Fulham shock Man U as Liverpool lose to Portsmouth

Fulham produced the latest twist in a see-saw Premier League title race with a shock 3-0 win over champions Manchester United at Craven Cottage on Saturday

Fulham shock Man U as Liverpool lose to Portsmouth

Fulham produced the latest twist in a see-saw Premier League title race with a shock 3-0 win over champions Manchester United at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

United's defeat left Sir Alex Ferguson's side three points behind leaders Chelsea, who will extend their advantage to six points if they win away to relegation-threatened London rivals West Ham on Sunday.

Liverpool's miserable season hit a new low as Javier Mascherano was sent off in a 2-0 defeat away to bottom of the table Portsmouth.

Aston Villa continued their push for a top-four spot with a 1-0 win at home to Stoke City. Fellow European contenders Tottenham Hotspur, fresh from their 3-0 mid-week win over Manchester City, beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 thanks to two goals from England striker Peter Crouch.u00a0 Arsenal, who started the weekend in third place, faced Hull in a later match. Fulham, who beat United 2-0 at home last season, took the lead in the 22nd minute when former Liverpool midfielder Murphy dispossessed Paul Scholes and went on to let fly with a 25-yard shot that beat Tomasz Kuszczak. United fielded a makeshift defence featuring midfielders Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher, as well as youngster Ritchie de Laet.

Poor record

Seconds into the second half, Fulham were 2-0 up after Zamora lashed in a half-volley following a knockdown from Clint Dempsey.u00a0 Zamora then set up Duff, who volleyed home 15 minutes from time. Liverpool, already out of the Champions League, have won just four of their last 17 matches in all competitions and face a desperate fight to salvage a place in the Premier League's top four.

The Reds fell behind in the 33rd minute when Algeria defender Nadir Belhadj struck a ferocious volley.

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Courtesy: BBC

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