EPL 09/10: Arsenal ease past Wolves, City held and round-up [Video Update]

On a day when Aston Villa and Tottenham made their UEFA Champions League aspirations clear as they picked up home wins, Manchester City were held to a fifth successive draw as they played out a six goal thriller with Burnley and Arsenal hammered Wolves to go second.

At the foot of the table Blackburn’s impressive home form was enough to see off basement dwellers Portsmouth 3-1, while it was a case of cruise control for Villa as they thumped a dismal Bolton 5-1 in the Midlands.

Burnley’s away day hoodoo appeared to have struck at City when they threw away a two goal lead to trail 3-2, only for Clarets substitute Kevin McDonald to net a dramatic late leveller.

Darren Bent endured an afternoon of frustration as he missed a penalty for Sunderland, as Tottenham secured a 2-0 victory at White Hart Lane that flattered them greatly.

Free-scoring Arsenal moved to within two points of leaders Chelsea courtesy of an emphatic 4-1 victory at Molineux, with Wolves‘ resistance subsiding after a bright opening 20 minutes.

There was a fair amount of fortune about the opening two goals as Ronald Zubar inadvertently turned a Cesc Fabregas corner into his own net on 28 minutes before Eduardo’s audacious chip took a decisive deflection off Jody Craddock seven minutes later.

Fabregas then fired in a third after a typically slick move on the stroke of half-time and Andrey Arshavin got in on the act midway through the second period with a well-struck effort from outside the area.

Craddock nodded in a late consolation for Wolves but Arsene Wenger will have been delighted with another impressive Arsenal performance that again underlined their title credentials.

Villa started brightly at home to Bolton and some neat play was rewarded in just the fifth minute when after Jussi Jaaskelainen had brilliantly repelled John Carew’s towering header from James Milner’s cross, Ashley Young was the first to react to prod home his second goal in as many games.

The home side’s superiority was underlined two minutes from the break when Gabriel Agbonlahor doubled Villa’s advantage. Villa old boy Gary Cahill was at fault as he tried to usher the ball out at the by-line only to be robbed of possession by Carew. His pull-back found Agbonlahor with time and space eight yards out and with unnerving composure he slotted through the legs of Jaaskelainen.

Cahill partially atoned for his error of judgement on the stroke of the break when in an advanced position his deflected shot came back off the post and fell fortuitously to Johan Elmander to tap in from no more than a yard.

Carew was in a bullish mood all afternoon and got the goal his exertions deserved in the second half when poor defending from another ex-Villa man Zat Knight was matched by the unfortunate Cahill, allowing the Norwegian to brush off meek challenges before beating Jaaskelainen.

Milner grabbed Villa’s fourth when after his penalty had been saved by Jaaskelainen and Steve Sidwell had somehow struck the post when presented with an open goal, the ball fell invitingly for him to convert.

Bolton’s misery was capped by Carlos Cuellar’s fine flick header from Milner’s pinpoint delivery.

Burnley made the short trip to Eastlands with the most unenviable of away records but silenced an expectant crowd as they took a deserved two-goal lead against a disjointed City side.

Questions have been asked as to whether City’s defence is good enough to provide solid foundations for a Champions League push and on this evidence clearly it is not. Joleon Lescott was the architect of City’s downfall in the 19th minute when from Tyrone Mears’ right wing delivery he left a trailing arm dangling to give Burnley a penalty.

Spot-kick specialist Graham Alexander made no mistake from 12 yards for his fourth goal of the season before Chris Eagles got in behind a snoozing City backline to roll the ball into the path of an unmarked Steven Fletcher for the simplest of finishes.

With the natives restless Shaun Wright-Phillips injected a bit of life into an out-of-sorts City when his deflected strike just before half time found its way past Brian Jensen.

If City’s defence is suspect, Burnley’s is wafer thin. City needed just ten minutes to find a leveller as Kolo Toure was on hand to convert Lescott’s pull-back on the stretch from Gareth Barry’s free-kick.

And it got even better for the home side just a few minutes later, the 58th of an entertaining derby, as Craig Bellamy finished Wright-Phillips’ low cross smartly for his 100th league goal in English football.

City’s cheers proved to be premature though as substitute McDonald was given time and space to lash home Fletcher’s header into his path from substitute David Nugent’s ball in.

Sunderland will wonder how they went into the half-time break trailing Tottenham at White Hart Lane, as for long spells they dominated in North London. Tottenham’s opener came from Robbie Keane as the Irishman bundled home from close range Peter Crouch’stowering header back across goal from Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s lofted delivery.

Former Spur Andy Reid struck a post as Sunderland knocked on the door for an equaliser as Tottenham left the field to boos such was the away side’s dominance.

Bent had an ideal opportunity to get one over Harry Redknapp after half-time when he was felled in the box after rounding Heurelho Gomes. The Brazilian was fortuitous to escape with just a booking and then exacerbated Steve Bruce’s wrath on the touchline as he brilliantly saved Bent’s low spot-kick.

The game’s finest moment belonged to Tom Huddlestone though, when from Jermain Defoe’s lay-off he drilled a missile of a strike past Craig Gordon, via the underside of the bar, to secure Tottenham a three-point haul.

At Ewood Park the battle at the basement saw Portsmouth take a first half lead through on-loan midfielder Jamie O’Hara as he was given acres of space to drive forward and beat Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson from range.

Blackburn’s home form is the enviable of many though and on 53 minutes they were level courtesy of substitute Jason Roberts’ clever finish from close range after Ryan Nelsen had headed David Dunn’s corner into his team-mate’s path.

The comeback was complete courtesy of another set-piece as Nelsen went from provider to goalscorer as he headed home unmarked.

It was substitute Benni McCarthy and Roberts that combined for Blackburn’s third as the former’s devilish delivery from the left was finished expertly from close range.