EPL: Everton goes fourth while relegation hots-up
12 Apr 2014 21:25:00
Champions League football
beckoned on the horizon for
Everton on Saturday after a
1-0 victory over bottom club
Sunderland hoisted them
above Arsenal into fourth place in the
Premier League.
An own goal by Wes Brown gave Everton a
club record seventh consecutive Premier
League win to put them two points above
Arsenal with five games remaining.
In an increasingly desperate relegation fight
at the other end of the table three clubs in
danger of the drop all won with Fulham,
Cardiff City and Crystal Palace all collecting
precious points while threatened West
Bromwich Albion drew 3-3 with Tottenham
Hotspur after leading 3-0.
The only goal at the Stadium of Light came
after 75 minutes when Sunderland defender
Brown chested a cross into his own net,
settling a scrappy game.
Everton have 66 points, two more than
Arsenal who were dragged into a penalty
shoot-out against Wigan Athletic in the FA
Cup semifinal at Wembley, eventually
prevailing.
"It is really satisfying because we knew it
was going to be a difficult game," Everton
boss Roberto Martinez, trying to lead Everton
to a top-four finish and a crack at the
Champions League for the first time since
2005, said.
"It was very tense and very cagey because of
the meaning it had at this stage of the
season.
"To get a win was immense and it just shows
what we have got in the dressing room."
Before the match Sunderland manager Gus
Poyet said his team "needed a miracle" to
avoid the drop and their task looks even
harder now he now needs an even bigger one
as Sunderland's defeat left them four points
adrift at the bottom.
Second-from-bottom Cardiff won 1-0 at
Southampton with defender Juan Cala
scoring after 65 minutes and Fulham, who
are 18th, beat fourth-from-bottom Norwich
City 1-0 at Craven Cottage.
Fulham's winner came from Hugo Rodallega
who had not scored in the league until last
week's win at Aston Villa and has now
grabbed two in two games as Fulham eye an
unlikely escape.
Crystal Palace eased their relegation fears
with a 1-0 home win over Aston Villa thanks
to Jason Puncheon's 76th minute winner but
West Brom, who started the day 16th, were
left to rue a missed opportunity against
Spurs after leading 2-0 after four minutes
and 3-0 after 31.
Palace's victory saw them climb to 37 points
and virtual safety while West Brom stayed in
16th place, three points clear of the
relegation zone.
The bottom four positions are occupied by
Norwich who have 32 points, followed by
Fulham (30),Cardiff (29) and Sunderland(25).
Sunderland have two games in hand on the
teams above them but look to be slipping out
of the top flight.
WEST BROM WOBBLE
Fulham manager Felix Magath admitted that
Norwich, playing under former youth team
coach Neil Adams for the first time following
Chris Hughton's sacking, were the better
team, but was delighted with the three
points.
"I am happy with the win but today I am not
so satisfied. We have to respect Norwich
were the better team but we had a very good
goalkeeper who saved us from defeat," he
told the BBC.
West Brom manager Pepe Mel was far from
pleased after watching his side wobble
against Spurs
His side were 2-0 ahead inside four minutes
with goals from Morgan Amalfitano in the
first minute and Chris Brunt three minutes
later. Emmanuel Adebayaor then missed a
penalty for Spurs before Stephane Sessegnon
seemed to have wrapped up the points for
the Baggies, scoring after a great solo run.
The Spurs fightback began when Jonas
Olsson put through his own net two minutes
later before a 75th minute header from Harry
Kane and a goal in the 90th minute from
Christian Eriksen saved a point from Spurs.
Mel told the BBC afterwards: "We did start
very well, we had a good first half but the
result has gone against us.
"The problem is we are so keen to win the
points. We need to play the same way
regardless of being 3-0 up or if 0-0. This is
very difficult for me, the players are very
down but we have five games to come. Every
point is very important."
The top three sides Liverpool, Chelsea and
Manchester City are all in action on Sunday
withLiverpool playing Manchester City at
Anfield and Chelsea going to Swansea City.
All of Saturday's matches kicked off at 1507
local time (1407GMT) to commemorate the
Hillsborough disaster 25 years ago this
weekend when 96 Liverpool fans died at their
FA Cup semifinal against Nottingham Forest
in Sheffield.
That match was abandoned after six minutes
and the seven-minute delay on Saturday
marked that duration and also included a
minute's silence around the grounds.
© Reuters
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