Substitute Fernandinho provided the late winner as Manchester City recovered after losing a two-goal lead to prevail 3-2 at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League, yesterday.

On a day when Leicester and Hull were the significant winners elsewhere in the thick of the relegation battle, three more points for City took them up to second – still nine points behind Chelsea.

Manuel Pellegrini’s team have gone above both Manchester United and Arsenal, before today’s fixtures between City’s neighbours and Everton and the Gunners and the table-toppers.

Sergio Aguero’s early goal, in just the third minute of yesterday’s late match, took him one above Tottenham’s Harry Kane to be the league’s outright top scorer with a handful of matches remaining.

An Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick doubled City’s lead in the 66th minute, only for the visitors’ midfielder Tom Cleverley to reduce the deficit almost immediately with a shot from outside the area.

Carlos Sanchez (85) then levelled for Villa, with a sidefoot volley but Fernandinho claimed the points a minute from time.

Villa therefore returned to the midlands empty-handed and are still not clear of danger at the bottom, after Leicester and Hull eked out important wins away to Burnley and Crystal Palace respectively.

The Tigers and the Foxes both earned some breathing space, while others failed to do likewise in a clutch of matches with a major bearing on who will drop out of the top flight next month.

Dame N’Doye missed a first-half sitter but put Hull in front seven minutes into the second half, and for good measure it was he too who made it 2-0 in injury time at Selhurst Park.

Leicester looked briefly in trouble against their bottom-of-the-table hosts at Turf Moor, where Matt Taylor had the chance to give Burnley the lead from the penalty spot just before the hour mark.

Instead, he hit the post – and within seconds Nigel Pearson’s men snatched the points at the other end as Jamie Vardy appeared to get the final touch, after the ball deflected goalwards off the Clarets’ Michael Duff.

Sunderland drop into the bottom three after a 1-1 draw at Stoke.

Dick Advocaat’s visitors were in front after just 58 seconds, thanks to Connor Wickham but Charlie Adam (27) made it all square at the break, and that was how it stayed.

Newcastle’s losing run extended to seven matches, 3-2 at home to Swansea.

Ayoze Perez gave the Magpies the lead in the 20th minute but Nelson Oliveira equalised in first-half injury time, and then Swansea were in front thanks to Gylfi Sigurdsson four minutes into the second half.

Jack Cork (71) deepened the gloom for the home supporters at St James’ Park – and even though the fit-again Siem de Jong (87) got one back, Swansea hung on.

QPR are still in big trouble after a goalless draw at home to West Ham.

The hosts did not make it easy for themselves when Charlie Austin’s first-half penalty was saved by Adrian, but their own goalkeeper Robert Green did well to stop an Aaron Cresswell shot soon after the break.

It was 0-0 too between West Brom and Liverpool, Tony Pulis’s side therefore banking another point to stay clear of worry and the Reds still in fifth.

In the lunchtime kick-off at St Mary’s, Tottenham twice came from a goal down to earn a point in a 2-2 draw against Southampton.

Mauricio Pochettino was indebted to equalisers from Erik Lamela (43) and then Nacer Chadli (70) to eke out a point in the scrap with his old club to stay on the fringes of European qualification.

Graziano Pelle scored in each half for the Saints, in the 29th and 65th minutes.

Results and standings

Premier League

Burnley 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 60;

HT: 0-0. Att: 19,582.
Missed penalty: Taylor (B) 59.

Crystal Palace 0
Hull City 2
N’Doye 52, 90;

HT: 0-0. Att: 23,871.

Man. City 3
Aguero 3; Kolarov 66; Fernandinho 89;
Aston Villa 2
Cleverly 68; Sanchez 85;

HT: 1-0. Att: 45,036.

Newcastle 2
Ayoze 20; De Jong 87;
Swansea 3
Oliveira 45; Sigurdsson 50; Cork 71;

HT: 1-1. Att: 46,884.

QPR 0
West Ham 0

Att: 18,036.
Missed penalty: Austin (QPR) 24.

Southampton 2
Pelle 29, 65;
Tottenham 2
Lamela 43; Chadli 70;

HT: 1-1. Att: 31,622.

Stoke City 1
Adam 27;
Sunderland 1
Wickham 1;

HT: 1-1. Att: 26,706.

West Brom 0
Liverpool 0

Att: 26,663.

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Chelsea	32	23	7	2	65	26	76
Man. City	34	20	7	7	70	36	67
Arsenal	32	20	6	6	63	32	66
Man. United	33	19	8	6	59	31	65
Liverpool	33	17	7	9	47	36	58
Tottenham	34	17	7	10	55	49	58
S’thampton	34	17	6	11	47	26	57
Swansea	34	14	8	12	41	44	50
Stoke City	34	13	8	13	39	42	47
West Ham	34	11	11	12	42	42	44
C. Palace	34	11	9	14	42	47	42
Everton	33	10	11	12	41	43	41
West Brom	34	9	10	15	32	46	37
Newcastle	34	9	8	17	36	57	35
Aston Villa	34	8	8	18	26	48	32
Hull City	33	7	10	16	31	45	31
Leicester	33	8	7	18	35	51	31
Sunderland	33	5	15	13	26	49	30
QPR	34	7	6	21	38	59	27
Burnley	34	5	11	18	26	52	26

Playing today
Arsenal vs Chelsea - 17:00
Everton vs Man. United - 14:30

Top scorers
21 goals: Aguero (Man. City).
20 goals: Kane (Tottenham).
19 goals: Costa (Chelsea).
17 goals: Austin (QPR).
14 goals: Giroud (Arsenal), Sanchez (Arsenal).
13 goals: Hazard (Chelsea)
12 goals: Rooney (Man. United), Berahino (West Brom).

Next fixtures

Tuesday: 20.45 Hull City vs Liverpool.

Wednesday: 20.45 Leicester City vs Chelsea.

Saturday: 13.45 Leicester City vs Newcastle United. 16.00 Aston Villa vs Everton; Liverpool vs QPR; Sunderland vs Southampton; Swansea City vs Stoke City; West Ham United vs Burnley. 18.30 Manchester United vs West Bromwich Albion.

Sunday: 14.30 Chelsea vs Crystal Palace. 17.00 Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City.

Monday, May 4: 21.00 Hull City vs Arsenal.

The Championship
Birmingham 1 - Charlton 0
Brighton 0 - Watford 2
Cardiff City 3 - Blackpool 2
Fulham 4 - Middlesbrough 3
Huddersfield 2 - Blackburn 2
Ipswich Town 2 - Nottm Forest 1
Millwall 3 - Derby County3
Reading 0 - Brentford 2
Rotherham 1 - Norwich City 1
Sheffield Wed.1 - Leeds United 2
Wigan 0 - Wolves 1

Playing tomorrow
Bournemouth vs Bolton - 20:45

Standings: Watford 88; Bourne-mouth, Mboro 84; Norwich 83; Ipswich 78; Derby 77; Brentford, Wolves 75; Blackburn 64; Charlton, Birmingham 60; N. Forest, Cardiff, Sheffield Wed. 59; Leeds 55; Huddersfield 54; Fulham 52; Bolton 51; Reading 47; Brighton 46; Rotherham 42; Millwall 41; Wigan 39; Blackpool 25.

League One
Bradford 1 - Barnsley 0
Chesterfield 0 - Bristol City 2
Coventry City 1 - Crewe 3
Fleetwood 2 - Colchester 3
Leyton Orient 1 - Sheffield Utd 1
Notts County 2 - Doncaster 1
Peterborough 4 - Crawley Town3
Preston NE 3 - Swindon Town 0
Rochdale 2 - MK Dons 3
Scunthorpe 2 - Gillingham 1
Walsall 2 - Oldham 0
Yeovil Town 1 - Port Vale 2

Standings: Bristol City 96; Preston North End 89; Milton KeynesDons 88; Swindon Town 77; Sheffield United 70; Chesterfield 68; Rochdale 63; Bradford City, Peterborough United 62; Fleetwood 60; Walsall, Gillingham, Barnsley 59; Doncaster Rovers 58; Scunthorpe United, Oldham Athletic 56; Port Vale 54; Coventry City, Crewe Alexandra 52; Notts Country, Crawley Town 50;Leyton Orient, Colchester United 48; Yeovil Town 40.

League Two
Burton 3 - Northampton 1
Bury 2 - Wimbledon 0
Cheltenham 0 - Shrewsbury 1
Dagenham 4 - Accrington 0
Hartlepool 2 - Exeter City1
Mansfield 1 - Portsmouth 2
Oxford United 2 - Cambridge 0
Plymouth 3 - Tranmere 2
Southend 1 - Luton Town 0
Stevenage 1 - Carlisle United 0
Wycombe 0 - Morecambe 1
York City 0 - Newport 2

Standings: Burton 91; Shrewsbury 89; Southend 84; Bury 82; Wycombe 81; Stevenage 72; Plymouth 68; Luton, Newport 65; Northampton, Exeter City 61; Morecambe 60; Dagenham 59; Oxford 58; Wimbledon 57; Portsmouth 56; Accrington 53; Cambridge, York 51; Carlisle 49; Mansfield 48; Hartlepool 44; Cheltenham 40; Tranmere 39.