Argentinian international Tevez struck his 14th and 15th goals of the season while Ivorian brothers Kolo and Yaya Toure both netted as City took a slender one-point lead over Manchester United.

United, who also have three games in hand over City, will return to the top if they avoid defeat to fifth-placed Tottenham in Sunday’s crunch match at White Hart Lane.

Serbian midfielder Nenad Milijas had fired Wolves into a shock lead on 12 minutes, rifling home a rebound after a Matthew Jarvis cross.

City’s blushes were spared five minutes before halftime however when Kolo Toure controlled on the edge of the six-yard box and prodded a deflected shot past Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey.

And four minutes after the restart, City were in front, captain Tevez weaving his way through the Wolves defence before finishing calmly.

Yaya Toure made it 3-1 five minutes later, lifting his shot over Hennessey to join his brother on the scoresheet after good work by £27-million signing Edin Dzeko, making his debut for City.

Tevez made it four on 66 minutes, stooping to steer home as City looked to be cruising to victory.

But Kevin Doyle slotted a late penalty for Wolves to make it 4-2 and an 86th-minute goal from French defender Ronald Zubar set up a nerve-jangling finale.

City manager Roberto Mancini was happy with the way his side performed after a poor start to the game.

“I think we were bad in the first 20 minutes,” he said. “We didn’t play. But after that we played well. We scored four goals and had two or three good chances.”

Chelsea maintained their title hopes with a laboured 2-0 win over Blackburn thanks to second-half goals from Branislav Ivanovic and Nicolas Anelka.

Ivanovic opened the scoring on 57 minutes, firing a low shot through a forest of legs to the relief of under-pressure manager Carlo Ancelotti, before a flicked effort from Anelka on 76 minutes made the game safe.

The result put Chelsea back into the top four ahead of Spurs’ match against Manchester United on Sunday.

Ancelotti voiced hope that the result meant Chelsea had finally turned the corner after a protracted form slump.

“I think that the difficult moment is gone,” Ancelotti told Sky Sports. “We are coming back to get good results. It’s not easy to come back and close the gap for the first position but we have to try.”

In the late kick-off, third-placed Arsenal piled the pressure on West Ham manager Avram Grant after cruising to a comfortable 3-0 victory at Upton Park courtesy of two goals from Robin Van Persie and one from Theo Walcott.

Grant – reported to be facing dismissal earlier Saturday – was taunted mercilessly by Arsenal’s travelling supporters, who bombarded the beleaguered Israeli with chants of “You’re getting sacked in an hour.”

A miserable evening for the Hammers was completed when new signing Wayne Bridge hacked down Walcott to concede the penalty for Arsenal’s third, a development which sent fans streaming towards the exits.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was pleased his side had bounced back from two disappointing results in the FA and League Cups to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to five matches.

“We are in a good run in the Premiership and it’s important to continue,” said Wenger, who was delighted with the form of Van Persie.

“Today is the sharpest I’ve seen him. He gets stronger and stronger with every game,” Wenger told ESPN.

At the Hawthorns, two goals from Peter Odemwingie – including an 87th-minute winner – handed West Bromwich Albion a 3-2 victory over Blackpool as the Baggies ended their six-match losing streak.

Blackpool looked to have secured a share of the points when Gary Taylor-Fletcher equalised on 80 minutes before Odemwingie’s late effort denied Ian Holloway’s men a draw.

Stoke meanwhile moved up to eighth place with a 2-0 win over Bolton.

Stoke defender Danny Higginbotham opened the scoring, bundling home from close range on 37 minutes. A Matthew Etherington penalty doubled the Potters’ lead on 64 minutes to secure the points.

At the DW Stadium, substitute Andrew Johnson scored an 86th-minute equaliser just 10 minutes after coming on as Fulham secured a 1-1 draw against Wigan, who had taken the lead through striker Hugo Rodallega.

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za

Hernandez came off the bench to secure victory at Old Trafford in the last minute of normal time in Tuesday night’s fourth-round tie and keep alive United’s quest to become the first side to win the trophy three times in a row.

Bebe, the relatively-unknown striker signed in the summer for £7.4million from Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes, crowned a promising first start with a fortunate opening goal before George Elokobi equalised.

Park Ji-Sung made it 2-1 to the home side but Kevin Foley hauled Wolves level again before Hernandez’s excellent finish took United into Saturday’s quarter-final draw.

Sir Alex Ferguson made 11 changes and Wolves boss Mick McCarthy seven, and the first half in a quiet Old Trafford, with plenty of empty seats, was a dismal affair.

United’s striker Gabriel Obertan and Federico Macheda were poor, the best chance coming when Macheda sent a shot straight at Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey after Bebe’s scuffed centre ended up at his feet.

The second half opened with more apparent problems for United as Matt Jarvis rampaged down the right and sent over a ball to the far post that Steven Fletcher met with a cracking left-foot volley which went wide.

Darron Gibson gave United encouragement with a swerving free-kick that was on target, the only problem being that it swerved straight into Hennessey’s arms.

Park looked certain to score when Michael Carrick feigned to shoot and instead played a delicious pass to set the Korean free but Hennessey pulled off a stunning block.

It finally needed a touch of fortune – and an excellent decision by assistant referee Darren Cann – to see United take the lead.

Bebe did well to muscle past Elokobi but his deflected cross went right over the Wolves keeper and dropped over the line. Foley thought he had headed the ball off the line but Cann waved his flag for a goal, and TV replays showed the World Cup final linesman had judged it perfectly.

No sooner had United taken the lead then Wolves equalised. Fabio’s brilliant block

denied Stephen Hunt but from the corner Elokobi rose superbly and thumped a header into the goal.

Macheda, of whom so much was expected, continued to disappoint when he hooked over from Bebe’s astute pass – he should have scored.

Despite that miss the goals kept coming, first when Park put United 2-1 up. It was his driving run that took the ball into the heart of Wolves territory and it came back to him somewhat fortuitously after Macheda lost control, and Park placed the ball neatly into the corner of the net.

Once more however Wolves came back with a nice build-up involving Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and a flick from Fletcher to set up Foley who fired through Jonny Evans’ legs past Ben Amos.

It could have been worse for United when Ebanks-Blake sidestepped Chris Smalling and hammered a terrific shot with a minimum of backlift only to see it skim past the upright.

With extra-time approaching Ferguson took off the tired-looking Bebe, and sent on the weekend’s goalscoring hero Hernandez.

The young Mexican was immediately influential, sending Obertan sprinting in on goal but his finish was once again disappointing, flashed wide with only the keeper to beat.

Hernandez’s class finally made the difference in the very last minute of normal time when he left two Wolves defenders in a heap and lifted the ball coolly over Hennessey.

Source + Pic: football365.com

The Manchester United midfielder chalked up the ton in style with an accomplished finish to give the champions a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Although he is not one for personal glory, the former England international was still relieved to have reached the milestone, showing patience and composure to nip past Jody Craddock before drilling his shot into the far corner.

Once a prolific scorer, Scholes found the net for the 98th time in league combat at Sunderland in April last year.

It has taken 11 months to get the extra two, having been on 99 since his effort in the four-goal demolition of West Ham last December.

His latest strike promises to be one of the most important this season for Manchester United as it gave them a narrow victory at Wolves and took them back to the top of the Barclays Premier League.

Scholes said: “It was nice. I had a similar chance against West Ham a couple of weeks ago, but thankfully this time I managed to score.

“I have been on 99 for a while now, so it is nice to get it done. I am really pleased I have managed to achieve it.

“It has put us top of the league and hopefully we can stay there.”

Scholes scored the first of his 100 Premier League goals in a 2-1 home win against West Ham United in August 1995 and went on to become a prolific marksman from midfield.

He helped the Red Devils to nine Premier League titles as well as a host of other honours.

He won 66 caps for England scoring 14 times, including a hat-trick in March 1999 as England beat Poland 3-1 at Wembley in Kevin Keegan’s first match in charge.

Scholes is only the 19th player to achieve the Premier League century, moving level with team-mate Ryan Giggs who also has 100 goals to his name. United colleague Wayne Rooney also reached the ton this season.

Scholes will now set his sights on overhauling former Southampton star Matthew Le Tissier who was the first midfielder to get the ton up, finishing his career on 101.

But Scholes has some way to go to catch the Premier League’s all-time leading marksman Alan Shearer.

The former Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton striker heads the list with a remarkable tally of 260 goals – 73 clear of Andy Cole in second place.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Jermain Defoe has his sights set on becoming the Premier League’s next century man. He is currently on 95 three ahead of Stoke City striker James Beattie and five clear of Birmingham City veteran Kevin Phillips.

Source + Pic: premierleague.com

Despite the return of club captain Steven Gerrard from injury, Rafael Benitez’s men were listless in a goalless stalemate at struggling Wolves.

But the Liverpool manager was defiantly upbeat after a result that means his side are unbeaten in five matches in the league.

“We had two or three chances in the first half and it was same in the second but our final pass not the best,” the Spaniard said.

“But it is another clean sheet and everyone is working really hard, so I think it is really positive.”

The draw leaves Liverpool three points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham, who were always in control of their London derby clash with Fulham at White Hart Lane.

“Three points — that was the main thing tonight, but I think the win was well deserved tonight,” said Spurs boss Harry Redknapp.

Spurs went ahead mid-way through the first half through Peter Crouch, who fired home after being teed up by Luka Modric following a wonderful piece of improvisation from the Croatia playmaker.

David Bentley made sure of the win with a second-half free-kick that found the net with the help of a deflection off Bjorn Helge Riise which wrong-footed Fulham’s Australian goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer.

At the other end of the table, it was a memorable night for Bolton, who claimed their first league win under new manager Owen Coyle, at the expense of his former club Burnley.

Lee Chung-Yong’s 35th-minute strike proved enough to earn Bolton a 1-0 win that lifted them out of the relegation zone.

As a result of West Ham and Wolves both picking up a point apiece, Burnley dropped into the drop zone for the first time this season.

Predictably, Coyle was given a hostile reception from the visiting fans, who hurled “Judas” insults at the man they used to refer to as “God.”

A more appropriate biblical reference, Coyle wryly reminded his critics, would be Moses, given his achievement in leading Burnley to the promised land of the Premier League.

West Ham had to settle for a 1-1 draw at bottom club Portsmouth after taking the lead at Fratton Park.

The Hammers had gone ahead seven minutes into the second-half.

Alessandro Diamanti curled a corner from the right towards the back post and, after it had been deflected goalwards by Pompey defender Younes Kaboul, the ball ended up in the net off the thigh of Matthew Upson.

The Hammers looked strong favourites to go on and take all three points at that stage, but Portsmouth snatched an equaliser with just under quarter of an hour left.

John Utaka played in Danny Webber and the substitute slotted his finish through the legs of Hammers’ goalkeeper Robert Green for his first Premier League goal.

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za