Man U, Chelsea bite the dust in EPL

Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney were both sent off as Manchester United slumped to a sensational 0-2 defeat at Fulham that has blown the English Premiership title race wide open.

Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney were both sent off as Manchester United slumped to a sensational 0-2 defeat at Fulham that has blown the English Premiership title race wide open.

Greater damage

united, they fall! Fulham's Zoltan Gera (right) shoots to score against Manchester United during their English Premiership match at the Craven Cottage in London on Saturday. Fulham won 2-0. pics/ap, afp

However, Chelsea's 0-1 defeat at Tottenham ensured the damage from Man U's defeat was not as great as it might have been but a Liverpool win over Aston Villa on Sunday could still reduce United's lead at the top to a single point, albeit with the added advantage of a game in hand.

A week after being thrashed 4-1 by Liverpool at Old Trafford, United succumbed back-to-back league defeats for the first time in nearly four years after what was their first defeat at Craven Cottage since 1964.

A Danny Murphy penalty and Zoltan Gera's late strike sealed the points for Fulham. But United played as great a role in their own downfall, with Scholes ordered off after only 18 minutes for a goalline handball that allowed Murphy to open the scoring.

Rooney, who only came on as a second-half substitute, was given his marching orders moments after Gera's 87th-minute strike, earning his second yellow card foru00a0 protesting a decision by throwing the ball away.

Chelsea's frustration

United's slip-up ensured that Chelsea's first defeat under temporary manager Guus Hiddink was particularly frustrating. Luka Modric made the difference, finishing off Aaron Lennon's clever cutback five minutes after half-time.u00a0

Other EPL results
Portsmouthu00a0 2-1u00a0 Everton
Blackburnu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0 1-1u00a0u00a0 West Ham U
Stoke Cityu00a0u00a0u00a0 1-0u00a0 Middlesbrough
West Bromu00a0u00a0 1-1u00a0u00a0u00a0 Bolton W