
Eduardo da Silva scored his fifth goal in three games Tuesday to help Arsenal to a 2-0 win over West Ham that kept the Gunners top of the Premier League.
With second-place Manchester United beating Birmingham 1-0, Eduardo and Emmanuel Adebayor scored to keep Arsenal two points ahead of the defending champions. Chelsea stayed third with a 2-1 win at Fulham, while Everton and Portsmouth also won on New Year’s Day.
Arsenal moved to 50 points from 21 games, two more than United, who gave up the lead on Saturday when they lost 1-0 at West Ham. United got back on track Tuesday, dominating lowly Birmingham and winning through a 25th-minute goal from Carlos Tevez.
Chelsea have 44 points now, seven more than fourth-placed Liverpool, who host Wigan in one of Wednesday’s four matches.
Everton moved ahead of Manchester City into fifth place with a 2-0 win at Middlesbrough, secured with second-half goals by Andy Johnson and James McFadden.