Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones (right) battles with Portsmouth's Sylvain Distin during their English Premier League soccer match at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England, yesterday. - AP

LONDON (AP):

Kieran Richardson scored both goals yesterday to help Sunderland beat Portsmouth 2-0 and improve its chances of avoiding relegation from the Barclays English Premier League.

Richardson struck in the 33rd and 43rd minutes at the Stadium of Light and also hit the crossbar from 25 metres (yards) in the second half against a team which had won seven of its previous eight league and cup games on the road.

Jason Roberts scored a 90th-minute goal to give Blackburn a come-from-behind 2-1 win at Bolton.

Portsmouth's loss came the day after manager Harry Redknapp turned down a chance to move to Newcastle. The Magpies parted with Sam Allardyce on Wednesday and targeted the veteran Pompey manager as a replacement, but Redknapp said he preferred to stay with the south coast club, which slipped to ninth place in the standings.

"It was a great opportunity for me to go and manage one of the great football clubs,'' Redknapp said of the Newcastle offer. "I understand all that. Some people will say I made the right move and some people will say I should have taken it.

If I didn't like (Portsmouth), if I didn't like the owner or if I didn't like the players I'd have been up there like a shot, but there was no need for me to change.''

The three points didn't lift Sunderland, now with 20 points, out of the relegation zone. Fulham are 19th with 15 points and Derby last with seven.

Richardson's first goal came after a determined run by Kenwyne Jones down the left. The tall striker chased the ball with Sol Campbell, who stopped running expecting the referee to award a free kick against the Sunderland forward. Jones pulled the ball into the middle where Richardson slid it inside the far post.

The second came two minutes before half-time when the England midfielder burst past Hermann Hreidarsson in a diagonal run into the area and scored with a right-footed shot.

''We brought Kieran to the club for what you saw today,'' said Sunderland manager Roy Keane, who used to play alongside Richardson at Manchester United. ''He's one of the fastest players at the team and when you have a midfielder with pace who can get you a goal, it's a massive plus. Kieran gives us something special.''

ANGLED VOLLEY

Kevin Nolan put Bolton ahead at the Reebok Stadium. After Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel had punched away a cross, Kevin O'Brien lobbed the ball over a crowded area to the unmarked Nolan, who was facing away from goal when he sent a first-time angled volley inside the far post.

Christopher Samba headed in Blackburn's 53rd-minute equaliser after Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen failed to reach a corner and Roberts scored the winning goal when he collected a flick on by Roque Santa Cruz and scored with a deflected shot.

The victory lifted Blackburn above Portsmouth into eight place while Bolton, which sold striker Nicolas Anelka to Chelsea on Friday, remains in relegation trouble in 15th, level on points with Sunderland, Wigan and Birmingham.