Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes were sent off as Manchester United was beaten 2-0 at Fulham on Saturday, tightening the Premier League title race by losing in consecutive matches for the first time in four years. Chelsea, though, missed a chance to close the gap on the leader, losing 1-0 at Tottenham to remain four points adrift. Man United's lead could still be cut to a point on Sunday if Liverpool beats fifth-place Aston Villa, although the defending champion will have a game in hand. The Red Devils, beaten 4-1 at home to Liverpool last week, lost Scholes in the 18th minute when he used his hands to block Bobby Zamora's shot on the goal line. Danny Murphy gave former side Liverpool's title bid a huge help by dispatching the penalty into the top corner. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer kept Fulham in the match before Zoltan Gera added a second goal with an acrobatic volley in the 87th. With the defending champion about to lose its first match at Craven Cottage since 1964, Rooney was shown a second yellow card for throwing the ball away in the 89th. Chelsea didn't meet the challenge either as Guus Hiddink lost for the first time in his eight-match reign at White Hart Lane. Luka Modric struck into the bottom corner of Peter Cech's goal from the outside of the area five minutes after the break for Spurs' second league win over their London rival since 1990. Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was vital in protecting the win, saving from John Terry late on, while the crossbar denied Alex an equalizer deep into injury time. Arsenal maintained its grip on the fourth Champions League spot with a 3-1 win at Newcastle after a 10-minute goal spree. Nicklas Bendtner headed Arsenal ahead in the 57th after latching onto Andrei Arshavin's free kick, but Obafemi Martins leveled within seconds of the restart after William Gallas botched a clearance. The Gunners restored their lead by exploiting the absence of Steven Taylor, who was receiving treatment on the sidelines. Abou Diaby played a one-two with Robin van Persie before firing past onrushing goalkeeper Steve Harper. There was no way back for Newcastle after Samir Nasri was released by Van Persie in the 67th and the France midfielder beat Harper at the near post. The Magpies dropped into the relegation zone as Stoke moved out with a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough. Portsmouth boosted its prospects of avoiding relegation with a 2-1 victory over Everton. Peter Crouch scored with two headers after Leighton Baines put Everton ahead with a free kick, and Blackburn salvaged a 1-1 draw against West Ham. West Bromwich Albion moved closer to the League Championship despite a late own-goal from Bolton defender Danny Shittu giving the last-placed club a 1
