Sunderland 1 - 1 Everton

Marouane Fellaini's equaliser five minutes from time earned Everton a deserved point against Sunderland.

The hosts took the lead in the 17th minute when Darren Bent combined brilliantly with Kenwyn Jones to head past keeper Tim Howard from 10 yards.

Bent came close to adding a second minutes later but saw his shot cleared on the goal-line by Johnny Heitinga.

But sustained second-half pressure from Everton saw Fellaini convert Tony Hibbert's cross from 10 yards.

The Belgian midfielder was among a number of Everton players to impress during a second-half renaissance orchestrated by the endeavour and invention of Steven Pienaar.

The South Africa midfielder was at the centre of Everton's most promising moves, constantly tormenting full-backs George McCartney and Phil Bardsley.

However, neither team will be satisfied with a point - with only one victory in their previous 10 matches apiece, both Sunderland and Everton were in desperate need of three festive points to reinvigorate their rapidly deflating league campaigns.

With Michael Turner unavailable because of a four-match suspension, Sunderland boss Steve Bruce turned to Paulo da Silva to partner John Mensah in central defence, while captain Lorik Cana replaced the injured Lee Cattermole in midfield.

Everton boss Dave Moyes had no such concerns, naming an unchanged XI from the team that started in the 1-1 draw against Birmingham.

The continuity in selection clearly benefitted the visitors, with Pienaar and Tim Cahill in particular dictating the tempo of the early exchanges with a series of neat interchanges and intelligent runs.

The duo were involved in the build-up as Leon Osman struck the outside of Marton Fulop's left-hand post with a sweetly struck, right-foot curling effort from the edge of the area.

West Ham 2 - 0 Portsmouth

West Ham hoisted themselves out of the bottom three with a hard-earned victory over fellow strugglers Portsmouth.

After a tense opening, Alessandro Diamanti scored from the spot for his third in as many games after Hayden Mullins fouled substitute Luis Jimenez.
Pompey were more positive in the second half with Kevin Boateng and the lively Frederic Piquionne both going close.
But the Hammers held firm at the back and Radoslav Kovac nodded in Jimenez's curling free-kick to secure the points.
Following their excellent point against leaders Chelsea last week, it was three deserved points for manager Gianfranco Zola's men to claim only their fourth league win of the season and their first clean sheet in 16 league games.
It was a strangely timid opening for the table's bottom two clubs with any sign of forward movement soon quelled by two very congested midfields.

After two wins in five league games for new boss Avram Grant, the Pompey camp would have been a happy one in the build-up to Christmas but it was the home faithful who were singing on 23 minutes.

opening goal after being hacked down by former Hammers midfielder Mullins.

Wigan 1 - 1 Blackburn

Benni McCarthy scored his first league goal of the season but it was not enough for Blackburn to edge their derby clash with Wigan.

Hugo Rodallega levelled for the home side just after the break with a powerful close-range header.
Neither team were prepared to settle for a point though and a frenetic second-half ensued.
But Jason Scotland fluffed a one-on-one with Paul Robinson and McCarthy had an overhead kick saved by Chris Kirkland.
With both sides desperate for points in a congested bottom half of the table, the result did not deliver the three "precious" points that Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce had sought ahead of the match.
Lining up to face a Wigan team that had conceded 38 goals in 17 games, Allardyce was conscious of his own side's inability to both score and keep a clean sheet.

Blackburn had managed to score only once in six matches and were without a win in 12 away league games.

McCarthy quietened some of his manager's qualms when he made the most of Wigan's woeful marking to place Ryan Nelsen's header-on beyond Kirkland.

But Blackburn blotted their manager's copy book in the second period when they allowed the in-form Rodallega to score.

Displaying all the confidence that has seen him notch up six league goals this season, Wigan's leading scorer rose above the defence to power the ball beyond Robinson.

Own goals had almost proved the difference early on with Wigan surviving a scare after Titus Bramble threw himself in the way of a Junior Hoilett cross.