03 May 2004	Monday	12 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

LONDON, May 2: Leeds United's hopes of premier league survival disappeared in eight awful second-half minutes on Sunday as a 1-0 lead turned into a 4-1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers that, barring a miracle, will send them down.

The result left Leeds six points behind Manchester City with two games remaining but with City boasting a goal difference better by 36, relegation is a formality. Leicester City were relegated on Saturday and Wolverhampton Wanderers look certain to join them.

In the battle for fourth place Liverpool and Aston Villa both won to edge ahead of Newcastle United, beaten 1-0 by Manchester City on Saturday. Liverpool beat Middlesbrough 2-0 with a Danny Murphy penalty and a goal for Emile Heskey, while Aston Villa beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 with an early header by Juan Pablo Angel.

Liverpool have 56 points, Villa 55 and Newcastle, with a game in hand, 53. Liverpool host Newcastle on the last day of the season in what looks likely to decide who makes the Champions League qualifying round.

Three years ago to the day Leeds were playing Valencia in the semifinals of Europe's elite competition but now, with most of that team long sold and the club still in debt, their immediate future looks bleak.

Leeds, ever-present in the premier league and the last team to win the old first division title in 1992, knew they had to win on Sunday and got the ideal start when Mark Viduka converted a penalty in the 27th minute.

But the Australian played only six more minutes before being sent off for a second yellow card in two minutes, both for elbowing. His second red card in a month proved costly.

Bolton were level two minutes after halftime when Youri Djorkaeff latched on to a clever Jay-Jay Okocha pass to score from close range and the Frenchman got his second six minutes later.

When Ian Harte clumsily diverted a left-wing cross into his own net two minutes after that, the turnaround was complete. Bolton were in complete control from then on and it was no surprise when Nolan latched onto another killer Okocha pass to tuck in the fourth 12 minutes from time.

Bolton remain on course for their highest premier league finish as their fourth win in a row takes them up to seventh.

Results of English Premier League:

Played on Sunday:

Aston Villa 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0

Bolton Wanderers 4 Leeds United 1

Liverpool 2 Middlesbrough 0

Played on Saturday:

Arsenal 0 Birmingham City 0

Blackburn Rovers 1 Manchester United 0

Charlton Athletic 2 Leicester City 2

Chelsea 4 Southampton 0

Manchester City 1 Newcastle United 0

Portsmouth 1 Fulham 1

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Everton 1

CELTIC FOILED

GLASGOW: Dunfermline Athletic recorded a morale boosting 2-1 premier league win at Celtic three weeks before they face the newly-crowned champions in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park.

Dunfermline's win, however, will give them confidence before they meet Celtic again in the Cup final on May 22.

Scottish Premier League results:

Played on Sunday:

Celtic 1 Dunfermline Athletic 2

Played on Saturday:

Dundee United 0 Hearts 2

Hibernian 1 Dundee 0

Kilmarnock 4 Livingston 2

Partick Thistle 2 Aberdeen 0

Rangers 4 Motherwell 0

AC MILAN CHAMPIONS

MILAN: AC Milan won their 17th Italian title on Sunday with a 1-0 win over second-placed AS Roma.

A second minute header from Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko gave Milan the victory, which leaves them with a nine point advantage over Roma with just two games remaining. But there were ugly scenes as the game was twice stopped in the second half after Roma fans hurled fireworks and missiles on to the pitch.

There were surprise results elsewhere in Serie A with relegation-threatened Perugia beating third-placed Juventus 1-0 and lowly Lecce beating Inter Milan 2-1.

Serie A results on Sunday:

Chievo Verona 2 Modena 0

Empoli 2 Bologna 0

Lazio 1 Reggina 1

Lecce 2 Inter Milan 1

AC Milan 1 AS Roma 0

Parma 3 Ancona 1

Perugia 1 Juventus 0

Sampdoria 1 Udinese 3

Siena 0 Brescia 1 . -Reuters