London, England (SportsNetwork.com) - Manchester City moved to within two points of top spot in the Premier League on Saturday by getting a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates.
The door was open for City to move to the summit after Chelsea had tasted defeat earlier in the day, and the Citizens appeared poised to seize that opportunity after David Silva opened the scoring 17 minutes into Saturday's clash in north London.
But Mathieu Flamini equalized for Arsenal eight minutes into the second half to see both sides come away from the Emirates with a well-deserved point.
Arsenal's problem of surrendering midfield giveaways persisted on Saturday as Lukas Podolski was stripped of the ball inside the center circle in the 17th minute, which led to a City counterattack.
Silva was the architect of the move, slipping a pass out wide to Edin Dzeko before the Bosnian striker saw his effort come back off the post, but the Spanish midfielder was arriving late to tuck home the rebound form close range.
The Gunners regrouped at halftime and eventually managed to level the score in the 53rd minute when Podolski centered a pass for Flamini to slam home with a tough finish.
The two sides traded blows for the remainder of the match, but neither side broke through for a winner in the final 37 minutes.
City improves to 67 points but still holds two games in hand over first-place Chelsea, while Arsenal goes five points back of the Blues by climbing to 64 points.
Manchester United 4, Aston Villa 1
Manchester, England - Manchester United rebounded well from its derby defeat to City, coming from behind to get a 4-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Red Devils were a goal down after just 11 minutes when Ashley Westwood's brilliant free kick found the upper corner, but United responded seven minutes later when Shinji Kagawa's cross was guided off the post and into the back of the net by Wayne Rooney's glancing header.
Juan Mata was tripped up in the box under a sliding challenge from Leandro Bacuna just before halftime, which allowed Rooney to convert the ensuing penalty to put the home side in front.
Mata then extended United's lead in the 57th minute with his first goal for the club, settling a loose ball in the penalty area and slotting a shot past Brad Guzan with his weaker right foot.
Javier Hernandez wrapped up the affair by tacking on a late goal for the Red Devils, turning in a low cross from Adnan Januzaj in the first minute of stoppage time.
United improves to 54 points on the season, 20 points better than Villa.
Crystal Palace 1, Chelsea 0
London, England - John Terry may have sabotaged Chelsea's title hopes as the defender conceded an own goal at Selhurst Park on Saturday to see the club surrender a 1-0 loss against Crystal Palace.
Terry inadvertently nodded a cross into his own net in the 52nd minute to see the Blues fall behind, and Palace battened down the hatches for the remainder of the affair to collect all three points and doom Jose Mourinho's side to a second defeat in three league outings.
Chelsea stays put on 69 points to stay one point clear of Liverpool, while Crystal Palace gets its first Premier League win since Feb. 8 to improve to 31 points.
Southampton 4, Newcastle 0
Southampton, England - Jay Rodriguez bagged a brace at St. Mary's on Saturday to lead Southampton to a comfortable 4-0 defeat of Newcastle.
The Magpies managed to hold Southampton scoreless for much of the first half, but Rodriguez struck in the first minute of first-half stoppage time to hand the Saints the lead.
Rickie Lambert added to Southampton's lead by scoring within the first four minutes of the second half while Adam Lallana extended the lead 20 minutes from time. Rodriguez wrapped up the affair in the final minute, completing his brace and dooming Newcastle to its third defeat in its last four league outings.
Swansea City 3, Norwich City 0
Swansea, Wales - Jonathan De Guzman scored twice at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday to lift Swansea City to a 3-0 defeat of Norwich City.
De Guzman's goals came eight minutes apart as his strikes in the 30th and 38th minutes handed the Swans a comfortable halftime lead.
Wayne Routledge added a third for the home side in the 75th minute to ensure the win, which lifts Swansea to 33 points on the season. Norwich stays on 32 points, six points clear of the relegation zone.
West Bromwich 3, Cardiff City 3
West Bromwich, England - West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City shared the spoils by playing to a 3-3 thriller at the Hawthorns on Saturday.
The Baggies were two goals to the good inside the opening nine minutes thanks to Morgan Amalfitano and Graham Dorrans, but Cardiff battled back to level the score through Jordan Mutch's 30th-minute goal and Steven Caulker's 73rd-minute strike.
Thievy Bifouma thought he had won it for the home side with his goal in the fourth minute of added time, but Mats Daehli answered immediately to help the Welsh club leave the Midlands with a point.
Stoke City 1, Hull City 0
Stoke-on-Trent, England - Peter Odemwingie produced the lone goal at the Britannia on Saturday as Stoke City earned its third straight league win with a 1-0 victory over Hull City.
Odemwingie's strike in the 62nd minute came late enough for Stoke to bunker down and preserve the win, bringing the Potters to 40 points on the season.
Hull has lost two straight to remain on 33 points.
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