City’s Christian Negouai had only been on the pitch two minutes, after replacing Danny Mills, when he was given a red card for a foul on Bent by the referee Phil Dowd.With all this combustible material, it was probably a wise decision by the City manager Kevin Keegan not to play Joey Barton, who had disgraced himself at the Christmas party.On this occasion it was Fowler who took centre stage as he scored for the fourth consecutive time in recent Boxing Day fixtures. Everton’s unexpected glory march continues, thanks to a well-orchestrated response from Marcus Bent and Tim Cahill, who both ended their long-running goal droughts. Substitutes not used: Speroni (gk), Popovic.Portsmouth (4-5-1): Hislop; Griffin, Primus, De Zeeuw, Taylor; Mezague (Fuller, 56), Faye, Stone, Quashie, Berger; Yakubu (Kamara, 56). Substitutes not used: Ashdown (gk), Berkovic, Ciss?eferee: N Barry (Lincolnshire).Booked: Portsmouth: Fuller, Griffin.Man of the match: Hughes.Attendance: 25,238.. Ricardo Fuller struck a post seven minutes later.Jordan, delighted with Portsmouth’s display, admitted that this was “a massive game” for both sides, particularly as his team now face Chelsea, Norwich and Everton. The Hungarian goalkeeper smothered Steve Stone’s shot from six yards and then pushed away Aiyegbeni Yakubu’s header from the resulting corner.Palace have conceded several goals from set-pieces this season and the winner here came from a corner after 69 minutes, Linvoy Primus heading home to score his first Premiership goal.

Having missed the best chance of the first half when Valery Mezague blazed over the bar from six yards, they would have taken the lead early in the second period but for two excellent saves by Gabor Kiraly. The unsupported Johnson, moreover, all too often had to fight a lone battle in attack.Portsmouth, who passed the ball with assurance, seemed happy to bide their time. Thereafter, however, chances for the home side were few and far between. Shaka Hislop, who returned to the Portsmouth team because Jamie Ashdown had suffered a groin strain, pushed Ben Watson’s shot around a post and kept out a free-kick by Danny Granville, but until Gonzalo Sorondo went close with a late header, they were Palace’s only realistic chances.Despite energetic prompting by the tireless Michael Hughes and their determination to stick to their passing game, Palace’s final ball was generally poor. Velimir Zajec, the director of football, has stepped into the manager’s shoes to work alongside Joe Jordan, the coach, and the team are playing with a confidence that belies the turmoil that led to Redknapp’s departure.After yesterday’s kick-off was delayed by 40 minutes as the ground staff struggled to clear ice from the plastic pitch cover, Palace got off to a flying start, with Andy Johnson and Danny Butterfield both going close in the first minute.

Palace have not scored in 385 minutes of football at Selhurst Park since Aki Riihilahti’s equaliser against Arsenal nearly two months ago.Their predicament is in strict contrast to the excellent form Portsmouth have shown, losing only one of their six Premiership matches since the departure of Harry Redknapp as manager. The Crystal Palace manager may need to inspire a revival comparable with the one which subsequently took the club into the Premiership if his team are to survive in the top flight this season.
Yesterday’s home defeat extended Palace’s run of Premiership matches without a win to eight and Dowie admitted afterwards that he needs to strengthen his team in the January transfer window. When Steve McClaren assessed Middlesbrough’s holiday programme as critical to his side’s season he was probably thinking more about meeting Manchester United and Chelsea within four days over New Year than yesterday’s trip to St Andrew’s.
Middlesbrough stay fifth in the Premiership but given that the teams ahead of them all won this was a serious setback to their prospects of qualifying for the Champions’ League. Iain Dowie’s first game in charge at Selhurst Park, on Boxing Day 2003, ended in a 1-0 defeat at home to Millwall, leaving the club in 20th place in the old First Division. Substitutes not used: Postma (gk), Drobny, S Moore.Referee: P Walton (Northamptonshire).Booked: Chelsea: Robben, Tiago, Terry; Aston Villa: Solano, Ridgewell, Mellberg.Man of the match: Makelele.Attendance: 41,950.. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Kezman.Aston Villa (4-5-1): Sorensen; Delaney (Solano, 45), Mellberg, Ridgewell, Barry; De la Cruz, Davis, Berson, Hendrie (L Moore, 79), Whittingham; Angel.

In the historical highlights package Chelsea TV shows the one and only championship triumph, in 1955, uses clips headlined “Path?ews”.Goal: Duff (30) 1-0.Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ferreira, Gallas, Terry, Bridge; Tiago, Makelele, Lampard; Duff (Smertin, 79), Gudjohnsen (Drogba, 65), Robben (Johnson, 89). Mourinho was asked if the fans were disappointed having been spoiled by the recent glut of goals. He responded: “I think they recognise we have a team that can win the championship but that sometimes it is difficult to win matches and difficult to score goals.”The cheer that greeted the final whistle suggests he is right It is a long time since Chelsea won the title. In between, Liam Ridgewell cleared Robben’s shot off the line and Terry headed wide from the Dutchman’s corner.The second period was less lively with Claude Makelele emerging as the dominant force as Chelsea concentrated on achieving their 12th clean sheet in 18 League games. Hendrie then wasted several shooting opportunities before Duff took advantage of Robben’s break to score his sixth goal in eight matches, each the first of the game.Villa were unbowed but a shot on the turn by Juan Pablo Angel three minutes later, which Wayne Bridge blocked, and Peter Whittingham’s 45th-minute free-kick, which Petr Cech saved, were the closest they would come to equalising. O’Leary insisted: “We won’t get into trouble, we just have to get through this period.”Delaney had been returned to right-back to track Robben and did well enough before limping off with a groin injury, even if the Dutchman carved out a fourth-minute chance which Duff missed.

With Martin Laursen and Jlloyd Samuel already out Villa may be without their entire back four for the match against Crystal Palace on January 3, when the suspension kicks in This after a run of one point from 15. Once Duff had scored, capitalising on a counter-attack expertly led by Robben and poor communication within Villa’s makeshift defence, the result had an inevitability about it.”We had a go and they were nervous at the end,” said David O’Leary, the Villa manager. “If you take the goal away there was not much in the game.”O’Leary was more concerned with two more injuries, to Hendrie and Mark Delaney, and an impending suspension for Olof Mellberg. Chelsea, whose ambitions are necessarily more expansive, were content with the three points which maintained their five-point cushion at the Premiership’s summit.