Chelsea’s poor form in the Premier League continued as they drew 1-1 at home against a determined Everton side. Captain John Terry returned to the side after injury but was unable to inspire the team to a much-needed win. Didier Drogba scored a penalty for Chelsea after Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard fouled Nicolas Anelka, with many of the home fans believing he should have been sent off. Everton fought back in the second half and Jermaine Beckford headed in the equalizer four minutes from time, Chelsea have now won just one of their last six league games.

With Manchester United’s match at Blackpool postponed due to a frozen pitch, Arsenal made the most of it and climbed to the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Fulham, the match turned around with two big Samir Nasri goals. , while Arsenal were once again guilty of excessive elaboration and waste in front of goal.

After a tense week at Manchester City, things looked more harmonious on the pitch as they beat Bolton 1-0, with Carlos Tevez scoring the goal after four minutes. City could and probably should have scored more goals. The match was not without drama as Aleksandar Kolarov was sent off by the home team and when Tevez was substituted towards the end of the match he confronted manager Roberto Mancini on the touchline.

Birmingham are a formidable team at home, but Tottenham will feel like they squandered a golden opportunity after conceding a late goal as they drew 1-1. Gareth Bale was back in excellent form and set up Sebastien Bassong to give Spurs a 1-0 lead, only for Craig Gardner to equalize for Birmingham in the 82nd minute.

An entertaining game at Wigan saw them draw 2-2 with Stoke, with all goals coming in the first half, as the home team bounced back twice after falling behind the visitors.

Blackburn, who had lost 7-1 to Manchester United last week, put their nightmare behind them by beating Wolves 3-0, although the scoreline was probably flattering for the home team, whose goalkeeper Paul Robison produced some fine saves for prevent the Wolves. to mark

West Bromwich Albion continued their good form with a 3-1 home win against Newcastle, who subsequently sacked their manager Chris Houghton, the directors feel the club needs a more experienced manager. Houghton had successfully led the club back to the Premier League and are currently 11th in the table.

Sunderland ended West Ham United’s mini-renaissance with a 1-0 win, which sees them retake an unenviable 20th place in the league table. West Ham’s performance was encouraging as both teams had enough chances to win the match.

Gérard Houllier’s return to Anfield on Monday ended in disappointment as his Aston Villa side fell to a 3-0 loss. Liverpool without Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Fernando Torres never had a problem with Villa, although Houllier received a warm welcome from the Liverpool faithful after his management departure in 2004.