Villa eased some of the pressure on their manager Gerard Houllier by emerging triumphant from Saturday's derby at Villa Park in the Premier League. The Frenchman had overseen just one victory in 10 league games going into the contest and his side almost went behind in the first half when Somen Tchoyi's effort hit the crossbar. Stewart Downing scored from close range soon after, though, and Emile Heskey made it 2-0 in the 80th minute with a stooping header. Paul Scharner pulled one back for the Baggies with a minute of normal time remaining but the hosts held on to move four points clear of the relegation zone. Manchester City - without suspended former Hammers frontman Carlos Tevez - went ahead on the half-hour mark when Yaya Toure slammed the ball past Robert Green. Toure then created the second in the 73rd minute, cutting in from the left and firing a shot against the post that rebounded in off the back of Green. Substitute Adam Johnson netted a third with nine minutes to go before James Tomkins' late consolation for the hosts. Roberto Mancini's team are now level on points at the top with leaders Arsenal having played a game more, while West Ham remain rooted to the bottom of the table. Blackpool's fine form continued as DJ Campbell's strike three minutes into the second half earned them a 1-0 win at Stoke. After Luke Varney and Charlie Adam linked up, Campbell was on hand at the back post to complete the move with a deft finish and the Tangerines have now been beaten only once in seven matches. Everton remain two points clear of the bottom three after they were held to a goalless draw at Goodison Park by Wigan. Despite dominating for the majority of the game, the Toffees failed to make a breakthrough, Tim Cahill coming closest with a second-half header which came back off a post. The result means Wigan stay 18th, still only separated by goal difference from 17th-placed Fulham, who also drew 0-0. The Cottagers played out a 0-0 stalemate at home against Sunderland, whose defensive problems increased with the loss of Anton Ferdinand early on due to injury.
