LONDON, April 5: Arsenal’s lead at the top of the premier league was down to just goal difference on Saturday after the champions were held 1-1 at Aston Villa and Manchester United crushed 10-man Liverpool 4-0.

United had put the pressure on Arsene Wenger’s side by moving on to 67 points with an early kick-off win at Old Trafford sealed by two Ruud van Nistelrooy penalties and strikes from Ryan Giggs and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Arsenal responded by taking a second-half lead at Villa Park but an own goal by Ivory Coast midfielder Kolo Toure left Wenger’s men also on 67 points.

Goal difference, with 67 scored and 34 conceded by Arsenal, compared to United’s 55-27, kept the Double winners on top with just six matches left to play.

The turning point in United’s game came in the fourth minute, when defender Sami Hyypia bundled Van Nistelrooy over in the penalty area, resulting in a red card for the Liverpool captain and a spot-kick which the Dutch striker easily converted.

Van Nistelrooy netted his 34th goal of the season with his second penalty, Giggs struck in the 78th minute and Solskjaer fired the fourth past a motionless Jerzy Dudek as United avenged their 2-0 defeat by Liverpool in last month’s League Cup final.

The win, which also completed a league double over the Merseysiders after a 2-1 victory at Anfield, lifted United into provisional top slot on 67 points.

In a morning kick-off Bolton Wanderers maintained their fight to avoid relegation overcoming Manchester City 2-0.

Results

Premier league

Aston Villa 1 Arsenal 1

Bolton Wanderers 2 Manchester City 0

Charlton Athletic 1 Leeds United 6

Manchester United 4 Liverpool 0

Middlesbrough 3 WB Albion 0

Southampton 1 West Ham United 1

Sunderland 1 Chelsea 2

Tottenham Hotspur 2 Birmingham City 1

German results

BERLIN: Results of German first division soccer matches played on Saturday: