Recent losses to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen put pressure on the 34-year-old but first-half goals from John Terry, Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata settled the issue.
Thomas Vermaelen scored at both ends as Arsenal drew 1-1 at home with Fulham. Vermaelen’s own goal gifted the visitors the lead on 65 minutes. The Belgian redeemed himself when nodding in from close range with seven minutes left but the Gunners could not find a winner.
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Hide AdJermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor, twice, struck to earn Tottenham a 3-1 away win over West Brom after the Baggies had opened the scoring through Youssouf Mulumbu’s free header.
Grant Holt came off the Norwich bench to lift Paul Lambert’s troops to a 2-1 win over QPR. The visitors’ Luke Young had earlier cancelled out Russell Martin’s first-half opener.
Stoke ended a run of four league defeats with a 3-1 home win over Blackburn. Goals from Jermaine Pennant, Glenn Whelan and Peter Crouch increased the pressure on Rovers manager Steve Kean as Ruben Rochina’s late consolation had little impact.
A Jordi Gomez penalty put bottom-of-the-table Wigan level before Sunderland paid for missed chances in a 2-1 home defeat. Gomez netted just before the break after Victor Moses was fouled by Sebastian Larsson, who had fired the home side into an eighth-minute lead. A string of saves from Ali Al-Habsi kept the visitors in it before Franco Di Santo’s last-minute winner.
David Moyes’ Everton took full advantage of a red card to David Wheater as goals from Marouane Fellaini and Apostolos Vellios gave the visitors a 2-0 win at Bolton.