SECOND-PLACED Manchester United failed to take full advantage of leaders Newcastle's day off by only drawing 1-1 at home to Chelsea in the English Premier League.
And the Old Trafford side had to fight back just for the point which puts them on 34 points and closed the gap at the top to four. Chelsea went ahead in the 53rd minute when a Lee Sharpe error sent John Spencer in. His effort was blocked by Kevin Pilkington, playing for the injured Peter Schmeichel, but Dennis Wise converted the rebound from 18 yards.
United equalised 10 minutes later when David Beckham drilled his shot in. The draw meant United failed to complete a league double over the London side who have traditionally been their bogey side. In their previous encounter United won 4-1 at Stamford Bridge. Other results also went the way of Newcastle who play their game in hand at struggling Wimbledon today. It was 'as you were' when the third and fourth-placed sides clashed at Villa Park, Aston Villa drawing 1-1 with Arsenal which leaves Arsenal third.
Paul Merson whipped in a free kick and former Villa favourite David Platt flashed the header home to break the deadlock for Arsenal in the 65th minute.
But Villa weren't behind for long as Dwight Yorke headed home Alan Wright's cross five minutes later. Liverpool, whose form in November was dismal, avoided a fourth successive defeat when Stan Collymore ended his lengthy scoring drought to bag the equaliser in a 1-1 draw at home to Southampton.
Collymore crashed a drive into the top of the net from 20 yards in the 68th minute to cancel out Neil Shipperley's 60th-minute opener.
Earlier in the day Southampton suspended controversial goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar for two weeks and fined him two weeks wages for failing to show up for a league match against Bolton after international duty for Zimbabwe.
