Ruud van Nistelrooy scored his 101st Manchester United goal on Saturday as the Red Devils held off a fierce Everton fightback in the English Premier League to win 4-3 at Goodison Park.

　　Van Nistelrooy became the second-fastest United player to score 100 goals after 24 minutes. New recruit Louis Saha scored either side of van Nistelrooy's mark to put United 3-0 up after 29 minutes.

　　Everton rallied through second half strikes from Kevin Kilbane, David Unsworth and an own goal by United defender John O'Shea to level at 3-3. Van Nistelrooy broke the deadlock with a 89th-minute headed winner.

　　"You don't expect to come back from three goals down against Manchester United," Everton manager David Moyes said. "At halftime I told the players they had to show they cared about wearing the blue shirt and that it is not just another job."

　　Van Nistelrooy is the 15th man to score 100 goals for United, needing 131 matches to reach the mark since joining in July 2001. Only United great Denis Law reached the milestone faster, scoring 101 goals in 111 games.

　　United manager Alex Ferguson said his side's first half performance was one of best he'd seen away from home in years. In the second half, Ferguson said Everton "gave us all sorts of problems."

　　"I'd have been angry to have lost that," Ferguson said.

　　"I have never lost a 3-0 up game in my life as a manager. That would have been a real kick in the teeth particularly coming from the position we were in at halftime."

　　Arsenal stayed top of the league with a 3-1 win over second from bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers with goals from Dennis Bergkamp, Kolo Toure and Thierry Henry's 99th goal for the Gunners. Wolves' Ioan Viorel Ganea had scored after 26 minutes for a 1-1 halftime score.

　　"It was a real battle, the pitch was difficult, it was windy, the passing was not going well because they closed us down on every inch of the pitch," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.

　　"We adapted well in the second half and got our game going. I thought we were outstanding in the second half," he added.

　　Arsenal hasn't lost yet this season and its 24-match unbeaten streak is a club record.

　　Arsenal has 58 points, United 56 and Chelsea 49.

　　In other matches, it was: Aston Villa 2, Leeds United 0; Bolton Wanderers 2, Liverpool 2; Middlesbrough 0, Blackburn Rovers 1; Newcastle United 3, Leicester City 1; Southampton 0, Fulham 0; and Tottenham Hotspur 4, Portsmouth 3.

　　Three days after losing 3-4 to Manchester City in a dramatic FA Cup fourth round replay, Tottenham was on the right side of a seven-goal scoreline at White Hart Lane.

　　Substitute Gus Poyet scored the last-minute winner for Spurs in a seesawing match. Jermain Defoe scored for Spurs after 12 minutes of his debut after moving from West Ham. Eyal Berkovic leveled for Portsmouth.

　　Robbie Keane put Spurs ahead only for Portsmouth's new signing Lomana LuaLua to level again.

　　Keane regained the lead after 78 minutes before Portsmouth substitute Ivica Mornar scored his debut goal for the club with seven minutes remaining for 3-3.

　　Newcastle jumped to fourth with a 3-1 win over Leicester and has lost only two of its last 18 league matches. Leicester, still in 18th place, hasn't won in 12 matches in all competitions.

　　The Magpies had goals from Shola Ameobi, Jermaine Jenas and an own goal from Leicester's Gerry Taggart. Les Ferdinand scored a late header for Leicester.

　　Three years ago Villa manager David O'Leary had guided Leeds to the semifinals of the Champions League. His latest view of his old club saw them heading ever closer to relegation to the first division.

　　A goal in each half from Juan Pablo Angel and Ronny Johnsen helped Villa jump from 11th to eighth.

　　"I cannot fault the players today for their effort, I thought they kept going," Leeds caretaker manager Eddie Gray. "But it is disappointing. We've got to make our own luck, but in certain times of the game you just look for a bit of break or a bit of spark from something but it's just not happening for us."

　　Blackburn beat Middlesbrough 1-0 through Jon Stead, a striker who signed from third division Huddersfield last Monday. Goalkeeper Brad Friedel maintained Blackburn's lead with some standout saves to deny Juninho, Gaizka Mendieta, Gareth Southgate and Boudewijn Zenden.

　　Steven Gerrard rescued a point for Liverpool at the Reebok Stadium. Nicky Hunt scored his first goal for Bolton in the 11th before Sami Hyypia equalized after 51 minutes. Youri Djorkaeff put Bolton 2-1 ahead in the 58th before Gerrard equalized eleven minutes later.

　　"I thought it was a cracking game of football," Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier said. "They gave us a very hard game, we've drawn with a good side."