Premier League round-up

Norwich and Swansea continue to impress in the Premier League after respective victories over Bolton and West Brom, Sunderland saw off 10-man Stoke, while Everton came from behind to draw with Wigan.

Manchester City restored their three-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table with a 3-0 victory over Fulham as Chris Baird endured an evening to forget against Adam Johnson in a snowstorm at the Etihad Stadium.

The Cottagers defender was penalised after City's winger tumbled over his trailing leg in the area early on, with Sergio Aguero despatching the penalty beyond Mark Schwarzer with aplomb.

And the Northern Ireland international's game went from bad to worse when he could only divert Johnson's attempted pull back into the danger area beyond his own goalkeeper in the 30th minute.

The conditions worsened markedly after the interval, with the groundstaff called upon to clear the lines on several occasions, before Aguero put a third goal on a plate for Edin Dzeko.

Robin van Persie bagged a hat-trick as ruthless Arsenal demolished 10-man Blackburn 7-1 at Emirates Stadium to record a first win in five Premier League outings.

Steve Kean's struggling Rovers were simply taken apart by the Gunners and were not helped by Gael Givet's dismissal before half-time for a two-footed challenge on the home side's skipper, in a match which kicked off early due to travel disruption on the London Underground.

Emerging talent Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened his Premier League account with a brace, while Mikel Arteta and returning hero Thierry Henry were also on target, with Morten Gamst Pedersen's superb first-half free-kick scant consolation for the visitors.

Impact

QPR's new strike duo of Bobby Zamora and Cisse both made an impact on their home debut in the 2-1 defeat by Wolves, but for very differing reasons.

Zamora, brought in from Fulham on deadline day, opened the scoring in the 16th minute, only to see his forward partner dismissed 11 minutes before the interval.

Cisse reacted badly to being caught late by Roger Johnson, pushing the Wolves defender in the back before briefly grabbing him around the throat, to leave Mark Clattenburg with little option.

The visitors were back on level terms in the opening moments of the second half thanks to Matt Jarvis' measured finish from Kevin Doyle's clipped pass to the far post.

And the Republic of Ireland international then eased the growing pressure on manager Mick McCarthy as he slotted home in the 71st minute after good work from Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.

Substitute Victor Anichebe spared Tim Howard's blushes as Everton were forced to come from behind to take a point against rock-bottom Wigan, just days after their memorable midweek success at home to leaders Manchester City.

The Toffees fell behind in the 76th minute when Jean Beausejour's cross flicked off Phil Neville's boot and should have been a routine claim for the American, but he was inexplicably beaten by the spin and could only watch in horror as the ball ended up in the net.

But David Moyes' men were back on terms when Leighton Baines' corner was headed clear, with the full-back's second attempt headed home superbly by Anichebe.

Blizzard

James McClean defied the blizzard conditions at the Britannia Stadium as Sunderland overcame 10-man Stoke to continue their renaissance under Martin O'Neill.

The home side saw Robert Huth harshly dismissed on the stroke of half-time after catching David Meyler with a late sliding challenge on the treacherous surface, with Potters boss Tony Pulis furious with referee Martin Atkinson.

The Black Cats pressed home their advantage on the hour mark, with McClean slaloming into the area before slotting home under former Wearside keeper Thomas Sorensen.

Norwich climbed into the top half of the Premier League table courtesy of a 2-0 home success which increases Bolton's relegation concerns as they slip back into the bottom three.

The Canaries broke the deadlock in the 70th minute when Andrew Surman volleyed home at the second attempt after his initial shot from Simeon Jackson's smart pull-back had been blocked.

And Paul Lambert's side made sure of the points with just five minutes to go as Adam Bogdan could only push out Russell Martin's shot for Anthony Pilkington to follow up and score.

Swansea inflicted West Brom's eighth home defeat of the season, coming from behind to steal all three points in a flurry of goals at the snowy Hawthorns.

Marc Antoine Fortune fired the Baggies ahead early in the second half when he was left in acres of space at the far post from a corner and given the time to control before firing home.

But Brendan Rodgers' side responded immediately, with Gylfi Sigurdsson converting Neil Taylor's cross, before turning provider for Danny Graham to convert the winner.