• What They Said

Muamba sent good-luck message to Bolton squad

Bolton paid tribute to Fabrice Muamba before the win over Blackburn © Getty Images

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Kenny Dalglish said Liverpool looked tired during the shock 2-1 defeat to Wigan - and claimed Luis Suarez's goal should never have been chalked off:
"There is no rhyme or reason why the second goal should be chalked off when Luis challenged for the header. It wasn't handball. I must have a different television. It hit his shoulder as he turned to try to play it in."

"I think they looked a bit tired. We had a lot of possession in the game, we gave away the ball quite a lot in vital positions and it is not because they cannot play but tiredness. If you play Sunday-Wednesday-Saturday it is going to take its toll and a lot of the lads have played three games.

"For us that would be a reasoning behind our own performance. We were disappointed because a lot of the final balls in good positions we didn't deliver and we put that down to tiredness."

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez:
"It is an historic day for us, Wigan beating Liverpool at Anfield. That is why we are involved in football to defy the odds and history. I would like to present this moment to our fans as they have not had much to celebrate this season."

Harry Redknapp felt Tottenham Hotspur were unlucky to leave Stamford Bridge with a 0-0 draw on Saturday:
"I thought we did enough to win the game. We edged it. We kept the ball great and we looked the more likely. Petr Cech has made a couple of great saves but he is top class. It's a good point but there is long way to go and there will be twists and turns. It's wide open for the top four. Everyone is capable of winning six or seven in a row."

Meanwhile, Redknapp's counterpart, interim Chelsea boss Roberto di Matteo, saw the draw as about right:
"We are disappointed but it's a fair result. Both teams had chances to win the game. Juan Mata hit a great free-kick against the post; sometimes you need a bit of luck to unlock the win but we didn't get it. Defensively we were good but we had no edge going forward. It's a step back for finishing in the top four but we have eight games left and we will try and win them all."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger watched the Gunners pull five points clear of fifth-place Chelsea with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa, and afterwards he admitted even a draw wouldn't have been the worst result:
"A draw was alright for us, but the most important thing for us was to win the game, to make a little distance. It's still open. It will be down to how we play now.

I believe we had a great first half, or great 35 minutes where our game was fluent, fast, full of good combinations and that made the difference in the first half. Second half we were at a lower tempo. We'd given a lot at Everton [in midweek] to win this game. We knew it was important not to let them back into the game.

"Overall I'm pleased with what the players have done again this week. We were absolutely outstanding."

Bolton manager Owen Coyle has revealed that Fabrice Muamba sent a good luck message to his team-mates on the eve of their 2-1 win over Blackburn at the Reebok Stadium:
"Fabrice managed to send us a message yesterday through one of the consultants to say he wished the lads well. It was great when we heard that. Our chairman has been in touch with Marcel [Muamba's father] this week and I am pretty sure the information about today's game has been passed on to Fabrice."

Coyle's opposite number Steve Kean was equally dignified:
"I told the lads to separate the occasion from the game. We wish Fabrice all the goodwill we can give but we had to play the match. The Bolton players had a spring in their step and once they got their noses in front it was difficult."

Nikica Jelavic was on target as Everton beat Swansea © Getty Images

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David Moyes paid tribute to January signing Nikica Jelavic after he scored in Everton's 2-0 win at Swansea:
"He has done well. He looks a centre-forward and he has worked hard, he missed a few chances but he kept going and got his goal in the end."

Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers:
"We are disappointed with the goals, we switched off on first one which led to free-kick, and the second one we did not defend as well as we normally do. In spells we played very well, we were not at the top of our game and I have always said we had to have our foot to the floor every game or a team like Everton can come and win the game. We were just a bit off, but credit to Everton they did very well."

Norwich manager Paul Lambert felt Grant Holt's sending off was harsh but was delighted with Saturday's defeat of Wolves:
"For the sending off, I thought the first [yellow] was a foul against him so I don't know what the referee has done there. The second one I think Grant has won the ball but you run the risk when you go to ground when you have already been booked. I just think it was a harsh sending off."

Wolves boss Terry Connor:
"It was a really good performance and we showed a real fighting spirit. We showed everything you would want. We took the lead and I thought we were well worth something from the game today.

"It was awkward before [today's results] but next week we can re-address that as we play Bolton at home. If we put in the same determination, effort and spirit that we showed today, with a little more quality in the final third in terms of our crossing and shooting, then I think we will be ok.

"That would then put a different slant on the picture altogether."

Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill hailed the contribution of James McClean, who signed a new contract this week, in the win over QPR:
"I thought he (McClean) was outstanding today, absolutely outstanding. And to be perfectly honest he's been outstanding since he came into the limelight. I think (it was a) great performance by him today and he's earned every penny of it [his new contract] and he's been a great boost to the football club here in his time.

"He's got a great attitude to it. Not just a great attitude, he's got a great ability as well as he's shown this afternoon, I thought he was outstanding and I'm obviously delighted for him."

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