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United miss out after Sunderland draw

LONDON — Manchester United were left two points behind English Premier League leaders Chelsea after being held to a goalless draw away to Sunderland on Saturday.

Victory for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, in a match where the kick-off was delayed by 20 minutes after a burst pipe caused the ceiling above the visitors’ dressing room to collapse, would have seen them draw level on points with Chelsea ahead of the champions’ London derby against Arsenal on Sunday.

But they couldn’t find a way past the defence of a Sunderland side managed by former United centre-half Steve Bruce.

At the other end of the table, Everton moved off the bottom and out of the relegation zone as they won 2-0 away to Birmingham City for their first league victory of the season as they ended City’s 18-game unbeaten run at St Andrews.

The Toffees’ long-awaited success, allied to Wigan’s 2-0 win over Wolves, saw Merseyside rivals Liverpool, 18-times English champions, drop into the bottom three ahead of their match against top-flight new boys Blackpool at Anfield on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur ended Aston Villa’s winning run under Gerard Houllier with a Rafael van der Vaart double inspiring a 2-1 come from behind victory while West Ham and Fulham shared the points in a 1-1 London derby draw.

Villa, who’d won both their two previous league matches under French boss Houllier, took a 16^th minute lead at White Hart Lane after Marc Albrighton tapped in Emile Heskey’s cross at the far post.

But Spurs were back on level terms shortly before half-time when van der Vaart headed home at the far post after Roman Pavlyuchenko’s cross was nodded back across goal by Peter Crouch.

And the Netherlands midfielder, who scored and was sent-off in Tottenham’s midweek Champions League win over Dutch club FC Twente, fired Spurs into the lead 15 minutes from time.

At the other end of the table, Everton scored their first away goal of the season when Leon Osman’s cross was turned into his own net by Birmingham defender Roger Johnson in the 54^th minute.

Australia’s Tim Cahill sealed Everton’s victory when he headed home in the 90^th minute.

Clint Dempsey, who embarrassed England’s Robert Green at the World Cup with a shot that squirmed under the goalkeeper in a 1-1 draw in South Africa, put Fulham in front away to West Ham at Upton Park with a 12-yard strike that gave the Hammers shot-stopper no chance in the 33^rd minute.

But West Ham equalised in the 51^st minute when Frederic Piquionne headed in Victor Obinna’s cross. However, the Hammers went bottom after Everton’s win.

Jon Walters gave Stoke a 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, the club where he began his professional career as a trainee, when he curled home his first Potters league goal in the 48^th minute at the Britannia Stadium.

Victory saw the Potters climb from 14^th to seventh in the table.

Johan Elmander put Bolton into a 64^th minute lead away to West Brom when he shot past Scott Carson at the Hawthorns before James Morrison headed the Baggies level with 12 minutes left in a 1-1 draw,

Earlier, Wigan rose out of the bottom three with a victory that plunged Mick McCarthy’s men into the relegation zone following second-half goals from Jordi Gomez and Hugo Rodallega.

Manchester City, who beat Chelsea last week, play Newcastle on Sunday.