Blackburn scored their first victory in three months with a 1-0 victory over Bolton on Saturday, easing the club’s relegation fears after a prolonged slump in form. Rovers’ Swedish international defender Martin Olsson scored the decisive goal at Ewood Park after 20 minutes, lashing in a low shot from 20 yards to beat the outstretched hand of Bolton goalkeeper Adam Bogdan. Rovers’ victory — their first since January — saw the Lancashire club go three points clear of the relegation zone with three games remaining. All of the teams in the top four positions of the league were either playing later Saturday or on Sunday.
Second-placed Chelsea will attempt to close the gap on leaders Manchester United when they face Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in Saturday’s late game. United will attempt to edge closer to a record 19th title when they take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Manchester City meanwhile will seek to tighten their grip on fourth place and qualification for next season’s Champions League, when they host bottom club West Ham at Eastlands. In other games on Saturday, Wigan were denied a priceless victory against Everton, who came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw at the DW Stadium. Charles N’Zogbia fired Wigan ahead on 21 minutes, curling his shot into the top corner from the from the right of the penalty area.
Everton squandered a chance to equalise towards the end of the half however, when Mikel Arteta’s penalty — conceded by N’Zogbia — was brilliantly saved by Oman’s Ali Al Habsi. But Everton made no mistake when they earned a second penalty late on after Hugo Rodallega handled in the area. Leighton Baines stepped up to smash home the equaliser on 78 minutes. Blackpool’s hopes of Premier League survival remain on a knife-edge after a gritty 0-0 draw with Stoke at Bloomfield Road. The hard-earned point left Ian Holloway’s men hovering just above the relegation zone, ahead of 18th placed Wigan on goal difference. Fulham maintained their recent run of good form at Sunderland, downing the Black Cats 3-0. The Cottagers went ahead through loan signing Gael Kakuta, the Chelsea teenager latching on to a Bobby Zamora pass and finishing from eight yards.
Simon Davies doubled Fulham’s lead midway through the second half, silencing the Stadium of Light with a neat finish from Steve Sidwell’s cross before grabbing a second 12 minutes later to complete the scoring. Ten-man West Brom came from behind to take the honours in their Midlands derby against Aston Villa, winning 2-1 at the Hawthorns. A freak own goal from Abdoulaye Meite handed the lead to Villa, the West Brom defender skewing an unthreatening cross from Stewart Downing off his chin and into the net on four minutes. But Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie got West Brom back on level terms in the 60th minute after Villa struggled to clear James Morrison’s free-kick. West Brom were made to battle through the final half an hour a man down after Austrian international Paul Scharner was sent off for tripping Stilyan Petrov to earn a second yellow card. Then with full-time looming West Brom snatched all three points when Youssouf Mulumbu pounced on 84 minutes.
