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Sunderland boss Steve Bruce described his touchline clash with Rafael Benitez as "handbags" and thanked the beach ball that defeated Liverpool.

Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool

Steve Bruce: "I thought it (Darren Bent's goal that went in off a beach ball) was a deflection off a player. If anybody knew that rule - that it is supposed to be a drop ball - then you are a saddo.

"They have got it on telly with the guy who threw it on and it's got Liverpool crests all over it. What a shame.

"It (argument with Benitez) was handbags. It's all over, it's done. You do things in the heat of the moment which, when you look back at it, you think, 'Maybe I shouldn't have done that', but there you go."

Rafael Benitez: "These things can happen in a lot of games. It was a bad situation for us - it was in the middle (of the goal) and it was very influential. But we didn't play well, that is the main thing for me.

"In a normal season, the teams at the top of the table will be winning every single game and that is a big difference. In this case, Chelsea have lost two games and I see a lot of teams at the top of the table losing games.

"I didn't have any argument with him (Bruce). I was talking with the fourth official and he was coming and he wanted to argue with me."

Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea

Martin O'Neill: "We can definitely compete. We've a lot of good players in the team and it was a great effort against a top-quality team. My view is that anybody who finishes in front of Chelsea will win the Premier League.

"Set pieces are part of the game today - World Cup finals have been settled on set pieces - but that tended to overlook what we can do. We try to get it wide and we've got players who can electrify the crowd."

Carlo Ancelotti: "We lost the game because we had two set plays. We need to be more focused in the situation.

"Chelsea played a good game and we don't want to lose the game in that situation, only if the other team play better than us. Aston Villa were very able on the set plays. We want to do better for sure. We need more concentration."

Arsenal 3-1 Birmingham

Arsene Wenger: "(Theo Walcott) says he felt a little unstable when he was running which is not good. We will scan him on Sunday. If he has just a kick, then he has a chance to play on Tuesday (away to AZ Alkmaar).

"But I believe he will not be available. It is not a cruciate problem, but it could be more than a week."

Alex McLeish: "We are where most people expected us to be in the league, but performances have been good and I do not think we have looked out of place. We just have lacked a cutting edge in not converting our chances. We need to find it.

"Now I am looking for our match winners to be playing consistently well and show they can go to the next level."

Everton 1-1 Wolves

David Moyes: "We are not playing the way we would like but we got a point regardless when maybe we didn't think we were going to get one.

"We were not anywhere near how we can play. We are still hunting for that balance.

"We have to keep plugging away; overall we have to come through it to find form and a bit of style."

Mick McCarthy: "The red card (for Stefan Maierhofer) was harsh, bordering on downright disgraceful to be honest. I felt the first tackle he put in (on Cahill) was a booking for the manner he went into the tackle.

"But this is an intimidating place. (Everton manager) David Moyes is almost playing wide left for them, getting the ball back on as quickly as he can, but I've no problem with that.

"Their keeper Tim Howard is very fortunate not to be walking off the pitch too. It happens but it has taken the gloss off a very good away performance."

Manchester United 2-1 Bolton

Sir Alex Ferguson: "It was more tense than we would have liked. We made it hard for ourselves and we were panicking at times. But we got through it, just.

"(Antonio Valencia) is a fit and powerful lad. He kept going forward and it will be good for him to get that goal."

Gary Megson: "It was a ridiculous decision (to disallow Ivan Klasnic's goal). Ricardo (Gardner) clearly got to the ball in front of Edwin van der Sar. I didn't think it was a free-kick at all.

"The point is words that people are using are 'almost', 'nearly' and 'might have' (got a result at Old Trafford). The fact is, they haven't."

Portsmouth 1-2 Tottenham

Paul Hart(on Aruna Dindane's horror miss): "Strikers don't miss goals on purpose. Some of the football to get in that position was excellent. Next week he'll get in those positions and stick away four of them.

"We started the game very well and should have gone ahead, then there were two instances that cost us dearly. We can't afford spells like that."

Harry Redknapp: "There was no trouble. I sat among the fans and they were fantastic, so it all got hyped out of nothing.

"When Heurelho Gomes came to the club, Tony Adams said Tottenham had signed one of the best in the world because he had seen him in Holland. He didn't look like that to begin with, he was having a nightmare when I took over. But he really looks the part. In training he's looked fantastic. He's fit now and a top goalkeeper."

Stoke 2-1 West Ham

Tony Pulis(on Robert Huth appearing to hit Matthew Upson): "I will have a look at it and obviously if he has done it we will speak to him and deal with him in-house.

"I thought the back four were very good but if he has done that it is a disappointment."

Gianfranco Zola: "I saw the incident. Matthew is okay now, he had a few stitches. Looking at the video after the match obviously it was a sending-off. I can only assume the referee didn't see it.

"I haven't spoken to the referee about it. I don't think I need to talk to him. It is down to the authorities to decide - it won't change the story for me."

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