Manchester City rallies past Everton 3-2

Edin Dzeko scored twice to help Manchester City rally past Everton 3-2 Saturday night and stay in control of the Premier League title race.

City had won just one of its previous 15 matches at Goodison Park and fell behind when Ross Barkley curled in a brilliant shot to give Everton an 11th-minute lead.

Sergio Aguero tied it in the 22nd, beating American goalkeeper Tim Howard to the near post for his 17th league goal this season. Aguero left six minutes later with an apparent groin injury, and City took a 3-1 lead on goals by Dzeko in the 43rd and 48th minutes.

Romelu Lukaku's goal in the 65th set up a tense finish, but City held on through more than six minutes of stoppage time.

City (25-6-5) has 80 points and leads on goal difference over Liverpool (25-6-5), which plays Monday at Crystal Palace. Because of its greater goal difference, City likely would win its second title in three years if it wins its final two games against Aston Villa on Wednesday and West Ham on May 11 - both at home.

Chelsea (24-6-6) hosts Norwich on Sunday.

Fulham, which has been in the Premier League since 2001-02, was relegated along with Cardiff when they both lost and Sunderland won 1-0 at Manchester United on Sebastian Larsson's 30th-minute goal.

Fulham (9-24-4), bought last summer by Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan from Mohamed Al Fayed, lost 4-1 at Stoke. Cardiff (7-21-9), in its first season since promotion, was defeated 3-0 at Newcastle.

''I have to apologize for not managing the situation. The club asked me to come - I tried,'' said Fulham manager Felix Magath, who in February became the Cottagers' third manager this season after Martin Jol and Rene Meulensteen. ''The thing is you can never say any player would like to see relegation, but they didn't fight enough, especially today.''

After opening with a 4-0 win over Norwich last weekend, interim manager Ryan Giggs saw United (18-12-6) turn in a performance reminiscent of David Moyes' woeful 10-month tenure that ended when he was fired last month.

''I feel flat,'' said Giggs. ''The players were flat and I don't know why. We were putting 5- or 10-yard passes astray, and if you do that in the Premier League you get punished. We've had a problem at home all season - it's not been good enough.''

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SPAIN

Barcelona conceded a second goal to Getafe's Angel Lafita in second-half stoppage time for a 2-2 draw at home, dealing a major blow to its hopes of retaining the Spanish league title.

Lionel Messi volleyed in Dani Alves' pass in the 23rd for his 41st goal this season, only for Lafita to tie it. Substitute Cesc Fabregas set up Alexis Sanchez's goal in the 67th.

Atletico Madrid (28-3-4), seeking its first league title since 1995, has a three-point lead going into its game Sunday at Levante. Real Madrid (26-4-4), which is three points behind Barcelona, hosts Valencia on Sunday.

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ITALY

Palermo (23-5-9) earned a return to Serie A after a one-year absence with a 1-0 win at Novara that secured the Serie B title. Argentine midfielder Franco Vazquez scored in the 41st minute for the Sicilian club.

The top two finishers in Serie B earn direct promotion to the top division, while the third-to-eighth-place squads go into a playoff to determine the third promoted team.