London: Manchester City made ground in the battle for fourth place in the Premier League but looked a long way from Champions League material as they struggled to an forgettable 2-0 home win over Bolton Wanderers.
City were second best for long periods against the relegation-threatened visitors but took the points with a first-half Carlos Tevez penalty and a smart finish by Emmanuel Adebayor after 73 minutes.
The win takes City to 44 points and into fifth place, behind Liverpool on goal difference but with a game in hand on them and fellow challengers Tottenham Hotspur (43).
In other games Fulham beat Burnley 3-0, bottom club Portsmouth grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser for a 1-1 home draw with Sunderland in a game featuring three red cards while Wigan Athletic drew 1-1 with Stoke City.
There are six more games on Wednesday, highlighted by Arsenal against Liverpool, with Manchester United and leaders Chelsea also in action away to Aston Villa and Everton respectively.
City, who had lost two of their last three league games, struggled to impose themselves at Eastlands although new signing Adam Johnson had a lively home debut.
His tricky running led to the opening goal when he was tripped by Paul Robinson and, though Tevez's penalty was hit straight at Jussi Jaaskelainen, it had just enough power to creep over the line.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 08:32