MANCHESTER, England: Bolton rallied to beat Sunderland 4-1 yesterday and heap more pressure on manager Roy Keane as he took charge of the team for the 100th time, and Aston Villa was held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham in the Premier League.
Johan Elmander scored twice for Bolton, which also got goals from Matthew Taylor and Gary Cahill. Djibril Cisse scored for Sunderland.
“It was very poor again. Individual mistakes have cost us for three of the four goals and obviously it is very hard one to take again,” Keane said. “We are giving teams a helping hand and maybe one or two players lost confidence in the second half.”
Villa was unimpressive up front with midfielder Gareth Barry squandering three good chances, while goalkeeper Brad Friedel didn’t concede for a third straight match as he made a record 167th consecutive Premier League appearance.
Also, Wigan came from behind to beat bottom-place West Bromwich Albion 2-1 and win back-to-back league games for the first time under manager Steve Bruce. Newcomers Stoke and Hull played to a 1-1 draw, while Middlesbrough and Newcastle failed to score in a 0-0 draw in the northeast derby.
Cisse gave Sunderland a perfect start in the 11th minute, scoring off the post after being fed by Steed Malbranque, but Taylor rose above Pascal Chimbonda a few minutes later to meet Gretar Steinsson’s cross with a looping header and equalize.
Cahill put Bolton ahead in the 21st when Kevin Davies headed down Andy O’Brien’s free kick, and then had referee Chris Foy to thank for keeping the lead intact. Kenwyne Jones headed off the crossbar and Cisse volleyed in the rebound, but Foy disallowed it, ruling that Jones had pushed Jlloyd Samuel. Slack defending from Danny Collins allowed Bolton to take a 3-1 lead when Elmander scored from a tight angle in the 39th. Elamander’s second goal came in similar fashion in the 55th. Dean Whitehead stumbled over a clearance, allowing Kevin Nolan to feed the Sweden striker to complete a miserable day for Keane.
Marlon King scored just before halftime for Hull, swiveling and curling in his fourth goal of the campaign. But Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill fouled Ricardo Fuller, who converted from the penalty spot in the 73rd.
West Brom lost a fourth straight match despite Ishmael Miller scoring the club’s first goal in 344 minutes in the 47th after Wigan defender Titus Bramble failed to clear.
In the second-tier League Championship, Birmingham missed a chance to close the gap on leader Wolverhampton Wanderers when the teams drew 1-1 at Molineux.
