Spurs close within 3 points of EPL lead

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By ROB HARRIS

updated 6:36 p.m. ET Jan. 11, 2012

LONDON - Tottenham moved within three points of Premier League leader Manchester City, beating Everton 2-0 Wednesday night on goals by Aaron Lennon and Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

In a game that featured two American goalkeepers and midfielder Landon Donovan, Lennon put Spurs in front in the 35th minute and Assou-Ekotto beat Everton's Tim Howard with a 30-yard shot in the 63rd ? his first goal since the 2009-10 season opener.

Brad Friedel got the shutout for Tottenham (14-3-3), which matched Manchester United with 45 points, behind only Manchester City (15-2-3). Everton (7-10-3) is 11th with 24 points.

The game had been scheduled for the opening weekend of the season in August but was postponed following rioting in north London.

In the first leg of the League Cup semifinals, Liverpool won 1-0 at Manchester City behind a penalty kick from Steven Gerrard in the 13th minute following a foul by Stefan Savic on Daniel Agger.

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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ? Valencia ousted Sevilla from the Copa del Rey despite a 2-1 loss.

Roberto Soldado in the 66th minute off a through ball by Jonas, who scored Valencia's goal in its 1-0 first-leg win. While Sevilla rallied when Ivan Ratikic scored in the 70th and an own goal by Victor Ruiz in injury time, the aggregate was 2-2 and Valencia advanced on away goals to a quarterfinal against Levante.

Levante defeated second-tier Alcorcon 4-0 for a 5-2 aggregate win.

Espanyol beat Cordoba 4-2 behind three goals by Alvaro Vazquez and advanced on 5-4 aggregate to a quarterfinal against Mirandes.

Barcelona, with a 4-0 lead from the first leg, travels to Osasuna for a berth in the quarterfinals against defending champion Real Madrid. Athletic Bilbao plays Albacete, with the winner advancing to a matchup against Mallorca.

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MILAN (AP) ? Substitute Cyril Thereau scored in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to give Chievo Verona a 2-1 victory at Udinese and a berth in the Italian Cup quarterfinals.

Paolo Sammarco put Chievo in front in the eighth minute but Antonio Di Natale tied it in the 84th.

Roma advanced with a 3-0 win over visiting Fiorentina and will meet Juventus. Erik Lamela scored in the 53rd and 66th minutes, and Fabio Borini added a goal in the 75th.

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PARIS (AP) ? Despite finishing a man short, Lyon rallied on goals by Kim Kallstrom and Lisandro Lopez to beat Lille 2-1 and reach the semifinals of the League Cup.

Nice and Lorient also advanced to the last four. Nice rallied three times against Dijon before winning 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 3-3 tie. Lorient beat second-division Le Mans 1-0 on a goal by substitute Gilles Sunu in the 70th.

Lyon defender Nouhamadou Dabo was ejected in the 11th minute for a late tackle on Laurent Bonnart, and Joe Cole put Lille ahead in the 28th. Kallstrom tied the score off a rebound in the 41st and Lopez scored from 11 yards in the 65th.

At Nice, Dijon took leads on goals by Thomas Guerbert in the 19th and Brice Jovial in the 62nd and Eric Bautheac's penalty kick in the 117th, but the hosts tied it on goals by Anthony Mounier in the 35th, Renato Civelli in the 78th and Luciano Fabian Monzon in the 119th. Mounier converted the winning penalty kick following a miss by Younousse Sankhare.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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