FA Cup holders Chelsea will play Stoke City in the Quarter-finals after the Potters beat Manchester City 3-1 after extra-time in Wednesday nights replay.
Replay results :
Aston Villa 3-1 Crystal Palace
Stoke City 3-1 Manchester City (AET)
Tottenham 4-0 Bolton Wanderers
West Brom 2-3 Reading (AET)
The quarter-final ties will be played on the weekend of 6 and 7 March.
Chelsea v Stoke City
Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur
Reading v Aston Villa
Portsmouth v Birmingham City
30-31st Jan : Round-up of English Premier League weekend
Manchester United moved to within a point of Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea as they beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Burnley 1-2 Chelsea
John Terry grabbed a late winner for Chelsea to deny battling Burnley a point at Turf Moor, heading home home a corner from Florent Malouda in the 83rd minute.
It was a cruel blow for the hosts, who had drawn level through Steven Fletcher after Nicolas Anelka had opened the scoring.
Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United
Nani opened the scoring on 33 minutes when his chip across goal was palmed in by Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia, before in-form England striker Wayne Rooney swept home a second following a quick counter attack.
A third on the break from Ji-Sung Park at the start of the second half effectively ended the contest, although defender Thomas Vermaelen netted a consolation for the Gunners.
Birmingham City 1-1 Tottenham
Liam Ridgewell's last-minute strike denied Tottenham a precious victory at Birmingham and left Harry Redknapp's men clinging onto fourth place.
Ridgewell finished off a header across goal by Cameron Jerome to snatch a 1-1 draw for the home side after Spurs looked set to claim victory through Jermain Defoe's 69th-minute effort.
Liverpool 2-0 Bolton
Liverpool coasted to a 2-0 win over Owen Coyle's Bolton at Anfield.
Dirk Kuyt stabbed home the opener in the 37th minute and Liverpoolmade the game safe in the 70th minute when a shot from Emiliano Insua took a huge deflection off Kevin Davies and squirted past Jussi Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal.
Fulham 0-2 Aston Villa
Villa also kept up the pace with a 2-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage thanks to two goals just before half-time from Gabriel Agbonlahor.
The striker opened the scoring when he headed home Stiliyan Petrov's 40th-minute cross, and four minutes later he turned Brede Hangeland in the box before firing the second past Mark Schwarzer.
Manchester City 2-0 Portsmouth
Manchester City closed to within a point of fourth-spot with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Portsmouth.
There was no joyous celebration as Adebayor rattled his 40th-minute goal past David James, instead he acknowledged the heavens in remembrance of his Togo team mates.
Vincent Kompany then powered home a header from Martin Petrov's corner to ensure the Blues moved to within a point of Tottenham.
English Premier League Top Ten Standings
Team Pl GD Pts
1 Chelsea 23 +38 54
2 Man Utd 24 +36 53
3 Arsenal 24 +32 49
4 Tottenham 24 +20 42
5 Liverpool 24 +16 41
6 Man City 22 +14 41
7 Aston Villa 23 +13 40
8 Birmingham 23 -1 34
9 Everton 23 -1 32
10 Blackburn 24 -15 28
Bolton Wanderers 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas produced an impressive display on his return from injury as the Gunners won 2-0 at Bolton.
The Spain midfielder, who missed three matches with a hamstring injury, scored his 10th league goal of the season in the 28th minute after a neat one-two with Eduardo.
His surging run then led to substitute Fran Merida scoring the second 12 minutes from time as former Wanderers' player Coyle's reign got off to a losing start
Aston Villa 0-0 West Ham
Aston Villa failed to cash in on slip-ups by the group challenging for the 4th Champions League spot drawing 0-0 with West Ham.
Manchester City - beaten at Everton - and Tottenham, held at home by Hull, both dropped points on Saturday.
But a combination of a below-par performance and some fine saves by Robert Green meant Aston Villa had to settle for their first goalless draw of the campaign in the top flight.
Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Fulham
Blackburn grabbed their first Premier League win since November as they beat Fulham 2-0 at Ewood Park.
Chris Samba's was in the right place to deflect home an attempted clearance by former Rover Damien Duff after Benni McCarthy's corner caused havoc in the visitors' box in the 24th minute.
Captain Ryan Nelsen headed a 54th-minute second while Fulham had few moments to savour - the best coming from Clint Dempsey with an overhead kick which struck the bar.
Top 10 Standings in the English Premier League
Pl GD Pts
1 Chelsea 21 +34 48
2 Man Utd 22 +30 47
3 Arsenal 21 +32 45
4 Tottenham 21 +20 38
5 Man City 21 +12 38
6 Aston Villa 21 +11 36
7 Liverpool 21 +12 34
8 Birmingham 21 +2 33
9 Fulham 21 +2 27
10 Everton 21 -4 26
Aston Villa 0-1 Liverpool - Torres strikes for Liverpool at the end
Fernando Torres scored a 93rd-minute winner as Liverpool claimed a dramatic late victory over Aston Villa.
The Reds' season of frustration looked set to continue as Villa produced a spirited display in snowy conditions. Steven Gerrard went close, Pepe Reina denied Stewart Downing and Gabriel Agbonlahor, and John Carew headed wide.
The game was very evenly contested with the sides splitting posession 51%-49% in Liverpool's favour, and Liverpool edging the shot count 12-11.
A draw beckoned but Torres raced on to a ricochet around the edge of the Villa penalty area, and slotted in to stun Villa Park.
The Spaniard's strike provided a pulsating end to a disappointing encounter and Liverpool's joy at snatching a morale-boosting three points was clear for all to see.
Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa - Fabregas makes the difference at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas came off the bench to inspire the Gunners to a 3-0 win over Aston Villa which hauls them back into the title race.
Fabregas, who had been out with a hamstring problem, netted a superb free-kick on 65 minutes and then scored a fine breakaway goal before being substituted after appearing to re-injure the hamstring.
Abou Diaby netted a third in stoppage time at Emirates Stadium, curling in a low effort from the edge of the area after a powerful run.
Villa - who had already beaten Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool this season - looked dangerous on the break but could not make the most of their best spell of pressure midway through the second half.
Arsene Wenger's men are now just four points behind leaders Chelsea, and with a match in hand on the sides around them.
PREMIER LEAGUE STANDINGS (TOP HALF)
Team PL GD PTS
1 Chelsea 19 +28 42
2 Man Utd 19 +22 40
3 Arsenal 18 +27 38
4 Aston Villa 19 +12 35
5 Tottenham 19 +18 34
6 Man City 18 +8 32
7 Liverpool 19 +11 30
8 Birmingham 19 +1 29
9 Fulham 18 +6 27
10 Sunderland 19 -3 22
Bet365 has Arsenal almost certain to finish in top four now
Arsenal's position in the top four was strengthened on Sunday as Aston Villa and Everton fought out a 3-3 draw in the Barclays Premier League.
Arsenal are now nine points ahead of Aston Villa and 10 points clear of Everton having played a game more than both clubs.
The Gunners are 1/16 with bet365 to finish once again with a top-four finish, with Everton 7/4 to finish above Aston Villa. bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth said: "It was a hugely entertaining 3-3 draw, but a point hardly helps either side in their quest for a top four finish."
Beware the banker bet - Stoke City sting punters at Betfair
The draw was backed at a high of 349/1 (350.00) in-running on Betfair before Stoke salvaged a point against Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Potters struck twice in the final three minutes to snatch a dramatic draw and put a massive dent in the betting accounts of punters who like to lay off "sure things" in order to cash in on "easy money".
Stiliyan Petrov's first Barclays Premier League goal for 11 months and a spectacular effort from John Carew had helped Villa take into a 2-0 lead.
As is usual the price on the draw drifted to stratospheric levels at in-running specialists Betfair, especially as time ticked away with no sign of a recovery.
But Ryan Shawcross reduced the arrears in the 87th minute and substitute Glenn Whelan equalised in injury-time for the visitors.
Job done for Stoke - and someone has a lot of explaining to do to the wife - as trying to hoover up a fiver cost him £1750 inside 3 minutes.
Transfer window opens - what do the Premier League managers say?
The January transfer window opens on New Year's Day, giving clubs their first opportunity to buy or sell players since the end of August.
Most Premier League managers have already had their say over how they see the next month going:
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "Although we are not close to signing anyone at the moment, if we do buy I think what we need is maybe someone with a bit of experience. I need a creative midfielder and eventually another midfielder, because we are short.
"We already have many young players so, if we buy, it will be somebody who is ready to play straight away. A loan deal could also be a possibility. What we might need is someone who can create a little spark."
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill: "We are definitely looking at trying to do something if it is at all possible."
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce: "I'm also more focused on getting players in rather than players out. Certainly my focus over the last two days has been speaking to the chairman about that. We're both going to go out and try and improve our squad as quickly as possible."
Chelsea manager Luiz Filipe Scolari : "I knew that it's a different time for Chelsea but, if we suffer more injuries, the board understand that I'll need one or two players to replace some [injured] players. They understand this. "
"If, on the other hand, the players are in good condition and there are no more injuries, I think it's maximum one player they'll replace because we need one more. Only one. A striker."
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez : "It will be difficult to bring anyone in January because we have a good squad. To bring in anyone better than what we've got isn't easy and could be expensive."
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes: "I think everyone understands there are certain areas of the squad which need strengthening and we will look to address those in the window."
"We are looking to bring good quality players to the club to help our situation and make sure that the club is moving forward in the future. There is no guarantee how many of those players we will be able to bring to the club. It is clear from everyone's point of view that we do need help."
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson : "I do not think there will be any January transfers, I am happy with what I have got. "We are probably going to bring back a couple of young players who have been on loan. That may just give us extra protection. "
"We took 23 players to Japan (for the Club World Cup) and they are substantial players. I would be happy to play any one of them."
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp : "If could find a wide-left player I would like to get one. That and a frontman would be the priority."
"I think Portsmouth have had a massive offer from somebody for Jermain Defoe, so good luck to them - I paid about £9m when I signed him. He is a good player but we're not going to pay over the top for anyone."
"I like Stewart Downing but I don't know whether Middlesbrough want to sell him."
Popular UK betting website BettingZone.co.uk have picked Arsenal to bat Aston Villa on Boxing Day - despite the loss of captain Cesc Fabregas ...
Villa gained a deserved win at The Emirates in mid-November and will be popular with punters at 13/8 to complete the double.
However, one of the themes of this Premier League season is that the top teams appear to prefer playing away from home where they have more space and can hit teams on the break.
Villa, with six away wins to just four at home, have been part of that trend while a win for Arsenal would mean they've taken just as many points on the road as they have at home.
Villa go into the game three points above the Gunners so Arsene Wenger would feel very anxious if that gap doubled to six as the prospect of Villa gatecrashing the top four would grown even stronger.
Yes, holes can be picked in the Arsenal line-up and the loss of Cesc Fabregas is a blow too. But they remain a talented bunch and it's foolish to write them off.
Arsenal have won four and drawn one of their last five trips to Villa Park and, given their record against the top teams this year, they're more than capable of nicking a victory.
Villa are no world-beaters yet so maybe the 2/1 about Arsenal is the best bet.
Aston Villa and Tottenham have a potential last 16 clash - but they will have to get past a pair of quality opponents as they first face CSKA Moscow and Shakhtar Donetsk respectively in the last 32.
Manchester City will face FC Copenhagen in the last 32 but they could meet Deportivo La Coruna in the last 16.
Other last 32 ties include AC Milan up against Werder Bremen, while Ajax meet Fiorentina.
Last 32 draw (first leg 18-19 Feb/ second leg 26 Feb): Paris Saint-Germain v Wolfsburg FC Copenhagen v MANCHESTER CITY NEC Nijmegen v Hamburg Sampdoria v Metalist Kharkiv Braga v Standard Liege ASTON VILLA v CSKA Moscow Lech Poznan v Udinese Olympiakos v Saint-Etienne Fiorentina v Ajax Aalborg v Deportivo La Coruna Werder Bremen v AC Milan Bordeaux v Galatasaray Dynamo Kiev v Valencia Zenit St. Petersburg v Stuttgart Marseille v FC Twente Shakhtar Donetsk v TOTTENHAM
Aston Villa have been cut for UEFA Cup glory after winning in midweek while Spurs and Portsmouth are on the drift.
Aston Villa kicked off their Group F campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Ajax at Villa Park and Ladbrokes have cut them to 11/1 to lift the trophy after goals from Martin Laursen and Gareth Barry secured victory over the Dutch visitors.
However, with the knockout stages still to come, there are plenty of challenges left and Villa can still be backed at 13.00 with PaddyPower.
Tottenham's miserable start to the season continued with a 2-0 defeat away to Udinese.
Spurs mixed passages of promising play with a defensive howler from goalkeeper Gomes and then an unnecessary red card to leave manager Juande Ramos even more uncertain about his future.
Spurs are 25/1 shots at BetFred for UEFA Cup glory - if you fancy their chances of getting sorted out.
Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth crashed to a 3-0 away defeat to Braga of Portugal and now Pompey are down at 40/1 in the betting ahead of their next fixture - a home clash with tournament favourites AC Milan.
AC Milan left some big names on the bench for their Group E opener away to Heerenveen but still cruised to a 3-1 win and have been cut to 7/2 by Ladbrokes.
Manchester City, who didn't have a fixture this week, are 14/1 to lift the cup.
Chelsea 4-0 Portsmouth (video highlights link) Luiz Felipe Scolari made the perfect start to his Chelsea reign as they easily overcame Portsmouth 4-0 in their Premier League opener at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Joe Cole, Nicolas Anelka, Frank Lampard (penalty) and Deco all netted as the Blues made short work of the FA Cup holders to top the early standings.
Chelsea played with more freedom than under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant, and were in front inside 12 minutes. Cole provided the breakthrough, racing onto an excellent Michael Ballack pass to fire confidently past David James.
The Blues doubled their advantage on 26 minutes when new boy Deco's looping effort drifted over the head of James and the impressive Anelka headed home from close range.
By now Chelsea were rampant, and they virtually made certain of victory in first-half injury time. Sylvain Distin handled Joe Cole's cross and Lampard easily beat James from the spot.
The second half was a stroll in the sunshine for the home side, though Pompey did provide more threat in attack. It was Chelsea who eventually did find another goal, when Deco capped a fine Premier League debut with a superb swerving long-range effort a minute from time.
Sir Alex Ferguson was missing a host of first-team regulars, including Carlos Tevez who had returned home to Argentina because of a family bereavement.
Young gun Fraizer Campbell started up front with Wayne Rooney, and saw his early point-blank header crash against the fortunate Shay Given's forehead.
But it was Newcastle who took a surprise lead on 22 minutes when Obafemi Martins powered home a header from a James Milner corner.
It took the champions just two minutes to draw level, as Darren Fletcher popped up to slide home a Ryan Giggs cross.
Both sides had chances to win it after that with Nemanja Vidic hitting the bar for the home side, but Kevin Keegan's side held out for a highly creditable point.
-----
Aston Villa 4-2 Manchester City
Gabriel Agbonlahor bounced back from his England snub with a stunning seven-minute hat-trick as Aston Villa beat Manchester City 4-2 at Villa Park.
John Carew had fired Martin O'Neill's side in front early in the second half but his strike was cancelled out by Elano on 64 minutes.
Then Agbonlahor, who was left out of the England squad by Fabio Capello for Wednesday's friendly against the Czech Republic, took out any disappointment on City in devastating fashion.
He netted on 69,74 and 76 minutes to give Villa a 4-1 advantage and assure them of three points.
Vedran Corluka got City's second - a consolation effort a minute from time.
It was a miserable afternoon all round for Mark Hughes' Blues, who lost Valeri Bojinov before kick-off. He snapped his Achilles during the warm-up and is now facing six months on the sidelines.
Aston Villa and Manchester City were handed ties against little-known opponents in the Uefa Cup second qualifying round draw on Friday.
Aston Villa will play Icelandic side Hafnarfjordur while Manchester City meet Danish side FC Midtjylland.
Both sides are scheduled to play at home in the first legs on 14 August.
Villa, in conjunction with their opponents, have requested the tie is switched, which would see the first leg take place in Iceland on 14 August, with the decider at Villa Park two weeks later.
UEFA CUP - NORTHERN SECTION - 2Q ROUND --------------------------------------- Djurgarden (Sweden) v Rosenborg Trondheim (Norway) MANCHESTER CITY v Midtjylland (Denmark) FC Honka (Finland) v Viking Stavanger (Norway) QUEEN OF SOUTH v Nordsjaelland (Denmark) Ghent (Belgium) v Kalmar (Sweden) ASTON VILLA v FH (Iceland) Stabaek (Norway) v Stade Rennes (France) Haka Valkeakoski (Finland) v Brondby (Denmark) FC Copenhagen (Denmark) v Lillestrom (Norway) Elfsborg Boras (Sweden) v St. Patrick's Athletic (Ireland)
FRIENDLIES. Kaizer Chiefs 1 v Man Utd 1 (match report) Barnet 1 v Arsenal 2 (match report) Cambridge 4 v Everton 2 (match report) Cologne 4 v West Brom 1 (match report) Fulham 3 v Celtic 1 Hartlepool 1 v Newcastle 4 (match report) Liverpool 1 v Wisla Krakow 1 Ostend 1 v Hull 1 Schalke 1 v Rangers 0
As the summer grinds on - and very little major transfer action actually is happening - I thought that I would start a daily thread of the various rumours - with their sources.
The cynical webmasters amongst you might think that i'm just trying to up the hits on this blog ... and you might be right !! :-)
Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has boasted to Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal that Cristiano Ronaldo has already signed for the Spanish club. (Source = just about every newspaper)
Frank Lampard looks to be on his way out of Chelsea as owner Roman Abramovich has refused to sanction the new five-year deal the midfielder is demanding. (Source = The Sun)
AC Milan claim Arsenal have written a letter to them offering to sell Emmanuel Adebayor, but don't want to pay the £35m fee that the Gunners want for the striker. (Source = The Sun again !)
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has set Gareth Barry's price at £17m plus defender Steve Finnan. Wow! (Source = Daily Mirror)
Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is trying to do a cut-price £6m deal for Real Zaragoza's Argentine forward Pablo Aimar. (Source = Daily Mirror)
Everton are tracking Real Zaragoza striker Diego Milito as David Moyes considers potential replacements for unsettled striker Andy Johnson who might move to Wigan. (Source = several)
Gareth Barry moves to Liverpool - once Reds pay up
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill says Gareth Barry's transfer to Liverpool will remain deadlocked unless the Reds meet the Midlands club's asking price.
Aston Villa have rejected a bid of around £15m for the 27-year-old midfielder and their asking price is thought to be between £18m to £20m
O'Neill told the club website: "We put a valuation on him and Liverpool value him differently at the moment. That's what the stalemate is, nothing else. When somebody says they want to leave there's not much you can do. If they meet our valuation he will go."
He added: "Gareth has pointed out he wants to go and has made his position clear, that has been the case since the beginning of June, when he said he wanted to join Liverpool."
Earlier this week Villa captain Barry was disciplined and ordered not to report for pre-season training for giving an unauthorised interview to a newspaper in which he criticised O'Neill.
In the interview Barry said "There's no going back, it's time for me to move on," and "I'm desperate to play Champions League football and that's why I have to leave Villa."
Liverpool's Rafa Benitez has launched a bid to sign Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry.
There has been plenty of speculation linking Liverpool with a move for Barry recently, and the Reds have now formally contacted Villa with an opening bid for the England midfielder.
Villa manager Martin O'Neill will probably not accept the offer for his club captain, who has two years to run of his current contract and has been an instrumental figure in his side's impressive Premier League campaign, but O'Neill has confirmed the offer, with Liverpool presenting "a mish-mash of players" in exchange for Barry.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez is determined to pair Barry in midfield with his England team-mate Steven Gerrard and is expected to make significant squad changes ahead of next season. Barry, who celebrates the 10th anniversary of his Villa debut next week, has made no secret of his desire to play Champions League football and would come close to doubling his weekly wages of £40,000 with a move to Anfield.
O'Neill is thought to have already made plans for Barry's departure with Chelsea's Steven Sidwell lined up as his replacement while Liverpool striker Peter Crouch would most likely represent part of any swap deal with Barry.
A bid of £10m had been mentioned, but O'Neill values Barry higher than that price and is understood to be looking for a package involving £8m plus former Villa striker Crouch.
Barry recently said that he has to adopt a "selfish" approach in his desire to make the most his footballing career and now may make his final home appearance for Villa against Wigan tomorrow clocking up almost almost 400 appearances over 10 years.
The PFA team of the year at a star-studded ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Sunday April 27th.
Five clubs were represented in the side, with 9 of the 10 outfield players normally wearing red shirts.
Manchester United had three representatives in Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic while Arsenal had four players with Cesc Fabregas, Adebayor, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy featured in the side.
Liverpool duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were included, as was Portsmouth goalkeeper David James and Aston Villa midfielder Ashley Young.
Interestingly, Chelsea's strong attempts to win titles in the Premier League and Champions League were not regcognised at an individual level with no Blues players featuring.
Perhaps that reflects the dour controlled style at the Bridge, or a team that is based more on hardwork and flair? Chelsea may yet get much more tangible team rewards for their efforts - so was the team picked too soon?
PFA Premier League team of the year: G : David James (Portsmouth), D : Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd), Gael Clichy (Arsenal), M : Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd), Ashley Young (Aston Villa), A : Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Fernando Torres (Liverpool).
Scottish midfielder Gary McDonald's first-half strike gave League One Oldham a famous 1-0 FA Cup third-round triumph against mighty Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
The League One side, over 50 places below the Merseysiders, fully deserved their victory after a battling performance.
Everton fielded a much-changed side, and McDonald's 25-yard cracker on the stroke of half-time was enough to beat them.
---
Michael Mifsud scored twice as Coca-Cola Championship club Coventry booked their place in the fourth round with a memorable 4-1 win over Blackburn at Ewood Park.
The Sky Blues, who dumped Manchester United out of the Carling Cup earlier this season with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford, were in good form against Premier League opposition and never looked in danger of losing the lead given to them through Mifsud's crisp volley after 34 minutes.
They doubled their advantage after 64 minutes when Zurab Khizanishvili was adjudged to have fouled Leon Best in the penalty area and defender Elliott Ward coolly stepped up to fire past Brad Friedel.
Dele Adebola added a third from 18 yards before David Bentley scored a consolation five minutes from time for Mark Hughes' beleaguered side.
Mifsud added a fourth in the dying stages as Iain Dowie's side celebrated a memorable day.
---
Chris Brandon scored nine minutes from time to secure another cup shock as League One Huddersfield beat Premier League Birmingham 2-1.
Luke Beckett handed the Terriers a dream start as he poked home from close range after just four minutes but Garry O'Connor levelled for Blues 15 minutes later.
Huddersfield never looked out of place against their more illustrious opponents and Brandon slotted home from close range late on to book their place in the next round.
--- Holders Chelsea were made to work hard for their 1-0 victory over neighbours QPR at Stamford Bridge.
They scored the only goal of the game after 39 minutes in fortuitous circumstances as Claudio Pizarro's shot cannoned off the post before rebounding into the net off the back of Rangers goalkeeper Lee Camp.
--
In other games :
Manchester United progressed as goals in the last 10 minutes from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney saw off Aston Villa 2-0 in the evening kick-off.
Bolton left out a string of first-team players, including Chelsea target Nicolas Anelka, and were made to pay as David Carney's solitary strike put Sheffield United through.
Dave Nugent's third goal for Portsmouth secured a 1-0 win over Ipswich, who had Liam Trotter dismissed in the first half.
Paul Scharner's first-half header, Paul McShane's own goal and a neat strike from David Cotterill helped Wigan cruise past Sunderland 3-0 at the Stadium of Light.
David Wheater's second-half goal ensured there was no upset at Ashton Gate as Middlesbrough came from behind to see off Bristol City 2-1.
Two replays required :
Stephen Hunt matched Dimitar Berbatov's brace as Reading secured a 2-2 draw with Tottenham, who had Tom Huddlestone dismissed for violent conduct.
Manchester City and West Ham will meet again after a dour goalless draw at Upton Park.
Aston Villa : Gardner 14'; The Arsenal : Flamini 23', Adebayor 36'
Arsenal came back from an early goal to deservedly lead by halftime and then weathered a vastly-improved second half performance from Aston Villa to maintain their unbeaten record and the leadership of the Barclays Premier League.
Craig Gardner had given Villa hope of their first win over the Gunners in 18 meetings when he put them ahead with his third goal of the campaign.
But Arsenal responded by handing out a footballing lesson for the remainder of the half and could easily have added to goals from Mathieu Flamini and Emmanuel Adebayor.
The Gunners had been a joy to watch in the opening 45 minutes with some delightful free-flowing football which often had Villa chasing shadows. They stepped up a gear from the minute Villa went ahead and their one-touch play caused the home side constant problems.
Lassana Diarra and Alexander Hleb sparkled in midfield while Emmanuel Eboue was an effective outlet on the right flank. Little was seen of the exciting forward play which had brought Villa 11 goals in the previous four games.
Villa were a different proposition after the break with Ashley Young more of a threat on the left wing and target man John Carew causing problems. Carew put a thumping header against the Gunners bar with Almunia well beaten - and Young was booked late on for a swan dive looknig ofr a penalty after his control let him down.
But the Gunners held firm with Kolo Toure and William Gallas solid performers at the heart of the Gunners back four.
It means that Arsenal have not tasted defeat in the league since April and in the process they brought an end to Villa's run of four successive wins.
Aston Villa Sponsors 32Red Poker are running a special poker "Giveaways" tournament on November 15th.
You can win a whole range of stuff: - VIP passes to Aston Villa v Arsenal match (Dec 1st) - VIP passes to Aston Villa v Man City match (Dec 22nd) - signed team shirts & footballs, - free sports bets - plus free entry to a $65,000 Extreme Stack tournament of your choice.
This is "a guide to gambling" and it's written by a Gooner.
It will be mostly sports bets on European football - but with a dash of poker and casino play thrown in as well.
Stumble It!
