Blackburn 3-0 Norwich
Paul Dickov helped Blackburn to their best league win of the season with two goals in a 3-0 win over Norwich.
Morten Gamst Pedersen had made Norwich pay for a series of missed chances with a stunning goal to give Blackburn the lead at Ewood Park.
Tugay was vital figure in the build up as he sent a raking pass out to Pedersen on the left.
The Norwegian's deft header took the ball past Simon Charlton and he strode on to hammer a venomous shot past Robert Green, though the keeper may be disappointed that having got hands on it he was unable to keep it out.
Dickov then struck either side of the break to put Blackburn eight points clear of the relegation zone.
His first owed everything to Pedersen's wicked delivery and Dickov's timed his run well to get the slightest of flicks and send the ball in a blur past Green at the near post.
Dickov deepened the gloom for the visitors when mistakes by Dean Ashton and Green led to the diminutive Scot scoring again.
Ashton's attempted cross-field pass was cut out by Paul Gallagher who picked out Dickov on the edge of the area. The striker's shot could hardly be called tricky but somehow Green allowed it to sneak in under his dive.
Gallagher tried to get into the action with a curler aimed at the top corner but Green was able to save.
Tugay then had a lovely half-volley deflected wide after Pedersen had flighted in another tricky corner, before David Thompson was denied from 30 yards by another block.
Green finally showed his England class in the dying minutes with a terrific double save to deny Steven Reid and then parry the follow-up from Gallagher.
Andy Todd nearly rounded off the afternoon with a superb long-range strike that whisked just wide.
Portsmouth 1-2 Aston Villa
Thomas Hitzlsperger thumped a late winner to wrap up Aston Villa's first away win in seven matches - just as he did when they last won on foreign turf at Bolton in November.
Pompey battled back after Arjan de Zeeuw's own goal in the 17th minute to equalise with an Aiyegbeni Yakubu penalty - his 14th goal of the season – six minutes later.
Villa hit the bar through Juan Pablo Angel's header before substitute Hitzlsperger's 25-yard blast left keeper Kostas Chalkias rooted to his line.
Portsmouth, playing their last home match for five weeks, had Steve Stone back in midfield after injury to face his former club and he lined up alongside £1million Greek signing Giannis Skopelitis on his first start since moving from Egaleo.
Lee Hendrie, back in the Villa side after illness, drifted an early free-kick wide before Yakubu chased through-balls without success as Pompey began to feel their way forward.
Patrik Berger threatened when he controlled Dejan Stefanovic's
pass and put an instant through-ball just a yard too far ahead of Yakubu at the edge of the area.
Hendrie and Luke Moore combined in a one-two which saw the youngster feed the ball in from the left to the near post where Angel was lurking.
Although de Zeeuw beat the striker to it he only succeeded in turning the ball past Kostas Chalkias.
Referee Dermot Gallagher refused a decent shout for a penalty when Kamara tumbled over a challenge by Gareth Barry but virtually had no option but to point to the spot when Stone went down under a tackle by the same player in the 22nd minute. Yakubu coolly converted for his 14th goal of the season.
Pompey were inspired after that and Berger drove a blistering angled effort over the crossbar, Kamara glanced a header wide from a corner, then Berger let fly again - with Sorensen happy to smother a low effort.
Dejan Stefanovic was booked for a hard challenge on Moore early in the second half and there was an alarming lack of movement from 'keeper Chalkias as Barry swung the ball over from the free-kick, which was headed behind.
The goalkeeper also looked hesitant from the subsequent corner but Angel could not get his header on target and then Hendrie limped off painfully in the 53rd minute to be replaced by Hitzlsperger.
Lomana Lua Lua replaced Yakubu after 66 minutes as the Nigerian had disappointed in the second half.
Portsmouth had an escape when Matt Taylor's clumsy tackle was easily avoided by Solano over on the right from where the Peruvian delivered a superb cross which Angel crashed against the bar with a stunning header.
Villa went ahead when Hitzlsperger belted a 25-yarder past Chalkias after running onto Angel's square pass in the 73rd minute. The 'keeper did not even move as the ball flashed by him for the winner.
Bolton 0 0 Middlesbrough
Bolton had to settle for a point this evening at the Reebok Stadium after a run of five successive Premiership victories.
Kevin Nolan almost made the breakthrough against Middlesborough but saw his
effort come back off the bar and Kevin Davies failed to take advantage of the rebound.
The visitors defended well and will have taken some confidence from this game
ahead of the UEFA Cup match against Graz in Austria next week.
Bolton defender Ricardo Gardner peeled away from his marker in the 75th minute but directed his header wide following a free-kick from Gary Speed.
Former Wales midfielder Speed almost made the breakthrough after 83 minutes
when his first-time effort from Jay Jay Okocha's pass went narrowly wide of the post.
Middlesbrough responded in the 87th minute when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink found himself in a good position but Jussi Jaaskelainen took the ball off his toes.
Then mark Schwarzer made a marvellous point-blank from Okocha on the stroke of
full-time to salvage a point for Middlesbrough.
