Robert Pires and Jermaine Pennant fired hat-tricks in a 6-1 win, a dress rehearsal for next week's FA Cup final.
'Nobody is for sale that we don't want to sell and so he is not for sale in this window. We have said it more than once'
Bournemouth climbed to third place in the Premier League as they won away at Southampton for the first time with a 3-1 triumph in Friday's south-coast derby.
Fulham's home game against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday has also been pushed behind closed doors, while West Ham United too will host Crystal Palace without spectators on the same day.
The Premier League's bottom two clubs met at Goodison Park and there was more woe for Everton as they bowed out on penalties to Southampton after a 1-1 draw.
Southampton delivered a huge blow to the Premier League survival hopes of their former boss Nigel Adkins and his Reading team when they beat them 2-0 at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday to leave the hosts rooted to the foot of the table.
The injury to the Chile forward, who was left out of the squad for Tuesday's Champions League victory over Young Boys, "will require further investigation to confirm its severity", the club added.
The visitors' display was enough to earn them applause from their fans at the end.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday.
Manchester City's Premier League title defence fell apart at the seams in a 3-1 defeat to Southampton on Saturday when goalkeeper Joe Hart committed a howler and Gareth Barry scored a bizarre own goal.
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba will miss his side' s Premier League clash against Southampton on Wednesday as he has to attend his father's funeral.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against New Zealand in Sunday's final?
Romelu Lukaku's 50th league goal for Everton put them on the way to a deserved 2-0 victory over West Ham United on Sunday, ending a run of four league games without a win. It kept the Merseysiders sixth in the Premier League and West Ham in the bottom five.
Southampton's rich vein of form in the Premier League continued as they beat Burnley 3-1 with two goals from Charlie Austin on Sunday while another promoted side, Middlesbrough, fared just as poorly, losing 1-0 at home to Watford.
IMAGES from Saturday's English Premier League matches.
Burnley beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 at Ewood Park in their East Lancashire derby but Premier League sides Southampton and Newcastle United crashed out of the English League Cup to Championship opposition in Wednesday's second-round games.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all on target as holders Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 on Wednesday to overturn a deficit from the first leg and advance to the quarter-finals of the King's Cup.
Ivan Toney, once Brentford's lynchpin in attack, has moved to Al-Ahli for 40 million pounds ($52.50 million).
A summary of Saturday's action in the English Premier League.
Leicester City failed to grasp their first chance to clinch the Premier League title when they drew 1-1 at Manchester United on Sunday but they moved ever closer to a first English top-flight crown.
Spurs, who stayed fifth in the table with 36 points from 18 matches, one behind arch-rivals Arsenal and three adrift of third-placed Manchester City, visit 10th-placed Watfor
Tim Sherwood's hopes of becoming Tottenham Hotspur's next permanent manager were boosted after his attacking team came back to win 3-2 at stuttering Southampton in an enthralling Premier League encounter on Sunday.
Liverpool did not reveal the transfer fee but Southampton announced it was "a new world-record for a defender" with English media reporting that it was a 75 million pounds ($100.49 million) deal.
The result leaves Southampton, now winless in their last nine games, 19th in the 20-team English Premier league.
Chelsea opened up a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League despite being held to a 1-1 draw against top-four hopefuls Southampton in an absorbing game at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The final of the World Test Championship between India and New Zealand in June will be staged in a bio-secure bubble at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, the International Cricket Council said said on Wednesday.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Chelsea's fading Premier League title hopes suffered another unexpected blow when Southampton fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with the European champions on Wednesday.
Southampton missed a penalty as they held a makeshift Manchester United side to a 0-0 draw in a tepid Premier League clash on Wednesday.
Arsenal's Arteta wary of old foe Villa
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Liverpool ran riot to reach the League Cup semi-finals with a 6-1 thrashing of Southampton on Wednesday in which Divock Origi grabbed a hat-trick and Daniel Sturridge scored twice as the Juergen Klopp juggernaut rolled on.
Chelsea maintained their iron grip on top spot with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace while Southampton recorded one of the biggest victories in Premier League history when they crushed a woeful Sunderland side 8-0 at St Mary'son Saturday.
Anthony Martial and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice each to help Manchester United ease into the League Cup semi-finals with a 4-1 home victory over West Ham United on Wednesday as Arsenal suffered a 2-0 home defeat by Southampton. Martial netted twice in the second half to take the tie at Old Trafford away from West Ham, who had levelled through Ashley Fletcher following Ibrahimovic's opener after two minutes. The Swede added the fourth deep into stoppage-time.
Michael Owen and Javier Hernandez scored second-half goals as Manchester United fought back to beat League One (third division) Southampton 2-1 in their FA Cup fourth-round tie at St Mary's on Saturday.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played across England, on Saturday.
Manchester United spurned a chance to move into the Premier League's top four after striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw against 10-man Bournemouth on Saturday.
Manchester City overcame a spirited Bournemouth side 3-1 on Saturday to maintain their unbeaten streak and extend their lead at the top of the English Premier League to five points.
'We believe in ourselves, we believe we're a top team.'
The 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final will be played at the iconic Lord's cricket ground from June 11 to 15 next year.
