Manchester City near Premiership summit
Manchester City moved up to second place in the Premier League standings Saturday with a 3-1 win at relegation-threatened West Ham to put them level on points with leaders Arsenal.
Strikes from Yaya Toure, Adam Johnson and a Robert Green own goal secured three precious points for Roberto Mancini's men, who now trail Arsenal by goal difference only ahead of the Gunners' visit to Manchester United on Monday.
Martinez happy to share spoils
Martinez's side were dominated for much of the encounter against fellow strugglers Everton, however a late chance to steal three points went begging when Ronnie Stam's injury-time effort was instinctively saved by Tim Howard.
"I'm extremely proud to come away from the game with a point," Martinez told SkySports.
"Because when you come to Goodison Park at this stage of the season you need a complete performance to get something out of the game."
"Coming here is a difficult place but we were well worth the point - if not the three points."
Hughes: We deserved three points"I thought the amount of possession we had in the second half and the number of chances we had, in terms of blocked shots and opportunities, we were good value for three points," Hughes said.
"But, in fairness to Sunderland, I thought they defended really well and they were really strong and determined when they had to get bodies in front of the ball and that frustrated us."Houllier predicts Villa resurgence
Houllier has come under fire for Villa's lean run since he took over managerial duties in September, with the Birmingham club languishing perilously close to the relegation zone.
But a 2-1 win over local rivals West Bromwich Albion could be the victory that sets Houllier's side back on track in the league.
"It's an important win for the club, the fans and the players because we've been in a difficult period. We're not out of it yet and we need to stick together and push on," Houllier told Sky Sports.
Holloway praises Blackpool defenceBlackpool boss Ian Holloway labelled the 1-0 win at Stoke City as their best defensive performance of the season.
The promoted side came away from the Britannia Stadium with all three points thanks to a DJ Campbell strike early in the second half.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 34 | 18 | 16 | 32 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 24 | 13 | 11 | 32 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 35 | 16 | 19 | 31 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 30 | 11 | 19 | 30 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 21 | 3 | 26 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 17 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 24 |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 28 | 23 | 5 | 23 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 26 | 1 | 22 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 22 | -1 | 22 |
| 10 | Blackpool | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 29 | -5 | 22 |
| 11 | West Bromwich Albion | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 29 | -5 | 22 |
| 12 | Stoke City | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 22 | -1 | 21 |
| 13 | Blackburn Rovers | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 25 | -4 | 21 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 28 | -9 | 20 |
| 15 | Everton | 17 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 20 | -2 | 18 |
| 16 | Birmingham City | 16 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 19 | -2 | 18 |
| 17 | Fulham | 17 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 16 | 20 | -4 | 16 |
| 18 | Wigan Athletic | 17 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 28 | -15 | 16 |
| 19 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 17 | 30 | -13 | 12 |
| 20 | West Ham United | 17 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 30 | -15 | 12 |
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