Smudger looks back at the Battles which affected the bottom of the Premiership.
CHARLTON 1 BOLTON 1
A point might not be a big help to Bolton given their present predicament, but it could have been a worst case scenario for the Trotters who looked down and out before a moment of pure genius from the player Sam Allardyce calls 'the master' ensured the spoils were shared at The Valley.
Bolton were trailing to Mark Fish's 46th minute strike and were kept in the game by keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, but French ace Youri Djorkaeff hauled them level five minutes from time with a breathtaking overhead kick few would even have attempted let alone executed to such perfection.
Afterwards Bolton boss Allardyce said: "The master came up with a master finish. It was a fantastic individual piece of skill and I am glad it got us something. Youri is finding his way back to his best form. I think like many foreign players he is used to having a winter break and we have had to rest him a bit, but he is playing better for us than last year and I hope his goal will give him the confidence to produce his best."
Opposite number Alan Curbishley also praised Djorkaeff for the wonder strike which robbed his side of two more very valuable points. He said: "It was a fantastic goal. I couldn't see it coming, I thought the three points were in the bag. That has happened to us a couple of times now as we also lost leads against Manchester City and Spurs recently."
EVERTON 2 SUNDERLAND 1
Two second half goals within the space of six minutes from American international Brian McBride, making it three in two games since joining on a three-month loan from Columbus Crew, gave Everton a victory which didn't look likely after Kevin Kilbane had given Sunderland the lead.
Everton boss David Moyes was glowing in his praise for McBride and said: "His performance was excellent, he gives you great honesty and commitment. It is players like that who contribute to the team overall and win you matches.
"Brian has come straight into the Premiership, scored last week in his first game for us and got another two here and the way he played he could have had a hat-trick. He works so hard, he won headers for us in both boxes and that's important to any team."
How Howard Wilkinson could do with a player like that although, to be fair to his team, they battled hard to hang on to their lead and even had the chances to have wrapped the game up. Wilko said: "There were two moments in the game when we could have settled it. We were ahead and Kevin Phillips went very close on two occasions. Anything from them and it would have been a different story.
"We weathered their early spell and I felt at times we controlled the game. If we are to improve we must control the ball better."
BLACKBURN 1 BIRMINGHAM 1
Christophe Dugarry was praised and pilloried by Rovers boss Graeme Souness after a performance which combined guile with gamesmanship. At least that appeared to be the view of the former Liverpool hard man who, whilst recognising the Frenchman as a special player, felt he had a helping hand – or foot – in the sending off of the 'outrageous' Andy Todd.
Souness wasn't happy with Dugarry's part in Todd's downfall after spotting the Birmingham midfielder kicking out at his player before the central defender completely lost the plot and gave his tormentor an almighty kick up the backside; a provoked attack which led to momentary pandemonium and an inevitable red card for the red-misted assailant.
Bruce lambasted Todd for a 'vicious and outrageous attack' and suggested he should be banned for life, but Souness, who will not be fining Todd, said: "I have had the benefit of looking at the replay and both Dugarry and Todd should have been sent off.
"Dugarry lashed out while he was on the ground and Andy Todd turned around and kicked him up the backside. If the referee had seen that first kick he would have had to send him off as well - he had already been booked. Andy knows he has let everyone down, including himself, but there are mitigating circumstances. It's very hard to hold yourself back in that sort of situation. Some of us have been there."
Bruce, meanwhile, labelled Dugarry as 'the best player Birmingham have ever had' and said: "I would pay the entrance money myself to come and watch him alone. He is fantastic."
Whilst Souness was unhappy with some of Dugarry's other characteristics (the ability to 'frustrate' opponents), Bruce praised the Frenchman for handling the rough-house treatment he may have to become used to in the Premiership.
The Blues boss added: "He was lying in the dressing room after the game, battered and kicked to bits and he thinks that England is crazy. Maybe he is thinking that he should have had the tranquil life back at Bordeaux! But he is a magnificent player. He causes people problems and we have to keep him fit because he is going to be vital for us over the next few weeks."
After Stern John had cancelled out Damien Duff's earlier strike, Bruce harped back to the Todd-Dugarry incident and added: "It's an outrage for someone to kick out like that and I have never seen anything like that. It could have caused serious damage and it did hurt him badly.
"It was outrageous and for the life of me I cannot understand anybody viciously booting someone like that. It was uncalled for and I don't know what he has done to warrant that sort of vicious attack on him."
LEEDS 0 WEST BROM 0
Terry Venables praised the Leeds fans for the reception they gave Robbie Fowler following his decision to stay at Elland Road, and then defended his own decision to give the man who rejected Manchester City just 11 minutes of action.
Venables said: "He is very popular and it was good for him to get a reception like that. I was tempted to put him on earlier, but what you've got to remember is there's no point in putting people on for the wrong reasons. He hadn't trained all week and because of that and given the fact that he has been here, there and everywhere and having medicals, I could have decided to rest him."
Gary Megson, meanwhile, was full of praise for keeper Russell Hoult who produced a masterful display to keep Leeds at bay; a performance which justified some of the claims coming out of the West Midlands club that he's ready for an England call-up.
Megson has no doubt that Hoult could more than hold his own on the international stage and said: "He made two or three good saves, one in particular he had no right to save from Alan Smith. But he has been doing that all season and although he is one of half a dozen keepers able to play for England, I know if called upon he would not let anybody down."
Megson then went on to defend Andy Johnson over his red card for using 'foul and abusive language' to referee Uriah Rennie. The Albion boss said: "Uriah says he was called something and if he's right then Andy has no defence and he deserved to be sent off.
"We are talking about swear words and you cannot call referees what he apparently said, but Andy says he didn't use those words."
