London, April 20:

Michael Owen scored twice in the first half on Sunday to continue his return to form and give Newcastle a 2-0 Premier League win over local rival Sunderland.

Owen scored with a fourth-minute header and penalty kick just before halftime to take his tally to six goals in seven games. Newcastle’s six-match unbeaten run has lifted them to 42 points, behind 11th-place Tottenham only on goal difference, and put them clear of relegation. Sunderland is six points back in 15th.

Also Sunday, Aston Villa routed Birmingham 5-1 to leave their city rival in real danger of demotion. John Carew and Ashley Young each scored twice to help lift Villa to 58 points and leave Birmingham in the three-team relegation zone. Gabriel Agbonlahor completed the scoring for Villa in the 78th. Mikael Forssell got a goal for Birmingham in the 66th. Villa move to within three points of fifth-place Everton.

On Saturday, Carlos Tevez equalised two minutes from the end for Manchester United to draw 1-1 at Blackburn and stay three points ahead of Chelsea in the title race. Roque Santa Cruz had put Blackburn ahead in the 21st minute.

United now have 81 points and Chelsea 78 with the two teams meeting next Saturday. Also on Saturday, fourth place Liverpool won 2-0 at Fulham to push the Cottagers closer to relegation. Jermaine Pennant and Peter Crouch scored for Liverpool. Bolton won 1-0 at Middlesbrough and West Ham Derby 2-1, while Wigan and Tottenham drew 1-1.

Spanish La Liga

MADRID: Second-place FC Barcelona drew crosstown rival Espanyol 0-0 on Saturday and continued to diminish its hopes of winning the Spanish league. Barcelona (61) trail Real Madrid (69) by eight points.

Also, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla each suffered heavy home defeats which dented their hopes of playing in next season’s Champions League. Atletico lost 3-1 to Real Betis, while Sevilla went down 4-1 against Almeria.

Meanwhile, Zaragoza boosted its chances of avoiding relegation by beating struggling Recreativo Huelva 3-0.

German Cup

BERLIN: Luca Toni scored his second goal in extra time on Saturday for Bayern Munich to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 and win its 14th German Cup.

Toni kept Bayern on pace to win three titles this season by scoring in the 103rd minute with a shot off Lukas Podolski’s cross he didn’t catch fully, but still went through defender Dede’s legs and into the goal. Dortmund forward Mladen Petric equalised after Toni had scored his first early in the 11th-minute.