Djibril Cisse and Peter Crouch missed good chances before Liam Ridgewell fouled the tall England forward.

Referee Steve Bennett awarded the penalty which captain Steven Gerrard converted with ease, before Xabi Alonso wrapped up the points with a measured drive.

Aston Villa Sorensen, Delaney, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Barry, Davis, McCann, Bakke (Hendrie 82), Milner, Baros, Phillips (Angel 61).
Subs Not Used: Samuel, Taylor, Moore.

Booked: Barry, McCann.

Liverpool Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise, Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko, Luis Garcia (Zenden 57), Morientes (Crouch 68), Cisse (Kewell 76).Subs Not Used: Dudek, Warnock.

Booked: Sissoko, Alonso.

Goals: Gerrard 85 pen, Alonso 89.

Att: 42,551

Ref: S Bennett (Kent).

The impressive Robin van Persie put Arsene Wenger's side ahead, meeting Sol Campbell's raking pass before beating Ben Alnwick after 12 minutes.

Van Persie later flicked the ball wide to Lauren who charged forward and slid an inch-perfect pass across the penalty area for Thierry Henry, who supplied the far-post finish and make it 2-0.

But it was Sunderland who scored the third of the game. After Steven Caldwell headed down a corner, fellow defender Alan Stubbs was in space inside the box to sweep home.

Their hopes of a comeback did not last long, though, as Cesc Fabregas fed Henry expertly for the Frenchman to slot home his second.

Arsenal Lehmann, Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Clichy, Reyes (Eboue 65), Fabregas, Silva, Pires, Van Persie (Bergkamp 71), Henry.
Subs Not Used: Almunia, Flamini, Senderos.

Goals: Van Persie 12, Henry 36, 82.

Sunderland Alnwick, Stubbs, Breen, Caldwell, Nosworthy (Miller 62), Whitehead, Murphy, Robinson, Collins, Gray (Elliott 46), Stead (Le Tallec 46).
Subs Not Used: Davis, Welsh.

Booked: Breen.

Goals: Stubbs 75.

Att: 38,210

Ref: A Wiley (Staffordshire).

Australian midfielder Brett Emerton gave Rovers the best possible start and as Charlton tried in vain to muster an immediate response, Paul Dickov doubled the deficit.

But after Darren Bent won the ball in the corner and sent it goal-bound, Bryan Hughes bravely muscled in to poke the ball home.

Shortly before the hour mark the lively Morten Gamst Pedersen made it 3-1 as he turned home Steven Reid's right-wing cross and Craig Bellamy added the fourth in added time.

Blackburn Friedel, Neill, Todd (Bentley 73), Khizanishvili, Gray (Mokoena 28), Emerton, Reid, Tugay, Pedersen, Dickov (Kuqi 81), Bellamy.
Subs Not Used: Jansen, Lee.

Goals: Emerton 2, Dickov 18, Pedersen 59, Bellamy 90.

Charlton Andersen, Young, Perry, Hreidarsson, Spector, Rommedahl (El Karkouri 70), Ambrose (Thomas 83), Kishishev, Murphy (Bothroyd 70), Hughes, Bent.
Subs Not Used: Holland, Myhre.

Booked: Perry, Hughes.

Goals: Hughes 36.

Att: 17,691

Ref: P Dowd (Staffordshire).

Boa Morte broke free down the left edge of the City penalty area and squared the ball to Malbranque who tapped home in the sixth minute.

City hit back after 20 minutes through Lee Croft but as half-time approached, Boa Morte once again found Malbranque's run and the Frenchman danced around David James to restore the lead.

City missed late chances to rescue a point as Fulham just about held firm.

Fulham Warner, Volz, Bocanegra, Goma, Niclas Jensen, Radzinski, Diop, Malbranque, Boa Morte, McBride (Helguson 77), John.
Subs Not Used: Knight, Batista, Rosenior, Elrich.

Booked: Boa Morte.

Goals: Malbranque 6, 45.

Man City James, Mills (Jihai 68), Dunne, Distin, Ireland, Jordan (Wright-Phillips 80), Croft, Musampa (Sibierski 43), Barton, Cole, Vassell.

Subs Not Used: Thatcher, De Vlieger.

Booked: Barton, Croft, Jordan.

Goals: Croft 20.

Att: 22,241

Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).

Both sides had first-half penalty appeals turned down by Mike Dean before Jiri Jarosik came close to breaking the stalemate with a fizzing 40-yard drive which crashed off the post as the second half came alive.

And Birmingham's impressive performance came to nothing after goalkeeper Taylor completely misjudged Emre's shot and could only parry it into his own net.

Newcastle Given, Ramage, Taylor, Bramble, Babayaro, Solano (Clark 82), Parker, Emre, N'Zogbia (Ameobi 57), Shearer, Owen.
Subs Not Used: Elliott, Harper, Faye.

Booked: Taylor, Shearer, Emre.

Goals: Emre 78.

Birmingham Maik Taylor, Cunningham, Martin Taylor, Upson, Clapham, Pennant, Izzet (Forssell 86), Kilkenny, Lazaridis (Pandiani 86), Jarosik, Heskey.
Subs Not Used: Vaesen, Tebily, Painter.

Booked: Lazaridis, Izzet.

Att: 52,191

Ref: M Dean (Cheshire).

The former England striker scored from close range to seal victory for the Hammers against an Albion side who matched their opponents in the first half but disappeared after the break.

Diomansy Kamara missed chances for Albion in the opening period, but Alan Pardew's men were the stronger side and would have won by a greater margin had Marlon Harewood and Yossi Benayoun been more composed in front of goal.

West Ham Hislop (Bywater 60), Repka, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Konchesky, Benayoun (Newton 90), Reo-Coker (Dailly 45), Mullins, Etherington, Sheringham, Harewood.
Subs Not Used: Bellion, Zamora.

Booked: Dailly, Mullins.

Goals: Sheringham 57.

West Brom Kuszczak, Watson, Curtis Davies, Clement, Albrechtsen, Kamara, Wallwork, Inamoto, Greening, Kanu (Campbell 84), Earnshaw (Horsfield 74).
Subs Not Used: Hoult, Moore, Carter.

Att: 34,325

Ref: P Walton (Northamptonshire).

Pompey laboured in the first half and went a goal down when Wigan full-back Pascal Chimbonda out-jumped the home side to head his second goal in two matches and put Paul Jewell's side ahead.

As Portsmouth struggled to respond, Wigan put the game beyond them when Chimbonda broke forward, squared to Jason Roberts and the striker took his time before finding the net.

Portsmouth Ashdown, Primus, Priske, Stefanovic, Griffin (Diao 76), O'Neil, Hughes, Taylor, Vignal (Robert 60), Silva, Vukic (LuaLua 68).
Subs Not Used: Westerveld, Mbesuma.

Booked: Stefanovic.

Wigan Filan, Chimbonda, Henchoz, De Zeeuw, Baines, Bullard, Francis, Kavanagh, McCulloch, Camara (Taylor 89), Roberts (Jackson 88).
Subs Not Used: McMillan, Pollitt, Mahon.

Booked: Francis, De Zeeuw.

Goals: Chimbonda 48, Roberts 79.

Att: 19,102

Ref: M Clattenburg (Co Durham).