Premier League round-up: Chelseareturned to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 win over Wolvesto ease the pressure on under-fire manager Andre Villas-Boas.
Recent defeats to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen had piled the pressure on the 34-year-old Blues boss, but the tension at Stamford Bridge eased in the sixth minute of today’s game when John Terry capitalised on some poor marking to head home Juan Mata’s cross.
Daniel Sturridge slipped his marker to tap home Mata’s ball just before the half hour before the Spaniard added the hosts’ third in the last minute of the first half when he was given plenty of space to convert Ashley Cole’s cross from 12 yards.
Tottenhamstriker Jermaine Defoe celebrated his first Premier League start for nearly two months with his side's crucial second goal in the 3-1 win against West Bromat the Hawthorns.
Albion were given an early lead through Youssouf Mulumbu’s header but Spurs levelled through Emmanuel Adebayor after his initial penalty had been parried by Ben Foster.
Defoe then struck his seventh goal of the campaign with nine minutes remaining from an Adebayor flick after earning a recall in place of the injured Rafael van der Vaart.
Adebayor added a third in injury time as Harry Redknapp’s side moved to within two points of Manchester United in second place, with a game in hand.
Spurs' north London rivals Arsenalwere left frustrated as Fulhamheld out for a 1-1 draw in the evening game at Emirates Stadium.
Thomas Vermaelen netted an unfortunate own goal to gift the visitors — who had not won at Arsenal in 25 attempts — the lead on 65 minutes.
The Belgian redeemed himself when nodding in from close range with seven minutes left, but the hosts could not find a winner.
Evertonrecorded back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season as strikes from Marouane Fellaini and Apostolos Vellios secured a 2-0 victory over 10-man Boltonat the Reebok Stadium.
The Toffees took the lead four minutes into the second half when Fellaini swept in from close range before substitute Vellios netted a second 12 minutes from time.
Wanderers had earlier had David Wheater sent off, the defender being shown a straight red card in the 20th minute for a challenge on Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, his second dismissal of the campaign.
Norwichsubstitute Grant Holt proved the hero of the day as he netted the winner in a hard-fought 2-1 over fellow promoted side QPRat Carrow Road.
The Canaries dominated the opening exchanges and broke the deadlock after 15 minutes when skipper Russell Martin reacted quickest during a melee in the six-yard box.
QPR responded well and got a deserved equaliser when Luke Young netted after a Jamie Mackie drive rebounded back off the post.
However, the west Londoners were to be denied a share of the spoils as Holt bundled home a cross from fellow substitute Wes Hoolahan.
Stoke'sIrish connection were to the fore at the Britannia stadium as the Potters ended a four-match losing streak in the Premier League to beat Blackburn Rovers3-1 and heap more pressure on Blackburn boss Stave Kean.
Rory Delap opened the scoring on 28 minutes for the home side, and after clearing off the line in the first half, Glenn Whelan then scored his first goal for the club in 21 months in the second.
England striker Peter Crouch made it 3-0 on 72 minutes before Ruben Rochina grabbed a late consolation for Blackburn, who went bottom of the Premier League following Wigan'slate win away to Sunderland.
Substitute Franco Di Santo piled the pressure on Sunderland boss Steve Bruce with an injury-time winner in a 2-1 victory at the Stadium of Light.
The striker capitalised on Wes Brown’s error to snatch victory as the visitors staged an impressive fightback.
Sebastian Larsson had given the Black Cats an eighth-minute lead, but Jordi Gomez levelled from the spot before half-time to set the stage for the late drama.
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