Lampard still a force in league

FOOTBALL Frank Lampard underlined his value to Chelsea with a well-taken double that secured a 2-1 comeback win at Everton this morning to move the Londoners back up to third place in the Premier League.

The subject of intense speculation about his future at Stamford Bridge, midfielder Lampard, who has made more than 500 appearances for Chelsea over 11 seasons, reminded the power-brokers of his class as he scored either side of halftime to cancel out Steven Pienaar’s thunderbolt strike after just 63 seconds.

Chelsea’s fourth successive league win under interim manager Rafael Benitez lifted them to within four points of secondplaced Manchester City with a game in hand.

Liverpool beat QPR today’s late game.

Manchester United are seven points clear at the top..

Edin Dzeko shone to give 10-man Manchester City a battling 4-3 victory at Norwich City but leaders Manchester United also won as own goals and controversial refereeing marked the last Saturday of 2012.

In another bumper day for Premier League goals, resurgent Arsenal moved to fifth after a thrilling 7-3 home win over Newcastle United, with contract rebel Theo Walcott scoring a hat-trick.

Manchester United maintained their seven-point advantage over City at the top after Gareth McAuley turned the ball into his own net and substitute Robin van Persie netted in a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at a sodden Old Trafford.

‘‘[Van Persie] changed the game for us,’’ Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson said.

‘‘When I brought him and Paul Scholes on, they settled the game down for us.’’

‘‘City striker Dzeko scored twice in the first four minutes and another of his strikes was credited

3-0 in as an own goal by goalkeeper Mark Bunn at Norwich where Samir Nasri’s 44th-minute red card had threatened the champions’ dominance.

In-form Tottenham Hotspur moved to third after a 2-1 comeback win at Sunderland where an apoplectic Gareth Bale was again booked for diving while fourthbottom Aston Villa lost their third in a row in a 3-0 home defeat by Wigan Athletic.

Paul Lambert’s Villa have conceded 15 goals in the three games and scored none.

Ten-man Stoke City were facing a first home loss since February but a superb late Cameron Jerome strike secured a 3-3 draw with struggling Southampton and Reading pulled themselves away from last spot with a 1-0 home win over West Ham United.

Swansea City shrugged off the injury absence of top scorer Michu to triumph 2-1 at Fulham. Stand-in striker Danny Graham grabbed the opener.