Tottenham's Gareth Bale, left, vies for the ball with Wigan Athletic's Emmerson Boyce to score during their English Premier League soccer match at The DW Stadium, Wigan, England, Saturday April 27, 2013 (Photo: AP)
A late Emmerson Boyce own goal gave Champions League-chasing Tottenham Hotspur a 2-2 draw at lowly Wigan Athletic which did only a little to help sides at contrasting ends of the Premier League table on Saturday.
Spurs fans are fretting they will miss out on Europe's premier competition yet again as they stayed fifth and missed the chance jump into third behind second-placed Manchester City who beat West Ham United 2-1 with four games left.
Champions Manchester United, who visit third-placed Arsenal on Sunday, have 84 points ahead of City (71), Arsenal (63) and Chelsea, who have a game in hand and are level with Spurs on 62.
Perennial strugglers Wigan, looking for a ninth straight season in the top flight, remained third-bottom having thought they would climb out of the drop zone after Callum McManaman scored from 25 metres with a searing 49th-minute effort.
"It should have been three points, I thought the performance was magnificent from start to finish," Wigan manager Roberto Martinez told Sky Sports.
"We gave them a goal but then we deservedly got back in front. To keep a Spurs team so quiet, they only had threats from dead ball situations, is great. We dropped two points but we couldn't have done anything more."
Boyce conceded in the last minute when a cross hit him and went in after Gareth Bale had missed his kick.
The defender had first equalised for Wigan with a towering header after 11 minutes, shortly after Tottenham had opened the scoring in comical fashion.
Wigan's Honduran defender Maynor Figueroa casually passed back to goalkeeper Joel Robles who fired the ball against the onrushing Bale and watched it fly into the goal.
Figueroa ended a miserable personal performance when he was carried off on a stretcher with a suspected groin injury which could rule him out of the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 11.
Fellow finalists Manchester City gave fans something to cheer in their first game since being deposed as Premier League champions with two superb goals from Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure in a deserved home win over West Ham.
Roberto Mancini's side, who lost their title to Manchester United on Monday, took a large step towards securing an automatic Champions League berth with four games remaining.
"We needed to respond like this after the defeat by Tottenham (3-1 away last Sunday)," right back Pablo Zabaleta said. "We need to try to finish second."
Tapped home
Toure, Samir Nasri, David Silva and Aguero were all involved in a series of short passes in and around the box before the Argentina striker tapped home after 28 minutes.
The goal meant City equalled an 83-year-old club record of scoring in a 48th consecutive home league game and Ivory Coast midfielder Toure's 83rd-minute blast eased home nerves after West Ham had begun to press.
Striker Andy Carroll scored for the Londoners in stoppage time when his firm shot rolled through Joe Hart's legs.
West Ham are not mathematically safe from relegation but have no realistic worries lying 10th in the table.
Stoke City are also all but secure in the top flight after Charlie Adam's goal in a 1-0 home win over Norwich City, who will be looking over their shoulders as they sit six points above Wigan who occupy the final relegation place.
Aston Villa, two points above Wigan in 17th, host lowly Sunderland on Monday in their fourth-last game after bottom two Reading and Queens Park Rangers play on Sunday knowing if one of them loses they go down.
At the other end, Everton won 1-0 at home to Fulham thanks to Steven Pienaar to put the Liverpool-based side three points behind fifth-placed Spurs, who agonisingly missed out on the Champions League last term when Chelsea qualified as holders.
Chelsea are above their London rivals in the Champions League playoff spot on goal difference this time and welcome mid-table Swansea City on Sunday before Arsenal, in the last automatic Champions League berth, host champions United.
West Bromwich Albion won 3-0 at Southampton in a lively mid-table clash in which three players were sent off in the second half as the hosts finished with nine men.
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