17 April 2005	Sunday	07 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

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LONDON, April 16: Struggling Norwich City and Southampton both tossed away two-goal leads to deepen their relegation fears while Bolton Wanderers moved above Liverpool into fifth place in the English Premier League on Saturday.

Bottom club Norwich led 3-1 at second-bottom Crystal Palace before goals by Michael Hughes and Andy Johnson, with a disputed late penalty, secured a 3-3 draw for the home team.

Third-bottom Southampton led 2-0 at home to Aston Villa but lost 3-2 after a superb second-half fightback by the visitors.

The results meant Norwich, with five games left, stayed bottom on 24 points, with Palace on 27, the same as Southampton and one point behind West Bromwich Albion who did not play.

Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf scored Bolton’s winner in a 2-1 victory at Charlton Athletic, a result that lifted them a point above his former club, Champions League semifinalists Liverpool, who drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.

Chelsea, 11 points clear at the top and homing in on their first English title since 1955, do not play until Wednesday when they host second-placed Arsenal who beat Blackburn 3-0 in the FA Cup semifinals on Saturday.

In a dramatic match at Selhurst ParkPalace went in front through Finn Joonas Kolkka but Dean Ashton struck twice to put Norwich in charge.

When Leon McKenzie made it 3-1 eight minutes into the second half Norwich looked on course for their first away league win of the season.

But Hughes’s diving header gave Palace hope and Andy Johnson earned and converted a controversial spotkick seven minutes from time to deny the visitors.

Kevin Phillips and Peter Crouch put Southampton 2-0 up against Villa after only 13 minutes but second-half strikes by Carlton Cole, Peruvian Nolberto Solano and Steven Davis floored Harry Redknapp’s side.

At Anfield England midfielder Steven Gerrard missed a penalty and hit the post in a thrilling game against Spurs who went in front with a spectacular long-range striker by Swedish full back Erik Edman, his first for the club.

Luis Garcia levelled for Liverpool before halftime only for Robbie Keane to restore Spurs’ lead. After Gerrard blasted his spotkick wide Finnish defender Sami Hyypia volleyed in the home team’s second equaliser after 63 minutes.

Liverpool, who overcame Juventus to reach the last four of the Champions League on Wednesday, have 51 points, one fewer than Bolton and three fewer than fourth-placed Everton who have a game in hand.

Diouf’s neat headed finish gave Bolton the points at The Valley after Charlton’s Francis Jeffers had cancelled out Jay-Jay Okocha’s opener for Wanderers.

In the day’s other game Portuguese winger Luis Boa Morte earned Fulham a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City. Portsmouth were playing at Birmingham City in a 1615 GMT kickoff.

Saturday’s results:

Liverpool 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2

Charlton Athletic 1 Bolton Wanderers 2

Crystal Palace 3 Norwich City 3

Fulham 1 Manchester City 1

Southampton 2 Aston Villa 3

—Reuters