the water, turned
and hammered a left-footed shot into
the bottom of the net to finally quell
the talk of his goal drought.
He then turned provider as his
through pass found Florent Malouda,
who hammered the ball into the top
of the net from just outside the area
to give Chelsea a chance of defending
their title.
Tottenham failed to apply pressure to
Manchester City in the hunt for the
final Champions League qualifying
spot, drawing 2-2 with West Brom at
White Hart Lane. The result means
Spurs trail City by a point, having
played the extra game, but they are
still to face Roberto Mancini's men at
Eastlands.
Harry Redknapp's side, who had
Gareth Bale but no Aaron Lennon in
their starting line-up, suffered a
disastrous start on home turf, with
Peter Odemwingie handing Albion
the lead inside five minutes after
capitalising on a hamstring injury
suffered by last man Benoit Assou-
Ekotto.
Spurs were level before the half-
hour, though, thanks to a rasping
Roman Pavlyuchenko drive that took
Scott Carson by surprise, and they
then took the lead through a
landmark strike from Jermain Defoe -
his 100th league goal - midway
through the second half. The Baggies
are a difficult team to beat under Roy
Hodgson, though, and Simon Cox
came up with a contender for goal of
the month to snatch a point.
Liverpool were without Andy Carroll
for the arrival of Birmingham at
Anfield, but the Reds coped
admirably to win 5-0. Kenny
Dalglish's men are almost guaranteed
a top-six finish, now sitting five
points ahead of Everton thanks to a
Maxi Rodriguez hat-trick.
Dalglish is yet to lose a league game
at Anfield since returning as
manager, and Rodriguez gave him a
flying start, reacting first to poke
home Ben Foster's spillage after a
superb shot from Jay Spearing. It
simply was not Foster's day as he
was hopelessly exposed for
Liverpool's second, making top-
drawer saves from Luis Suarez and
Dirk Kuyt, with the Dutchman
eventually forcing the ball home at
the third attempt.
Foster was then forced off injured
before the interval, and Liverpool
continued to find the net after the
break, Rodriguez grabbing his
second following more fine work by
Suarez. The Argentine then
completed his hat-trick with 17
minutes remaining, before Joe Cole
completed the rout to move the Reds
within three points of Spurs.
Sunderland can begin to plan for
another season in the Premier
League after they snapped a four-
game losing streak, beating Wigan
4-2 at the Stadium of Light. The
result lifts the Black Cats past the
safety marker of 40 points, while
Wigan drop back into the relegation
zone.
Steve Bruce's injury-afflicted side
must have felt like the footballing
gods were conspiring against them
as Phil Bardsley and Danny Welbeck
both limped off in the opening half,
and things got worse for the hosts
when Mohamed Diame scored a
superb long-range strike.
However, Roberto Martinez's men
are yet to win back-to-back league
games under his stewardship, and
Sunderland were level within
minutes through Asamoah Gyan's
first goal in six matches. Jordan
Henderson then grabbed a crucial
second for Sunderland before the
youngster added his own second to
Stephane Sessegnon's penalty to
surely guarantee the Black Cats' stay
in the top flight.
Blackpool moved out of the
relegation zone at Bloomfield Road
despite extending their winless run to
seven matches with a 1-1 draw
against Newcastle. Ian Holloway's
men now find themselves out of
trouble on goal difference, with only
four games remaining in the season.
Peter Lovenkrands silenced the
Tangerines on 17 minutes, and
Holloway was livid on the half-hour
when he felt DJ Campbell should
have been awarded a penalty, only
for replays to prove Tim Krul had got
a crucial touch on the ball before
colliding with the Blackpool striker.
Holloway's anger did not last long,
though, as Campbell scored an
equaliser almost immediately,
converting Charlie Adam's corner,
albeit with the help of Jose Enrique,
who positioned himself two yards
behind his own goal-line.
Wolves are off the foot of the table
but still in deep trouble after they
drew 1-1 with Fulham at Molineux.
Mick McCarthy's men had lost their
previous two fixtures by a three-goal
margin, but they had the chance to
put their recent woes behind them
thanks to an early goal from Steven
Fletcher.
Fulham were much the better side in
the opening 20 minutes, but that
changed when Fletcher converted
Karl Henry's wonderful cross.
However, Andrew Johnson emerged
from the bench to restore parity,
leaving Wolves 19th in the table.
In the afternoon's other fixture, Aston
Villa played without the guidance of
the hospital-bound Gerard Houllier
against Stoke, and they came away
from Villa Park with a 1-1 draw.
Rory Delap's long throws do not
grab as many headlines as they did
in the Potters' debut Premier League
season, but it was one of his
trademark missiles that allowed
Kenwyne Jones to glance home the
opener on 20 minutes. However,
Villa were level by half-time thanks to
a stunning 18-yard header from
Darren Bent.