Dimitar Berbatov scored his third hat-trick of the season for leaders Manchester United who maintained their unbeaten Premier League record with a 5-0 drubbing of Birmingham City on Saturday. Arsenal moved into second place, above Manchester City who face Aston Villa in an evening kickoff (1730 GMT), with a 3-0 win over Wigan Athletic at the Emirates Stadium.
-- Arsenal move up to second before City play
-- Liverpool win first game since Dalglish's return
Robin van Persie scored a hat-trick for Arsenal but the Dutch striker missed out on four goals when he skied a second-half penalty over the bar. Fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur lost ground on the leaders but were relieved to leave Newcastle United with a point after Aaron Lennon equalised for Spurs in stoppage time to earn a 1-1 draw. Fabricio Colocinni had celebrated his birthday by putting Newcastle ahead after 59 minutes.
Liverpool, who are out of the title race but are looking to mount a revival under Kenny Dalglish, gave their new manager his first win since returning to the dugout with a 3-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the early kickoff. At the other end of the table, West Ham United were set to climb out of the relegation zone before Marouane Fellaini equalised for hosts Everton with virtually the last kick of the game to force a 2-2 draw. Manchester United lead the standings with 48 points from their 22 matches which have produced 13 wins and nine draws, followed by Arsenal on 46 from 23, Manchester City 45 from 23, Chelsea 38 from 22 and Spurs 38 from 23.
Ferguson has made no secret of his desire to bring United a record 19th title, which would overhaul Liverpool's record of 18 championships, established in 1990 when Dalglish was last manager.
Dalglish, who quit as coach in 1991 and returned earlier this month in place of Roy Hodgson, was delighted after two goals from Fernando Torres and a stunning volley from Raul Meireles gave his side victory at Wolves and lifted them into 10th place. The result left Wolves, despite all their battling qualities, one place above bottom club West Ham. Frederic Piquionne had headed the Hammers 2-1 up at Everton with six minutes to go before being sent off for a second yellow card after celebrating the goal.
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