Premiership top 3 all win, open gap on chasing pack
By Vic Mills
LONDON (JP): Liverpool made a welcome return to form over the weekend with a comprehensive 3-0 win at home against Aston Villa.
The Merseyside giant put a worrying form slump behind it with goals from teenage debutant Jamie Carragher, Stan Collymore and Robbie Fowler during a thirteen-minute spell in the second half.
At the end of a grueling four-week period in which it played five of the title aspirants, the Anfield clash was just one game too many for Villa. The visitors were found wanting down the left flank with crosses bringing two headed goals together with Fowler's scrambled effort at the near post.
As the frustration of the past weeks fell away, the Anfield club reveled in its slick and incisive pass and move style. The result maintains Liverpool's two-point lead at the top.
Manchester United kept up the pressure in second place with a 2-0 away victory at Coventry City. A 20-meter curling right foot shot into the top corner by Ryan Giggs, his first league goal since September, and another from Ole Solskjaer gave United its fifth win in six outings.
The game was not without controversy, however, as Coventry was denied a penalty with the scores level when Gary Neville brought down Darren Huckerby from behind.
Third place Arsenal, with Ian Wright back from suspension, remains in contention after a comfortable 3-1 win over injury-hit Everton at Highbury.
Suspension
Dennis Bergkamp, about to start a three match suspension himself, set the Gunners on their way with a 55th minute strike. French recruit Patrik Vieria put the home side further ahead two minutes later with Paul Merson adding a third. Duncan Ferguson grabbed a consolation goal for the visitors with a last-minute header.
In his first game in charge of Newcastle United since the shock resignation of Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish was given an all too graphic demonstration of the club's failings at Southampton.
Having taken the lead through Les Ferdinand in the 13th minute, Newcastle looked to have claimed the points when Lee Clark added a second eight minutes from time. Careless defending, however, allied to a mistake by goalkeeper Shaka Hislop led to the surrender of a two-goal lead for the second week running.
Neil Maddison started the panic bells ringing with a goal two minutes from time. The scene set, Matthew Le Tissier stole a point with an unstoppable 25-meter drive just seconds from the final whistle.
In another unlikely result, Wimbledon's run of just one defeat in 23 games came to an abrupt end at Filbert Street where an Emile Heskey goal in the 73rd minute was enough to give Leicester City the points.
Chelsea moved level with Wimbledon on 38 points as the frost- free conditions enabled its superior skills to come to the fore against Derby County. Goals from Paul Hughes on his debut, Dennis Wise and a Frank Le Boeuf penalty kept the Kings Road faithful on course for a UEFA Cup place.
Penalty
If the top of the table is the most open in years, then the same is very much the case in the relegation zone where just ten points separate bottom club Middlesbrough from Everton in ninth place.
Reeling from the penalty of having three points deducted for wrongly postponing a game, Middlesbrough briefly put its problems to one side at the weekend by recording only its fourth win of the season.
The 4-2 victory over a competent Sheffield Wednesday side was gained at a cost, however, with leading scorer Fabrizio Ravanelli sent off for a second bookable offense. He had earlier put 'Boro on the road to victory with a penalty, his tenth Premiership goal of the season.
Further strikes from Emerson and Juninho together with another from US$4-million Internazionale debutant Gianluca Festa sealed victory. Mark Pembridge capitalized on poor 'Boro defending to score twice, but it was too little too late as Wednesday slipped to its first defeat in fourteen games.
Teeside delight was tempered somewhat 24 hours later as Nottingham Forest continued its winning ways with a 2-1 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
The visitors' afternoon started to gone wrong just before half-time when Swiss international Ramon Vega, playing only his second game for the north London club, was sent off for striking Colin Cooper.
Poor marking at a throw-in had earlier enabled Andy Sinton to open the scoring for Tottenham after just 76 seconds. Unperturbed, Forest came roaring back with two second-half goals from Dutchman Brian Roy.
Leeds United added to West Ham's relegation troubles in the Monday match, beating the East Enders 2-0 at Upton Park. Second- half goals from Gary Kelly and Lee Bowyer saw the Hammers drop to third from bottom, while Leeds fringe the comfort zone in eleventh place.
Off-side
Elsewhere around Europe, Juventus stretched its lead in Serie A to four points with a 2-0 win in Rome against Lazio. Despite having two goals disallowed for off-side, the Turin club eased its way to a comfortable victory with strikes either side of the interval from Michele Padovano.
The chasing pact faltered over the weekend with Sampdoria needing a controversial last minute equalizer to snatch a point against Fiorentina, while third place Internazionale was beaten at home by Bologna for the first time in 20 years.
In pursuit of UEFA Cup places, Vicenza could do no better than draw 2-2 at home with Napoli, Palma meanwhile moves fifth after a 1-0 win over Verona.
Seventh in Serie A, AC Milan celebrated Franco Baresi's 700th match for the club with a hard won point at Cagilari. A touch of magic from Roberto Baggio set up French international Christophe Dugarry for his second goal in successive matches after Sandro Tovalieri had given Cagliari a 44th minute lead.
In the Spanish first division, Real Madrid and Barcelona moved further ahead of Deportivo de La Coruna at the weekend. Real won the Madrid derby against Athletica 4-1, while Barcelona took its goal tally for the season to 52 from 20 games with a 4-2 win at Real Betis.
Disappointing at home Deportivo could do no more than draw 2-2 against mid-table Athletic Bilbao. Real Madrid currently stands three points clear of Barcelona with Deportivo a further for points behind.