Bendtner header gives Arsenal win

LONDON, England -- Substitute Nicklas Bendtner headed home the winner with his first touch as Arsenal beat north London rivals Tottenham 2-1 to move four points clear at the top of the English Premier League.

Second-placed Manchester United will aim to again close within a point with victory at home to Everton on Sunday.

Tottenham wasted a glorious chance to finally beat their rivals for the first time since 1999.

Dimitar Berbatov had cancelled out Emmanuel Adebayor's opener before earning a penalty -- only for Robbie Keane to see his spot-kick saved by Manuel Almunia.

Arsenal then grabbed the winner in the 76th minute when Danish striker Bendtner powerfully headed in a Cesc Fabregas corner, just a minute after replacing Emmanuel Eboue.

The Gunners had their first sight of goal in the second minute when Mathieu Flamini hooked a volley that went just the wrong side of the angle of post and crossbar.

Kolo Toure also got a header on target from a Cesc Fabregas free-kick -- but neither of the early chances troubled goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

Tottenham's early threat came from Aaron Lennon on the right wing. He curled in a cross that Bacary Sagna needed to head clear as Keane looked to pounce.

Robinson was finally forced into a save, at his near post from Eboue, and the England international also saved well from another Toure header.

If Arsenal looked short on ideas in the first half, they were quickly into gear after the restart and opened the scoring in the 48th minute.

Tomas Rosicky fed Fabregas on the edge of the penalty area and the Spaniard backheeled to Adebayor. The Togo striker curled the ball around Robinson for his sixth goal against Tottenham in just over a year.

Tottenham hit back and Keane smashed against the crossbar from point-blank range after Lennon had lofted a cross to the far post -- but the equalizer came a minute later in the 66th minute.

Keane held the ball up on the touchline before backheeling to Berbatov. The Bulgaria striker took a touch and squeezed his shot through Toure and Flamini and past Almunia at the near post.

Then came Keane's chance to put Spurs ahead after Berbatov was tripped by Toure in the area -- however, Almunia dived the right way and got enough on the ball for it to go to safety.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger responded by bringing on teenager Bendtner and his first Premier League goal goal came seconds later when he was left unmarked by the Tottenham defense to power home a superb winner.

"It was a tough game and it looked like even a draw would be acceptable at some stages," Wenger said. "We were a bit flat in the first half and Tottenham played well.

"After going ahead we wanted too much to slow the pace down and they came back well. We had some luck. Almunia saved the penalty and that was the turning point. It was mental blow for Tottenham."

Tottenham assistant coach Gus Poyet added: "We are unhappy and disappointed. It was the perfect game for us to get points from.

"Everybody was thinking Robbie would score. Unfortunately he didn't, but even then we weren't expecting to lose the games. Then two minutes later we conceded from a set-piece again."

Manchester City retained fourth place, drawing 1-1 away to Aston Villa after Italian striker Rolando Bianchi gave Sven Goran Eriksson's side an 11th-minute lead.

Norway forward John Carew replied for eighth-placed Villa with a deflected shot just three minutes later.

Liverpool moved to within a point of City after thrashing seventh-placed Portsmouth 4-1 at Anfield, with top scorer Fernando Torres netting twice in the second half to take his tally to 14 for this season.

Liverpool bounced back from the midweek League Cup quarterfinal defeat at Chelsea to end Portsmouth's six-match run of away wins as Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun volleyed the opener from Harry Kewell's cross in the 13th minute and unluckily Sylvain Distin deflected the ball into his own net soon after.

Benjani gave the visitors hope 12 minutes after the break, being set up by substitute Kanu, but Torres age of some poor defending on 67 and volleyed the fourth with five minutes left from Steven Gerrard's header.

Bolton moved three points clear of the relegation zone with a 3-0 win at home to Birmingham, with three goals in the last 18 minutes as France striker Nicolas Anelka netted twice after El Hadji Diouf's opener.

Managerless Fulham snatched a 1-1 draw at home to second-bottom Wigan, with United States midfielder Clint Dempsey leveling on 78 after in-form striker Marcus Bent put the visitors ahead eight minutes earlier.

Sunderland were left a point above Wigan -- and behind Fulham on goal difference -- after suffering a controversial last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Reading.

Ivar Ingimarsson put the home side ahead on 69, but Michael Chopra equalized from the penalty spot 13 minutes later after Kenwyne Jones was brought down by Ibrahim Sonko.

Stephen Hunt hit the post for Reading and then his late effort was ruled to have crossed the goal line by the linesman despite keeper Craig Gordon having appeared to have saved it.

West Ham moved up to 10th place as captain Scott Parker scored his first goal for the club in the 90th minute of the 2-1 victory at Middlesbrough.

Defender David Wheater put the home side ahead from close range five minutes before half-time after Jeremie Aliadiere's header from a Stewart Downing free-kick, but striker Dean Ashton equalized from the edge of the penalty area.

Midfielder Parker skipped past the home defense and slotted in a composed winner at the death.

In Sunday's games, United host sixth-placed Everton, third-placed Chelsea are away to Blackburn and Newcastle host bottom club Derby. E-mail to a friend

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