Everton surprise Man City

LONDON (AP):

Manchester City remain on course to qualify for the Champ-ions League for the first time despite losing 2-1 at Everton after Tottenham were held to a 1-1 draw by Blackpool yesterday.

Yaya Toure had put Man City on course to strengthen their grip on fourth place in the Premier League, but Sylvain Distin and Leon Osman scored in the second half to clinch victory for Everton.

Softening the impact of that loss was Tottenham's draw with Blackpool, leaving the fifth-place Spurs six points behind City.

Tottenham and City meet on Tuesday in one of three remaining matches and a victory for City would ensure the team qualifies for Europe's top knockout competition.

A victory for Spurs at City last May ensured they secured a Champions League spot for the first time, at the expense of their big-spending rivals.

In the relegation dogfight, Thomas Hitzlsperger salvaged a 1-1 draw for West Ham against Blackburn, but the London club remain bottom of the standings - a point behind Wolverhampton and three adrift of Wigan, who are both also in the drop zone.

Today the focus shifts to the title race, with Chelsea able to topple Manchester United from the summit with a victory at Old Trafford, while third-place Arsenal are at Stoke.

City remain five points behind Arsenal after collapsing at Goodison Park, with Everton winning for the seventh time in eight meetings between the sides.

Toure, though, had put City ahead when he latched on to David Silva's pass and clipped the ball over goalkeeper Tim Howard.

"We had many chances to close the game," City manager Roberto Mancini said. "I don't know why we stayed too deep."

Powerful header

Distin, a former City defender, levelled for Everton with a powerful header that was too strong for goalkeeper Joe Hart to keep out in the 65th.

The winner seven minutes later also came from a header as the diminutive Osman beat Vincent Kompany to Phil Neville's pinpoint cross.

At White Hart Lane, Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes went from hero to villain in a minute.

After Michael Dawson conceded a penalty by handling a cross while jumping for a header, Gomes' diving save denied Charlie Adam from the spot.

But from the resulting corner, Gomes barged Gary Taylor-Fletcher over in the penalty area - and this time Adam blasted the spot kick into the net.

Jermain Defoe salvaged a point for Spurs with a late strike.

At Upton Park, a thunderous finish from Hitzlsperger cancelled out Jason Roberts' close-range finish for Blackburn.

"We did well today and created lots of chances," West Ham manager Avram Grant said. "This is the story of our season. In every game, we create chances and don't score, but at least we got a draw."

Blackburn's point took them above Birmingham, although both teams are four points above the drop zone.

Birmingham lost 2-1 at Newcastle, with the hosts going ahead from the penalty spot through Shola Ameobi after defender Liam Ridgewell was sent off for handball.

Defender Steven Taylor added a second two minutes before half-time with a header, but former Newcastle midfielder Lee Bowyer reduced the deficit just before the break when his shot was deflected into the net by Fabricio Coloccini.

Results

Premier League Aston Villa 1 Wigan 1; Bolton 1 Sunderland 2; Everton 2 Manchester City 1; Newcastle 2 Birmingham 1; West Ham 1 Blackburn 1; Tottenham 1 Blackpool 1.

League Championship: Barnsley 1 Millwall 0; Bristol City 3 Hull 0; Burnley 1 Cardiff 1; Crystal Palace 0 Nottingham Forest 3; Leicester 4 Ipswich 2; Middlesbrough 3 Doncaster 0; Norwich 2 Coventry 2; Preston 3 Watford 1; Queens Park Rangers 1 Leeds 2; Reading 2 Derby 1; Scunthorpe 1 Portsmouth 1; Swansea 4 Sheffield United 0.

League One: Bournemouth 1 Rochdale 2; Carlisle 0 Yeovil 2; Charlton 0 Hartlepool 0; Colchester 2 Bristol Rovers 1; Huddersfield 4 Brentford 4; Notts County 1 Brighton 1; Oldham 1 MK Dons 2; Peterborough 5 Dagenham & Redbridge 0; Plymouth 1 Leyton Orient 4; Sheffield Wednesday 1 Exeter 2; Southampton 3 Walsall 1; Tranmere 0 Swindon 2.

League Two: Barnet 1 Port Vale 0; Bradford 1 Crewe 5; Burton Albion 1 Accrington Stanley 1; Chesterfield 3 Gillingham 1; Lincoln City 0 Aldershot 3; Macclesfield 1 Hereford 1; Morecambe 1 Northampton 2; Rotherham 3 Torquay 1; Shrewsbury 3 Oxford 0; Stevenage 3 Bury 3; Stockport 1 Cheltenham 1; Wycombe 3 Southend 1.