Premiership clockwatch

Results:
Bolton 0-1 Chelsea

Match report

Aston Villa 1-3 Manchester City

Match report

Fulham 2-1 Arsenal

Match report

Liverpool 0-0 Portsmouth

Match report

Manchester United 3-0 Everton

Match report

GOALFLASHES AND MAJOR INCIDENTS (all times GMT)

By Charlie Henderson

2157: FULL-TIME Bolton 0-1 Chelsea
That gap at the top is back to three as Chelsea win their first away game in a month. Bolton are down to fourth on goal difference and 11 points behind their visitors.

2157: FULL-TIME Liverpool 0-0 Portsmouth
Portsmouth's wait for an Anfield win goes on, but the point means they climb to third ahead of Bolton on goal difference. The Reds are up to seventh, a point ahead of Merseyside rivals Everton.

2156: Jussi Jaaskelainen goes up for a late Bolton corner but cannot get on the end of it. Neither can any of his team-mates.

2155: It looks as if the locals don't hold out much hope for a late Liverpool goal as they head for the exits.

2154: Sol Campbell finally gallops back on the pitch at Anfield after being re-shoed.

2152: FULL-TIME Manchester United 3-0 Everton
Manchester United march on and are now 10 games unbeaten. They are six points clear at the top of the table. Give it a few minutes and it will be back to three though. It is six matches without a win for Everton now.

2151: Linvoy Primus blocks Steve Finnan's cross as another Liverpool attack flounders in the final third. Sol Campbell's boot has quite literally exploded. The crowd think he is time wasting but the stitching has come apart. He needs a farrier.

2150: With the points wrapped up at Old Trafford people are flooding for the exits already to leave visible scars of red seating in the stands. That's not going to happen at Anfield.

2149: So close to a decisive goal at Anfield, but Steven Gerrard's diving header from Dirk Kuyt's cross flies the wrong side of the post.

2148: GOAL Manchester United 3-0 Everton
That will help the goal difference for the league leaders. Patrice Evra clips a pass into the box and John O'Shea flicks the ball over Richard Wright with the outside of his boot. And you thought he was a workmanlike midfielder!

2145: Didier Drogba cuts in from the left and unleashes a dipping shot from outside the area which is just over the bar and lands on the roof of the net.

2143: We are inside the final 10 minutes in the other three matches and there is all to play for for Liverpool, otherwise, like Arsenal, they will be losing sight of the two-horse race to win the Premiership. That's if those two fillies at the front aren't already over the hill and long gone.

2140: Like Manchester United, a second goal would make it a more comfortable final few minutes for Chelsea. Carlo Cudicini saves a low El Hadji Diouf shot.

2138: FULL-TIME Fulham 2-1 Arsenal
A third successive Arsenal defeat on the road and that gap to the top continues to grow, although Arsene Wenger did not help himself with all those changes. Fulham fans in the first Craven Cottage capacity crowd of the season delight in a first win over their London rivals in 40 years as "I Love You Baby" blares out over the PA.

2137: FULL-TIME Aston Villa 1-3 Manchester City
A second Premiership defeat of the season for Aston Villa and a second away win of 2006 for Manchester City. Like the first, it came at Villa Park. Which wag started the chant "Can we play you every week?"?

2134: Rare away day joy for Manchester City fans who are cheering every pass with an "Ole!" as the games meanders into added time. There are three minutes extra at Craven Cottage.

2130: Justin Hoyte accelerates into the Fulham box but his heavy, flat cross evades the outstretched foot of Thierry Henry.

2129: Yellow card number 11 at Craven Cottage as Kolo Toure brings down Wayne Routledge. Seven have gone to the Gunners, so at least they are winning at something tonight.

2126: Arsenal do not like losing and tempers are fraying. Mathieu Flamini and Heider Helguson clash and both earn a yellow card after Jens Lehmann went down in the box awaiting the corner. Arsene Wenger said the next four games were the "moment of truth" for his team. Now it's more like the next 10 minutes.

2124: Space opens up for Fulham's Claus Jensen on the edge of the area but Justin Hoyte races in from stage left to block his goalbound volley.

2123: GOAL Manchester United 2-0 Everton
There's that second goal. Wayne Rooney rolls the ball out to his left for the overlapping Patrice Evra who thunders a shot inbetween Richard Wright's legs.

2120: GOAL Aston Villa 1-3 Manchester City
Sylvain Distin restores Manchester City's two-goal advantage. The central defender strides forward and after a give-and-go with Georgios Samaras he races in on goal and slots with the aplomb of a striker.

2119: Wayne Rooney shows where his loyalties lie in no uncertain terms. In front of the travelling Everton support he kisses his Manchester United badge.

2118: Wayne Rooney beats the turf in frustration after a man and ball tackle from Phil Neville. Manchester United will certainly want the cushion of a second goal.

2115: Jitters for Chelsea at the back as El Hadji Diouf's free-kick evades every blue shirt, but Carlo Cudicini is there to save.

2114: A sizzling low shot from Chelsea's Frank Lampard, but the impressive Jussi Jaaskelainen is down well to tip it wide.

2113: David James fails to hold on to a low cross and the ball breaks for Luis Garcia in the area. He ends up getting two bites of the cherry but James recovers to block both efforts.

2112: A low shot at Craven Cottage and substitute Theo Walcott is inches from his first Arsenal goal. It clips the base of the post. The Gunners have a 58% winning record under Arsene Wenger, but in November that drops to 48%. The travelling support will be grateful the weekend derby against Tottenham is a December fixture.

2110: GOAL Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester City
Space opens up for Gavin McCann and the midfielder arrows a low, bouncing shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the Manchester City goal.

2109: Luis Boa Morte picks himself up to take the free-kick and it is almost a Fulham third as it crashes off the bar down on to the line and bounces away.

2108: RED CARD Arsenal
Things are going from bad to worse for the visitors at Craven Cottage. Home fans are waving goodbye to Philippe Senderos after he receives a second booking for bringing down Luis Boa Morte on the edge of the area.

2107: Chelsea are booed back on to the pitch at the Reebok, as is referee Steve Bennet. Bolton have now not scored a home goal against the Blues for more than 340 minutes since Henrik Pedersen slotted in November 2002.

2106: Liverpool and Portsmouth resume. The first goal at Anfield will be vital. When either team has scored first this season they go on to win.

2104: Manchester United start the second half at Old Trafford. Pointless fact of the day: United are the Premiership's all-time leading scorers while Everton have conceded more goals than any other club in the league's short history.

2102: A fine double save from Stuart Taylor on the day after his 26th birthday. The Aston Villa goalkeeper beats away Bernado Corradi's rising shot and then scrambles to block a Darius Vassell shot with his legs.

2101: Phil Neville leads Everton out for the second half at Old Trafford. It must be strange sensation for him being cheered by opposing fans.

2056: Thierry Henry puts the ball in the back of the net with a neat side-footed finish but the Frenchman had strayed just offside to receive a searching Cesc Fabregas pass.

2052: No time for a break this end, as while Bolton and Chelsea go off the action at Villa Park and Craven Cottage resumes. The Gunners send Cesc Fabregas on for Alex Song.

2051: GOAL Bolton 0-1 Chelsea
Michael Ballack loses Kevin Davies at the near post to glance in Frank Lampard's corner on the stroke of half-time. The corner came about after Jussi Jaaskelainen palmed an Andriy Shevchenko effort behind. The Bolton players are not happy with the amount of added time as the players head for the tunnel and get their point across to the referee, as does a booing home crowd.

2048: HALF-TIME No time for the Liverpool corner. The whistle goes, as it does at Old Trafford. There will be a bit of extra time at the Reebok after a half that included a number of little breaks for various squabbles and shenanigans between the second and third-placed teams in the Premiership.

2047: Steven Gerrard races down the left-hand side but the Liverpool skipper's cross is deflected behind for a corner by his former England international team-mate Sol Campbell.

2043: Schoolboy control from James Beattie in the Manchester United box and an Everton chance goes begging. The sort of stuff you'd expect from the nerd who always got picked last for the lunchtime kickabout.

2041: GOAL Manchester United 1-0 Everton
Michael Carrick's initial shot is blocked by Nuno Valente, but Cristiano Ronaldo pounces on the rebound and fires home. That will draw a smile from the trio of Glazers up in the stands - not window fitters, we're talking Manchester United Soccer Club owners.

2040: Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini paws away a El Hadji Diouf corner from under his bar.

2038: Luis Garcia cranks up the muscles in his neck and flicks a header from the edge of the area into the side-netting. Steve Finnan supplied the cross which the Spaniard met 15 yards out.

2036: Ricardo Carvalho and Ivan Campo clash. After a bit of pushing and shoving between the Iberians, Campo is booked.

2034: HALF-TIME Boos at Villa Park. Seems a bit harsh. Martin O'Neill's side have lost just once this season. At this stage last term they had already been on the receiving end of seven reverses. The mood is at the opposite end of the spectrum by the Thames as the teams head for the tunnel with Fulham in the ascendancy. Jens Lehmann is having his now customary moan with the referee.

2033: Luis Boa Morte and Brian McBride exchange passes and cut through the Arsenal rearguard but the American's shot is saved by Jens Lehmann.

2032: Aston Villa come close to pulling a goal back as Stilian Petrov cracks a right-footed free-kick on to the bar. It bounces down on to the line and spins away.

2030: It may be 0-0 but it is exciting cut and thrust football at both Old Trafford and the Reebok. The action at Anfield is yet to really get going as Portsmouth have a first effort on goal from a Matt Taylor free-kick.

2029: That goal has not checked Fulham. Claus Jensen takes a leaf out of Robin van Persie's free-kick manual but his effort curls just wide of the post with Jens Lehmann flat-footed and well out of the picture.

2026: Like Chelsea, Manchester United are turning the screw. Wayne Rooney heads over shortly after Kieran Richardson charges down a Richard Wright clearance. The ball could have gone anywhere and the keeper's lucky it didn't nestle in the back of the net.

2025: Action all over the shop. Kieran Richardson grazes the Everton bar with a free-kick, while Chelsea also hit the woodwork, Ricardo Carvalho heading Frank Lampard's corner on to the post. Michael Essien blazes the follow up high over the bar.

2024: GOAL Fulham 2-1 Arsenal
Arsene Wenger still has a face like thunder but his side may be starting their comeback. Robin van Persie whips in a left-footed free-kick from a central position outside the box.

2023: It's that man Jussi Jaaskelainen in action again denying Didier Drogba.

2022: Jussi Jaaskelainen keeps his eye firmly on a swerving Frank Lampard free-kick and smothers it around the post.

2021: More trouble for Arsenal as former player Luis Boa Morte bears down on goal. Jens Lehmann stays big to beat away his shot.

2019: GOAL Aston Villa 0-2 Manchester City
City boss Stuart Pearce is roaring in delight as Bernardo Corradi leads the celebrations at the corner flag which he uses as a guitar. The Italian had nothing to do with the goal which saw Sylvain Distin release Georgios Samaras who in turn pulled it back for an easy finish for Joey Barton.

2017: Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen is solidly behind a low Frank Lampard shot. Manchester United stopper Edwin van der Sar cannot get a hand to James McFadden's effort, but the shot goes wide.

2016: It is fair to say Arsene Wenger looks worse than glum. The Frenchman zips his top up, unzips, fidgets and glares at the ground. He is probably working out his post-match excuses for this shambles of a team before him.

2014: Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp looks glum. Liverpool are dominating Pompey, who have lost their last five away games. It is 55 years since they took maximum points from a trip to Anfield.

2013: Clearly Liverpool's defenders have been having shooting practice over the last few days. After Jamie Carragher's early effort, Sami Hyypia hammers a piledriver over the Portsmouth bar.

2011: El Hadji Diouf rifles a low cross into the Chelsea box but Nicolas Anelka is on his heels and Carlo Cudicini dives on the ball.

2009: Darius Vassell flashes a header over the Aston Villa bar.

2008: Nicky Hunt plays a high and hopeful ball into the area but Kevin Davies fails to take advantage of Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini's slip, heading over from six yards. At Craven Cottage Tomas Radzinski is back on after a bit of treatment.

2006: GOAL Fulham 2-0 Arsenal
Luis Boa Morte clips an inviting, low cross into the Arsenal box and Tomasz Radzinski beats Mathieu Flamini to the ball to double Fulham's advantage. His momentum means he crashes into the advertising hoardings and needs treatment.

2004: GOAL Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City
No surprise there. It is that man Darius Vassell who lashes in the second goal of the night getting on the end of a Hatem Trabelsi cross. It is his first goal of the season.

2002: Liverpool's new midfielder Jamie Carragher has a pop from 25 yards. No worries for former team-mate and fellow mid-nineties Spice Boy David James.

2001: All five matches are up and running now and Arsene Wenger may be regretting chopping and changing his side so much, although the Gunners have come from behind on more occasions than any other team in the Premiership this season.

2000: The Reebok is shrouded in smoke from the pre-match hullabaloo of fireworks. Bolton have never beaten Chelsea at the Reebok and Jose Mourinho's been mouthing off about how much he likes the ground - in sharp contrast to Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger.

1957: The players emerge at Old Trafford led out by Gary and Phil Neville. It is the first time brothers have captained opposing teams in the Premiership.

1956: Birthday boy Ryan Giggs takes his seat in the crowd at Old Trafford. Former Charlton manager Iain Dowie watching Bolton against Chelsea.

1953: GOAL Fulham 1-0 Arsenal
Another corner to Fulham and it is a goal. Claus Jensen's whipped delivery is flicked beyond Jens Lehmann's outstretched hand by Brian McBride. It is hands on hips time for the German but he has nobody else to blame. It was poor goalkeeping and Fulham score in the first quarter of a Premiership match for the first time this season.

1951: There are more than a few seats going at Villa Park, but their crowds are bigger than those at champions Chelsea - testament to the Martin O'Neill effect.

1950: Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner, sporting a bulging Villa scarf is in the house at Villa Park. Don't know if he joins in the booing of Darius Vassell but plenty are of that persuasion as the striker gets a first touch.

1949: A good start at the Cottage for Fulham with an early corner. Jens Lehmann claims it and there are none of the histrionics that littered the German's weekend performance at Bolton.

1947: A bit behind time, but the first two matches are up and running.

1945: A warm handshake between Martin O'Neill and Stuart Pearce at Villa Park. Pearce has described his opposing manager as a cross between "a nutter and a genius".

1944: And the teams emerge at Craven Cottage. It is 402 minutes since the home fans celebrated a goal against the Gunners by the Thames.

1943: The players are out at Villa Park. Manchester City have won just once on the road this year, at Villa in April.

1940: And of course, there is also the small matter of David Moyes coming face to face with former player Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford. The Everton boss has launched unprecedented libel action against the Manchester United striker over claims in his autobiography.

1939: And Darius Vassell is a significant player when it comes to Aston Villa v Manchester City. He scored the winner in that one Villa victory in the last 10 in August 2002.

1938: Darius Vassell's selection is great news for the Manchester City faithful. He has scored four goals in four appearances against his former club.

1936: Fellow Portsmouth player David Thompson is also back at Anfield where he started his career, Phil Neville will turn out for Everton at Manchester United and Darius Vassell is in the Manchester City team at Villa Park.

1935: David James is just one of a number of players returning to a former club tonight.

1932: The players are warming up at Anfield and former Liverpool 'Spice Boy' David James is still sporting his £250 Superman haircut. The Portsmouth keeper had threatened to shave it off.

1929: Can Ryan Giggs and Sir Alex Ferguson work it out? Rumours from Old Trafford suggest birthday boy Giggs and his boss have had a falling out. The official line is the 33-year-old has a calf injury.

1927: The last time Fulham beat Arsenal at home the Beatles were at number one with 'Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out' and manager Chris Coleman was not even born. The date was New Year's Day 1966.

1925: And as for Fulham against Arsenal, the Cottagers have only picked up one Premiership point against the Gunners who have won on their last five visits to Craven Cottage.

1923: While form points to Aston Villa, who are unbeaten at home, Manchester City, who have yet to win away this season, have the Indian sign over their hosts who have come out victorious just once from their last 10 meetings.

1921: History suggests Manchester City and Arsenal will take the points from those matches.

1920: The two early matches at Villa Park and Craven Cottage start at 1945 GMT and the teams for those games are out tuning up on a crisp night in Birmingham and London.

1915: It is the first midweek Premiership programme of fixtures since August and heralds the start of a busy month of action with some clubs set to play nine times in December.

TEAM NEWS

Aston Villa keeper Stuart Taylor comes in for his second league start of the season with Thomas Sorensen out with a knee injury, while in attack Milan Baros partners Juan Pablo Angel. Looking for their first away win this season, Manchester City play three strikers - Darius Vassell, Bernardo Corradi and Georgios Samaras.

Fulham draft in Philippe Christanval in defence for the suspended Ian Pearce even though the Frenchman is not fully fit. Arsenal recall Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie and Tomas Rosicky. Cesc Fabregas is rested and Alex Song gets a first league start of the campaign.

The midfield injury crisis at Liverpool means Janie Carragher has been moved forward from defence to take on the holding role. Left-back Matt Taylor is fit for Portsmouth, who also bring in Nico Kranjcar for leading scorer Kanu.

Chelsea remain unchanged. Midfielder Joe Cole does not make the bench because he has a knock, while Arjen Robben fails to make the 16-man squad. Bolton bring in Ivan Campo for Quinton Fortune, while Nicky Hunt, who came off injured against Arsenal at the weekend, plays.

Manchester United are without Nemanja Vidic and Ryan Giggs, while Paul Scholes, Louis Saha and Gabriel Heinze drop to the bench. Cristiano Ronaldo passes a fitness test on an ankle injury. Everton have Richard Wright back in goal for his first Premiership appearance of the season with on-loan Tim Howard ineligible to play against his parent club. Alan Stubbs is recalled in central defence, with Joseph Yobo switching to right back and Phil Neville reverting to a midfield role.