Newcastle fall to 3-2 defeat against West Brom

Newcastle: Paul Scharner scored late to give West Bromwich Albion their second road victory in five days with a 3-2 win over Newcastle United that extended the host's winless Premier League run to six games.

The Austria international secured the victory in the 85th as Roy Hodgson's team took the lead on three occasions following goals from Peter Odemwingie and Gareth McAuley before the break.

Demba Ba equalized both times for Newcastle, first with a fiercely-struck free kick and then with a close-range 81st-minute finish.

However, the Baggies refused to accept a point and Scharner made the most of a poor defensive display to claim a victory that leaves the Magpies with just two points from the past 18 they have contested.

Leon Osman's second-half goal was enough to give Everton a 1-0 win over Swansea as the Toffees climbed to 11th in the Premier League table.

Everton have struggled at home this season, picking up only eight points from eight previous games, but Osman secured the victory by heading in Royston Drenthe's corner in the 60th minute.

Swansea continued their poor away form, as the Welsh club has only picked up three points on the road this season.

Everton took control late in the first half and should have taken the lead in the 38th minute when Magaye Gueye was too deliberate with his shot, allowing goalkeeper Michel Vorm to make a good stop.

The host continued to press in the second half, Vorm was finally beaten with a straightforward goal from a corner.

Martin O'Neill watched his new Sunderland side squander a two-goal lead before Wes Brown's late header clinched a 3-2 victory at Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday.

In the clash of two relegation threatened sides, goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Stephane Sessegnon put Sunderland in control before QPR struck twice in four minutes.

Heidar Helguson started the comeback in the 63rd minute when he bundled Alejandro Faurlin's cross into the net and the Icelandic striker then turned provider, knocking the ball down for Jamie Mackie.

QPR goalkeeper Paddy Kenny kept his side level with two magnificent saves, but he could do nothing to stop Brown's header in the 89th.

While QPR are two points above the Premier League relegation zone, Sunderland are now a point and a place higher up the standings.

In other matches on Wednesday, Manchester United managed the rare feat this season of outshining Manchester City's goal-scoring prowess to keep the heat on their neighbours in the Premier League title race.

While City maintained their two-point lead over United with a 3-0 victory over Stoke, their second-placed rivals routed Fulham 5-0 at Craven Cottage, a ground where they had failed to win on their past three visits.

"For our supporters I think it's a good Christmas," City manager Roberto Mancini said.

Such emphatic victories have been the norm for big-spending City this season, but for United it was the biggest in three months.

"It was very impressive, we've not scored as many as we'd like to but we'd been playing well," Giggs said. "The second part of the season we always kick on and put in performances and that's pleasing. We don't want to rely on the forwards for goals, we need to share them around."

It was a tighter encounter at Aston Villa, with Arsenal relying on Yossi Benayoun's late goal to secure a 2-1 victory for his fifth-place side.

Liverpool are two points behind Arsenal after Charlie Adam missed a penalty kick in a 0-0 draw at Wigan. Luis Suarez featured for Liverpool a day after receiving an eight-match ban - on hold pending any appeal - for racially abusing United defender Patrice Evra.

A player at the center of a more serious racism investigation, John Terry, is due to captain Chelsea at Tottenham on Thursday, a day after being told by prosecutors that he will be charged for hurling abuse an opponent.