Manchester United's Ji-Sung Park (left) scores against Fulham during their Premier League match at Craven Cottage yesterday. United won 3-0. - AP
LONDON (AP):
MANCHESTER UNITED moved to within a point of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League yesterday after the Gunners drew 1-1 with visiting Aston Villa.
Arsenal almost lost at Emirates Stadium after defender Philippe Senderos scored a 27th-minute own-goal, but Nicklas Bendtner equalised in the last minute to salvage a draw.
Even so, defending champions United, who trailed by five points eight days ago, closed the gap with a 3-0 win at Fulham.
Chelsea recovered from last weekend's League Cup final defeat to Tottenham with a 4-0 win at London rivals West Ham, while Spurs rested several players after winning their first trophy for nine years and lost 4-1 at Birmingham.
Arsenal now have 65 points from 28 matches, but United's goal difference is seven better than the leaders' and Chelsea are six points back having played one game fewer.
"If it comes down to goal difference, it could make a difference," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "The way it's been going in the past few weeks, it's been a bit of a seesaw. But we have to look over our shoulder because Chelsea's score today was emphatic."
Fourth-place Everton host Portsmouth today, while sixth-place Liverpool are at Bolton. But at the other end of the standings, Newcastle slipped to within three points of the relegation zone after a 1-0 loss to visiting Blackburn.
Arsenal were desperate for victory after last week's 2-2 draw at Birmingham, in which they lost striker Eduardo da Silva to a career-threatening leg injury. They dominated the early exchanges as striker Theo Walcott had a shot saved by Villa goalkeeper Scott Carson and almost created another opportunity.
Injury
Senderos shot wide from inside the area after Carson had dropped the ball from a corner, but, four minutes later, scored past his own goalkeeper when he tried to intercept a cross by Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Villa lost Nigel Reo-Coker and Curtis Davies to injury, but almost went 2-0 ahead before half-time when home 'keeper Manuel Almunia had to push a 20-metre shot by Shaun Maloney on to the crossbar.
Arsenal pushed for a late equaliser and Bendtner managed it with a close-range shot.
Fulham goalkeeper Antti Niemi had already saved from Nani and Carlos Tevez before Tevez won a free kick just outside the area in the 15th. Owen Hargreaves curled the ball over the defensive wall and wide of Niemi to make it 1-0 for United.
Park Ji-sung scored a minute before half-time with a header and Simon Davies completed the scoring midway through the second half, with an own-goal.
Professional performance
"It was a professional perfor-mance," Ferguson said. "It was windy and in these conditions you have to have good concentration.
"I don't think Fulham were a big threat to us inside the penalty box but outside they played some good stuff."
Chelsea responded to reports of unrest in their expensively assembled squad with a convincing win at Upton Park, with the recalled Joe Cole and Michael Ballack both scoring as the Blues went 3-0 up in the first 22 minutes.
Former West Ham midfielder Frank Lampard put Chelsea ahead from a 17th-minute penalty after Anton Ferdinand had fouled Salomon Kalou and Cole made it 2-0 in the 20th with a low shot.
Ballack, who, like Cole, was dropped for the League Cup final, put Chelsea further ahead before Lampard was sent off in the 34th for what looked like an innocuous push of Luis Boa Morte in the face.
Still, Ashley Cole made it 4-0 for Chelsea in the 64th.
Tottenham no longer have to worry about their league position after qualifying for next season's European competition by winning the League Cup, so they rested players including Robbie Keane, Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate to prepare for Thursday's UEFA Cup match against PSV Eindhoven.
But Birmingham punished Tottenham for taking the match lightly and Mikael Forrsell scored a hat-trick for the Blues, who stay a point clear of the relegation zone.
