English Premier League: Nikica Jelavic marks first Everton start with winner

Former Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic got the winner on his full debut for Everton in a 1-0 win over Tottenham. After two substitute appearances the Croatian international, pictured, who signed from the Ibrox club in January, side-footed home from ten yards after 22 minutes.

Sunderland went up to eighth after a 1-0 win over Liverpool at the Stadium of Light. Nicklas Bendtner got the only goal in the 56th minute, tapping home from close range after the ball twice hit the post. The result extended Liverpool’s winless league run to four games.

Bolton boosted their survival hopes with a controversial 2-1 win over QPR at the Reebok Stadium which kept the issue of goal-line technology alive. Ivan Klasnic scored the winner late on to end a run of four straight defeats for Owen Coyle’s men, but the talking point was the failure of referee Martin Atkinson and his officials to award a first-half goal to QPR’s Clint Hill, whose header from a corner was clearly over the line before Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan clawed it out. Bolton instead took the lead through Darren Pratley. Djibril Cisse’s strike early in the second half looked as if it would earn QPR a point until Croatian Klasnic’s goal after being teed up by a superb pass from Arsenal loanee Ryo Miyaichi. Mark Hughes’ team have now won only one of their last 16 league games.

Blackburn kept themselves out of the bottom three with a 2-0 win at Wolves. Junior Hoilett scored the first goal in the 43rd minute with an acrobatic strike after Wanderers, who have now won only one of their last 14 league games, failed to clear a long throw-in. The Canadian added a second for Rovers in the 69th minute.

Aston Villa ended a five-match winless run as Andreas Weimann’s injury-time goal was enough to beat in-form Fulham 1-0.

Weimann reacted quickest to scramble the ball home after Cottagers keeper Mark Schwartzer had failed to hold a shot and that ended Fulham’s run of three wins.