NEWCASTLE 2 FULHAM 0As you well know, goals from Mark Viduka and Michael Owen helped Newcastle to a 2-0 victory over Fulham, giving Kevin Keegan his first Premier League win since he returned to St James' Park.
Grand Slam Saturday For North-East!
NEWCASTLE 2 FULHAM 0As you well know, goals from Mark Viduka and Michael Owen helped Newcastle to a 2-0 victory over Fulham, giving Kevin Keegan his first Premier League win since he returned to St James' Park.
Viduka found space on the edge of the penalty area in the sixth minute and angled his shot past Fulham goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
Newcastle missed a host of chances to take a two-goal advantage but Fulham offered little in attack to trouble the home defence before Owen made the points safe in the 83rd minute.
Geremi picked out Owen with a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area and the striker was able evade his marker and direct his header past Keller.NEWCASTLE - 32
Remaining games: Tottenham (a), Reading (h), Portsmouth (a), Sunderland (h), West Ham (a), Chelsea (h), Everton (a).
FULHAM - 23
Remaining games: Derby (a), Sunderland (h), Reading (a), Liverpool (h), Man City (a), Birmingham (h), Portsmouth (a).
READING 2 BIRMINGHAM 1Andre Bikey scored twice to help Reading boost their survival hopes with a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Birmingham at the Madejski Stadium.
The Cameroon international nodded a John Oster free-kick past Birmingham goalkeeper Maik Taylor in the 31st minute.
Mauro Zarate equalised for Birmingham after he struck home Mikael Forssell's low cross in the 64th minute but Bikey got his head on a Nicky Shorey free-kick 15 minutes later to give his side the points.READING - 31
Remaining games: Blackburn (h), Newcastle (a), Fulham (h), Arsenal (a), Wigan (a), Tottenham (h), Derby (a).
BIRMINGHAM - 27
Remaining games: Man City (h), Wigan (a), Everton (h), Aston Villa (a), Liverpool (h), Fulham (a), Blackburn (h).
BLACKBURN 3 WIGAN 1Roque Santa Cruz scored twice and set up the other to help Blackburn to a 3-1 victory over struggling Wigan as both sides were reduced to 10 men.
Santa Cruz opened the scoring in the 12th minute after David Bentley's 25-yard strike was parried by Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland, which left the Paraguay international to nod the ball into an empty net.
Rovers defender Christopher Samba was then shown a red card after he was harshly judged to have fouled Emile Heskey in the penalty area. Marlon King took the resulting spot-kick and calmly despatched the ball past Brad Friedel.
But Mark Hughes' side again took the lead when Santa Cruz knocked the ball down into the path of Roberts and he scored from 18 yards out.
Santa Cruz headed his second of the afternoon in the 63rd minute before Wilson Palacios was sent off for a second-bookable offence.
WIGAN - 31
Remaining games: Portsmouth (a), Birmingham (h), Chelsea (a), Tottenham (h), Reading (h), Villa (a), Man Utd (h).
ASTON VILLA 0 SUNDERLAND 1Ex-Newcastle striker Michael Chopra's 83rd-minute strike gave Sunderland's hopes of avoiding relegation a lift as they recorded a one-goal victory at Aston Villa, and had the Mackem's singing "Chopra is one of us".
SUNDERLAND - 30
Remaining games: Aston Villa (a), West Ham (h), Fulham (a), Man City (h), Newcastle (a), Middlesbrough (h), Bolton (a), Arsenal (h).
MIDDLESBROUGH 1 DERBY CO 0Tuncay Sanli gave Middlesbrough a 1-0 win over bottom side Derby with a superb individual goal from the edge of the penalty area in the 32nd minute.
MIDDLESBROUGH - 34pts
Remaining games: Chelsea (a), Man Utd (h), Tottenham (a), Bolton (h), Sunderland (a), Portsmouth (h), Man City (h).
BOLTON 0 MAN CITY 0Bolton lost further ground on their relegation rivals as they were held to a goalless draw by Manchester City at the Reebok Stadium.
BOLTON - 26
Remaining games: Arsenal (h), Aston Villa (a), West Ham (h), Middlesbrough (a), Tottenham (a), Sunderland (h), Chelsea (a).