Premier League
The big story of the weekend was at Anfield where Dirk Kuyt, who had previously failed to score against Manchester United in every appearance he has made against them, bagged himself a hat-trick as Liverpool defeated the Red Devils
3-1. Second placed Arsenal lost the chance to close in on United at the top of the table after their goalless draw with Sunderland at the Emirates. Birmingham suffered a nasty hangover from last Sunday’s Carling Cup final victory losing 3-1 to local rivals West Brom. A missed penalty from Ashley Young cost his Aston Villa side dearly as they lost 3-2 away at Bolton. At Craven Cottage a controversial late penalty scored by Bobby Zamora on his return from injury saw Fulham beat Blackburn 3-2. Manchester City beat Wigan 1-0 thanks to a howler by Wigan ‘keeper Ali Al Habsi which leaves the Latics at the bottom of the table. Newcastle failed to rectify the fact they haven’t won a home game kicking off at 3.00 pm on a Saturday since August 2008 by losing to Everton 2-1. A resurgent West Ham moved out of the drop zone after an impressive 3-0 home victory against Stoke. Six goals were seen at Molineux, including two fantastic strikes from Jermain Defoe, as Wolves drew 3-3 with Tottenham. Tonight sees Ian Holloway’s Blackpool welcome Chelsea in what will sure be an entertaining game at Bloomfield Road.
Championship
as his Ipswich side beat Cardiff 2-0
Jay Rodriguez scored his third goal in as many games as Burnley beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Turf Moor. Two wondrous strikes from on-loan midfielder Jimmy Bullard saw my team Ipswich win 2-0 against Cardiff in the Welsh capital. An impressive performance from Bristol City saw them win 4-1 away at Coventry. Derby drew 0-0 with Barnsley to end their run of five straight home defeats at Pride Park. A brace apiece from Max Gradel and Jonny Howson helped Leeds come back from 2-1 down to beat Doncaster 5-2 at Elland Road. A missed penalty from Wes Hoolahan cost Norwich a crucial three points against bottom side Preston as the game finished 1-1. Hull’s 1-0 win away at Nottingham Forest sees promotion chasing Forest go four games without a win. A rare goal from Hermann Hreidarsson saw Portsmouth earn their sixth straight victory with a 1-0 win at home to struggling Sheffield United. Queens Park Rangers extended their lead at the top of the Championship to eight points with a late 1-0 win over Leicester. Two goals from Leroy Lita were not enough to prevent his Middlesbrough side losing 5-2 to Reading at the Madejski Stadium. There was a shock at Glandford Park as Scunthorpe beat second placed Swansea thanks to a Joe Garner penalty. Watford continued their good run of form with a 1-0 win at home to Millwall.
League One
Bournemouth continued their impressive run of form with a 3-0 home win against Oldham. A cracking game at the Withdean saw league leaders Brighton claim all three points after a 93rd minute winner from Liam Bridcutt saw the Seagulls beat Carlisle 4-3. Dagenham and Redbridge grabbed a 1-0 win in the relegation six-pointer at home to Bristol Rovers. Charlton ended their run of four straight defeats by securing a 1-1 draw with Tranmere at The Valley. Southampton demonstrated their play-off credentials with a 2-0 win away at Colchester. A brace from Andy Monkhouse helped Hartlepool to a 3-0 home win against Brentford. Leyton Orient bounced back from their midweek defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup with a 2-0 win at home against Notts County. A double from George Boyd helped free scoring Peterborough beat Exeter 3-0 at London Road. MK Dons thumped four past Rochdale to no reply as the Dale fell to their first defeat in 2011. An impressive performance from Plymouth saw them defeat Sheffield Wednesday 4-2 as they look to move out of the bottom four after their recent 10 point deduction for entering administration. The 0-0 draw between Swindon and Walsall did little to ease either side’s relegation worries. 19th placed Yeovil earned a valuable point against high-flying Huddersfield as they drew 1-1.
League Two
Chesterfield opened up an 11 point lead at the top of League Two as they won 3-0 away at Cheltenham. A hat-trick from striker Clayton Donaldson helped Crewe hammer Burton 4-1 at the Alexandra Stadium. New boss Peter Jackson was unable to prevent his Bradford side losing 2-0 away at Gillingham. A brace from Steven Schumacher and a record 9th consecutive league goal for Ryan Lowe saw Bury win 3-0 at Hereford. Mid-table sides Lincoln and Accrington Stanley played out an uninspiring 0-0 draw at Sincil Bank. Morecambe earned a valuable three points with a 2-1 win at home to play-off chasing Southend. A late winner from Jon Taylor saw Shrewsbury take all three points from Northampton in a 3-2 win at Sixfields. Port Vale are now just three points off the automatic promotion spots after a 2-1 home win against Macclesfield. Barnet still lie second from bottom after their 0-0 draw away at Rotherham. A 94th minute winner from Greg Tansey saw bottom placed Stockport earn their first win in three games as they beat Oxford 2-1 at Edgeley Park. Torquay are now just four points off the play-offs after a 2-0 win at home to Stevenage. Wycombe drop to third in the table after a 2-2 home draw with Aldershot.