Joe Cole scored late in the second period as Chelsea grabbed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday. Cole notched the winner in the 79th minute when he buried a low cross home from close range. The victory raised Chelsea point tally to 52 and extended their lead to 11 ahead of second-place Manchester United who were held to a 2-2 draw by Birmingham. Ruud Van Nistelrooy opened the score line as early as the fourth minute before Jamie Clapham equalized 15 minutes later. Wayne Rooney restored the lead eight minutes after re-start but a 78th-minute effort from Walter Pandiani gave Birmingham a shocking draw. In Highbury, Thierry Henry scored twice to help Arsenal crush Portsmouth 4-0. Veteran striker Dennis Bergkamp and Spanish international Jose Antonio Reyes were also on the score sheet. Despite the huge triumph, Arsenal are still sixth with 32 points while relegation-threatened Portsmouth are third from bottom on 14. In other matches, West Bromwich downed Tottenham 2-0, Wigan beat West Ham with the same result and Fulham tied Aston Villa 3-3. Freezing temperatures in England postponed three encounters which were Bolton Wanderers vs. Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers vs. Sunderland and Newcastle United vs. Charlton Athletic.
