Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham: Liverpool move level on points with Everton and two behind Arsenal, both have a game in hand, in the race for European football. Tottenham miss the chance to close to within a point of Manchester City being the only team in the top five to play in the league this weekend. Who else but Luis Suarez was on hand to give Liverpool the lead after 22-minutes finishing off a great move between Philippe Coutinho and Jose Enrique. Tottenham equalised just before half-time with Jan Vertonghen heading home from a Gareth Bale cross. Spurs would then take the lead eight minutes in to the second half with Vertonghen again on the scoresheet after another Bale cross wasn't really cleared by Jamie Carragher. This time Liverpool had to find an equaliser and did so on 66-minutes, Stewart Downing benefiting from a loose back pass from Kyle Walker and the rest of the defensive failed to stop the winger, despite their comedic attempts. The winner came eight minutes from time when Benoit Assou-Ekotto fouled Suarez in the box. The iconic Steven Gerrard stepped up and sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way.
Newcastle 2-1 Stoke: Newcastle move level on point with Stoke and, more importantly, nine points clear of the drop zone thanks to an injury time winner. Stoke took the lead on 67-minutes when Cheick Tiote fouled Jon Walters in the box. Walters got up and took the penalty, clinically finishing it. Stoke's lead lasted five minutes though as Yohan Cabaye equalised with an exquisite free-kick in to the top corner. Sylvain Marveaux then played Papiss Cisse through in injury time and the Senegalese won the game for the Magpies.
QPR 3-1 Sunderland: Harry Redknapp's escape act is still well and truly on after beating Sunderland at Loftus Road. The win puts them level on points with Reading and now just four points from safety. It wasn't looking as good for QPR after 20-minutes as Steven Fletcher bagged his 11th goal of the season, scoring from a sucker punch counter-attack where Adam Johnson's ball across was touched in by the striker. Sunderland's lead only lasted ten minutes as QPR were level on the half hour mark; Andros Townsend's shot was blocked but fell in to the path of Loic Remy and the Frenchman made no mistake in scoring his third goal in five games. QPR went on to take a deserved lead with 20-minutes remaining; Townsend scoring a fantastic half-volley from 25-yards. The win was secured in injury time with Jermaine Jenas firing a spectacular shot in to the bottom corner from virtually the same spot as Townsend. The defeat for Sunderland edges them further in to the darkness, sitting unnervingly six points ahead of the bottom three.
Reading 1-2 Aston Villa: Villa move out of the bottom three after this crucial six-pointer. They move three points clear of safety with Wigan now having a game in hand, where a win would put them level again. Although this is a momentous blow for Reading, they're still just four points from avoiding the drop. Reading actually took the lead on 32-minutes when Jobi McAnuff's cross was missed by Nathan Baker but the ball came off his standing foot a bounced in to the empty net. Villa instantly equalised though when Andreas Weimann's pull-back was met by Christian Benteke whose deflected shot bamboozled Adam Federici and went in to the net. Villa won it in first half injury time when a lengthy passing spell saw the final cross defended poorly and Barry Bannan would hit the post before Gabriel Agbonlahor smashed it home. Reading had numerous chances to equalise but they couldn't force the ball home, when they did the flag was rightly up for offside.
Norwich 0-0 Southampton: Norwich are quietly becoming the goalless draw specialists, this being their fourth in their last eight games, they've also not scored in another two of those last eight. The point for Southampton does move them four points clear of the relegation zone. Both teams attacked quite well in the awful weather conditions but neither could find a killer touch. There was controversy in injury time when Grant Holt went down far too easily under Luke Shaw in the box. Mark Clattenburg took a long view at it and seemed to change his mind by pointing to the spot. This enraged the Southampton fans as it did look harsh but Holt's attempt was smartly saved by the heroic Artur Boruc. Norwich had waited a long time for their first penalty of the season, so it was a waste for Holt not to score it and it puts them nine points above the relegation zone, which should just about be enough.
West Brom 2-1 Swansea: Another Romelu Lukaku display enables West Brom to move three points clear of Swansea and two points behind Everton, who now have a game in hand, in the race for sixth. Swansea broke the deadlock on 33-minutes with Luke Moore scoring against his former club, heading home a Jonathan De Guzman corner to make it two in two for the striker. West Brom levelled five minutes before half-time with Lukaku scoring his 13th goal of the season, sliding the ball home from a low Graham Dorrans cross. West Brom were awarded a penalty in the second half but Lukaku's effort was saved by Michel Vorm. The winner came just after the hour mark when Angel Rangel's attempted clearing header from a corner hit De Guzman on the back and rebounded in to the net. Swansea thought they had equalised late on when Roland Lamah scored his first Swansea goal. But the goal was ruled out for offside when the ball actually came back to the striker from a defender and maybe shouldn't have been disallowed.
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