Manchester United ended Tottenham's winning run Saturday with a 3-1 victory that kept up the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the Premier League. Spurs beat Arsenal and Chelsea in their last two games but Ryan Giggs scored two second-half penalties and Nani struck another goal to take the defending champion to 79 points with two games remaining. Chelsea has 77 points ahead of its game against Stoke Sunday. Tottenham can still qualify for the Champions League for the first time if it wins its remaining three matches, after third-place Arsenal held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw. Arsenal restored Robin van Persie to its starting lineup for the first time in five months but the Netherlands striker was unable to breach a tough City rearguard. With three former Arsenal favorites playing for City, the match was noticeable more for fierce challenges and six yellow cards than chances. The draw left Arsenal on 72 points and formally ended its chances of winning the title. City has 63 points, one fewer than Tottenham, which plays at City on May 5. Tottenham's hopes of finishing the season in fourth place above City, which has spent about 200 million pounds ($307 million) on players over the past two years in an effort to break into the elite, were boosted when City goalkeeper Shay Given was carried off the field late on with a shoulder injury. City's replacement keeper, Gunnar Nielsen, has never started a Premier League match. At the other end of the standings, Hull had United States striker Jozy Altidore sent off and slipped closer to relegation with a 1-0 loss to Sunderland. England international Darren Bent had already put Sunderland ahead in the seventh minute with his 24th league goal of the season when both teams were reduced to 10 men. Altidore and Sunderland defender Alan Hutton were sent off in the 50th for clash near the touchline. Hutton threw the ball at Altidore after it went out for a throw and the US international responded with a head butt. The result left Hull in 18th place with 28 points. The Tigers' only chance of avoiding relegation is to win both its remaining games by big margins and hope West Ham loses its last two matches. West Ham has 34 points after beating visiting Wigan 3-2, so 19th-place Burnley could be demoted if it fails to beat Liverpool in one of Sunday's four matches. Wigan was holding the Hammers to 2-2 with 13 minutes left when midfielder Scott Parker smashed in a 25-meter shot. Aruna Dindane scored twice for Portsmouth to lead the relegated team from 2-0 down to a 2-2 draw at Bolton, while Wolverhampton Wanderers is safe from demotion after Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's 81st-minute goal secured a 1-1 draw against Blackburn. With Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion having already clinched the League Championship promotion spots, Leicester joined Nottingham Forest and Cardiff in the playoffs with a 1-0 win at Preston. Blackpool is in sixth place and the final playoff spot ahead of next week's final round of League Championship matches. Inter back on top Inter Milan rallied to beat Atalanta 3-1 Saturday to return to the top of Serie A, at least until AS Roma plays Sunday. Simone Tiribocchi gave Atalanta an early lead. Diego Milito and McDonald Mariga scored to put Inter ahead at halftime, and Cristian Chivu hit the target midway through the second half with his first goal of the season. Inter has 73 points, two more than Roma, which is at home to Sampdoria. Third-place AC Milan lost whatever slim chance it had of catching the leaders when it lost 3-1 at Palermo. Cesare Bovo and Abel Hernandez had put Palermo ahead 2-0 before Clarence Seedorf responded for Milan. But Fabrizio Miccoli secured the win with a curling shot past Dida in the 69th to maintain Palermo's hopes of overtaking Milan for third place. Milan has 64 points with Palermo six behind with three matches remaining.
