Aston Villa 1 - 0 Stoke
Aston Villa underlined their Champions League credentials as Stoke City were undone by a second-half header from substitute John Carew.
Villa broke the deadlock on the hour when Ashley Young crossed for Carew to nod home the winner from six yards.
Stoke defended doggedly throughout, but offered little by way of goal threat beyond a disallowed first-half effort from Mamady Sidibe.
Steve Sidwell might have added a late second for Villa, but twice fired wide.
It was a fourth successive Premier League win for Martin O'Neill's men, who are unbeaten in seven games since early November and now sit third in the table, two points clear of Arsenal, who entertain Hull this evening.
But while Villa's statistics are impressive, their lack of fluency in the face of some impressively stubborn Stoke defending was at times less so, and it would have been an injustice to the visitors' resilience had Sidwell done better with two late efforts from just outside the box.
Villa broke the deadlock on the hour when Ashley Young crossed for Carew to nod home the winner from six yards.
Stoke defended doggedly throughout, but offered little by way of goal threat beyond a disallowed first-half effort from Mamady Sidibe.
Steve Sidwell might have added a late second for Villa, but twice fired wide.
It was a fourth successive Premier League win for Martin O'Neill's men, who are unbeaten in seven games since early November and now sit third in the table, two points clear of Arsenal, who entertain Hull this evening.
But while Villa's statistics are impressive, their lack of fluency in the face of some impressively stubborn Stoke defending was at times less so, and it would have been an injustice to the visitors' resilience had Sidwell done better with two late efforts from just outside the box.
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Blackburn 0 - 2 Tottenham
Peter Crouch's brace sent Blackburn to a rare home defeat as Tottenham moved up to fourth with a clinical win.
Spurs took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Crouch rose highest to head in Niko Kranjcar's cross.
And they wrapped up a crucial three points late on when the frontman kept his calm to slot home one-on-one.
In between, Rovers twice hit the post through Benni McCarthy, who was also denied by Heurelho Gomes, but they could not break down a resolute Spurs.
It was a second clean sheet in a week for Tottenham, who in the absence of Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate appear to have stumbled across a fine centre-half pairing in Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong.
But while Wednesday's 3-0 home defeat of Manchester City was an exercise in sweeping attacking play and guile, their win at Ewood Park was all about character and discipline.
It was the perfect response following the recent controversy over the players' Christmas party and serves further notice of the Londoners' top-four ambitions this campaign.
For Blackburn, though, it was only a third home defeat in a year under Sam Allardyce, and they will feel rightly frustrated following a match that for long periods looked like it could go either way.
Certainly the hosts enjoyed the better possession for much of the match, and provided a decent test of Tottenham's rearguard during a first half full of bluster from both sides, if low on quality in the final third in freezing conditions
Spurs took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Crouch rose highest to head in Niko Kranjcar's cross.
And they wrapped up a crucial three points late on when the frontman kept his calm to slot home one-on-one.
In between, Rovers twice hit the post through Benni McCarthy, who was also denied by Heurelho Gomes, but they could not break down a resolute Spurs.
It was a second clean sheet in a week for Tottenham, who in the absence of Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate appear to have stumbled across a fine centre-half pairing in Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong.
But while Wednesday's 3-0 home defeat of Manchester City was an exercise in sweeping attacking play and guile, their win at Ewood Park was all about character and discipline.
It was the perfect response following the recent controversy over the players' Christmas party and serves further notice of the Londoners' top-four ambitions this campaign.
For Blackburn, though, it was only a third home defeat in a year under Sam Allardyce, and they will feel rightly frustrated following a match that for long periods looked like it could go either way.
Certainly the hosts enjoyed the better possession for much of the match, and provided a decent test of Tottenham's rearguard during a first half full of bluster from both sides, if low on quality in the final third in freezing conditions
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Fulham 3 - 0 Man Utd
Bobby Zamora's golden spell of form continued as Fulham cruised past a desperately disappointing Manchester United at Craven Cottage.
Zamora - touted for an England call-up in some quarters - scored his 10th goal of a prolific season and was Fulham's spearhead as they gave an injury-hit United side a harrowing afternoon.
Danny Murphy, a scourge of United when at Liverpool and now again with Fulham, put the skids under United with a low finish after 22 minutes and the champions, with Michael Owen anonymous up front, never looked like mounting a recovery.
Danny Murphy, a scourge of United when at Liverpool and now again with Fulham, put the skids under United with a low finish after 22 minutes and the champions, with Michael Owen anonymous up front, never looked like mounting a recovery.
Zamora was on the scoresheet seconds after the interval when he provided a comprehensive finish from Clint Dempsey's header, and Damien Duff's powerful drive completed a hugely-deserved victory for Roy Hodgson's side after 75 minutes.
But it was Zamora who took the honours as he terrorised a makeshift United rearguard, with Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick pressed into service in unaccustomed roles.
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Portsmouth 2 - 0 Liverpool
Ten-man Liverpool's season of woe continued as they were beaten by bottom-of-the-table Portsmouth.
Nadir Belhadj screamed in a shot from an acute angle to put Pompey ahead after poor defending from the Reds.
The visitors had Javier Mascherano red carded for a nasty tackle on Tal Ben-Haim before an unmarked Daniel Agger headed high for Liverpool.
Tireless striker Frederic Piquionne's volley from a tight angle sealed the home side's victory.
Pompey manager Avram Grant had engineered a Champions League semi-final win over Liverpool in April 2008 during his time as Chelsea boss.
Nadir Belhadj screamed in a shot from an acute angle to put Pompey ahead after poor defending from the Reds.
The visitors had Javier Mascherano red carded for a nasty tackle on Tal Ben-Haim before an unmarked Daniel Agger headed high for Liverpool.
Tireless striker Frederic Piquionne's volley from a tight angle sealed the home side's victory.
Pompey manager Avram Grant had engineered a Champions League semi-final win over Liverpool in April 2008 during his time as Chelsea boss.
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