Spurs stay fourth, Terry braced for fan torment

Spurs' rivals for a place in next season's Champions League, Liverpool and Aston Villa, both won to keep up the pressure on Saturday.

Tottenham stayed fourth in the English Premier League with a 1-1 draw at Birmingham on Saturday as England skipper John Terry faced an evening of turmoil following lurid allegations over his private life.

Terry, at the centre of a media storm after Saturday newspapers splashed accounts alleging he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of a former Chelsea team-mate, was due to start for the league leaders at Burnley.

Victory would put the Londoners four points clear at the top of the table.

Spurs' rivals for a place in next season's Champions League, Liverpool and Aston Villa, both won to keep up the pressure on Saturday.

Liverpool beat Bolton 2-0 to stay a point behind Spurs with Villa, who have a game in hand, two points behind Tottenham after defeating Fulham by the same scoreline in a match where Gabriel Agbonlahor scored both goals.

At the other end of the table, second from bottom Hull failed to climb out of the relegation zone after a 2-2 draw with Wolves.

Everton made it four league wins from five with a 1-0 victory away to Wigan while Blackburn Rovers and West Ham shared the points in a goalless draw.

Jermain Defoe broke the deadlock at St Andrews when, after a Peter Crouch knockdown, he blasted the ball past Joe Hart in the 69th minute to give Spurs the lead.

But Birmingham rescued a point through Liam Ridgewell's 90th minute equaliser.

At Anfield, Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool ahead eight minutes before half-time following a knock back from midfielder Alberto Aquilani.

Liverpool went 2-0 up when Emiliano Insua's 25-yard shot took a huge deflection off Bolton's Kevin Davies for a 70th minute own-goal.

Agbonlahor put Villa in front five minutes before the break at Craven Cottage when he headed in a Stiliyan Petrov cross past Fulham's Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

And there was still time for Agbonlahor to make it 2-0 ahead of half-time when, in the 44th minute, he latched onto Carlos Cuellar's through ball and held off Brede Hangeland before curling a shot past Schwarzer from 15 yards.

At the KC Stadium, former Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink fired Hull into an 11th minute lead with a 20-yard shot.

But Wolves were level after a comical own-goal where Hull's Anthony Gardener sliced an unthreatening Ronald Zubar cross over the head of home goalkeepeer Boaz Myhill in the 49th minute.

However, minutes later Hull were back in front when Stephen Hunt scored from the penalty spot after Zubar jumped into Jozy Altidore only for Matthew Jarvis to draw Wolves level in the 67th minute.

Tim Cahill was once again Everton's star as the Australia midfielder headed in his sixth goal of the season six minutes from time away to Wigan.

Chelsea's nearest pursuers clash on Sunday when second-placed reigning champions Manchester United travel to third-placed Arsenal.

Sunday's other top-flight match sees Manchester City looking to bounce back from their League Cup semi-final loss to United when they are at home to bottom-of-the-table Portsmouth.

Sunderland and Stoke will try to pull further away from the relegation zone when they meet on Monday.