Fabregas puts Arsenal back on top

Arsenal regained first place in the Premier League on Sunday thanks to a Cesc Fabregas equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield.

The Gunners trailed to Steven Gerrard's seventh-minute freekick but Fabregas stole in with 10 minutes remaining to give the visitors a deserved share of the points.

Arsenal have 26 points from 10 matches while champions Manchester United, 4-1 winners at home to Middlesbrough on Saturday, also have 26 from 11 but have scored fewer goals. Liverpool are sixth with 20 points from 10.

Tottenham Hotspur lost for the third time in a week on Sunday as Christopher Samba's stoppage time strike clinched a 2-1 victory for Blackburn Rovers.

Watched from the stands by new manager Juande Ramos, Tottenham led through Robbie Keane's 49th-minute penalty but Rovers equalised with a Benni McCarthy strike.

A point would have taken Tottenham out of the Premier League's bottom three but Samba pounced on a loose ball to smash Rovers' winner past Tottenham keeper Radek Cerny and move them back into the top six.

Bolton Wanderers moved off the foot of the Premier League on Sunday with a 1-1 home draw with Aston Villa in Gary Megson's first match in charge.

French striker Nicolas Anelka gave Bolton the lead with a pinpoint free kick into the top corner after 22 minutes as the hosts had the better of the opening period.

Villa did improve after the break when Gabriel Agbonlahor hammered in a cross from the right and the ball cannoned off the chest of substitute Luke Moore who claimed the goal.

Bolton were angry that a throw-in awarded to them in the build-up to the Villa equaliser was overruled by the referee, allowing Agbonlahor to break forward.

The point was enough to lift Bolton, who appointed Megson on Wednesday to replace Sammy Lee, above Derby County.

Derby County slid to the foot of the Premier League with a 2-0 home defeat to Everton on Sunday.

Goals in either half from Mikel Arteta and Yakubu Aiyegbeni saw Everton take all three points at Pride Park and move up to ninth in the table with 16 points.

Second from bottom Bolton Wanderers, who drew with Aston Villa earlier on Sunday lie on six points , the same as Derby, but have a superior goal difference to the midlands club.

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