London, England

Tomas Rosicky scored in each half to carry a 10-man Arsenal side to a crucial 2-1 Premier League victory over West Bromwich Albion Saturday at the Hawthorns.

The win, Arsenal's sixth in the past seven games, increased the pressure on Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the battle for a Champions League spot.

The victory allowed Arsene Wenger's side to overtake Chelsea for fourth place with 55 points, just one point behind the third-running Spurs. The Hotspur and Chelsea are both in action tomorrow Sunday.

"It was a fabulous win and it needed a special performance. The last 20 minutes was obviously very nervy because we had 10 men," Wenger said after the win.

Rosicky broke the deadlock in the 20th minute with his first league goal of the campaign and then added a second in the 50th minute.

West Brom midfielder James Morrison trimmed the gap in the 71st minute with a penalty shot after Per Mertesacker was red carded for bringing down Shane Long.

However, Arsenal tightened its defense to cling to the lead despite playing with just 10 men until the final whistle.

"We played well today. They scored in the first half with one of the very few chances they created. We had good control in the first half but didn't really create enough," West Brom head coach Steve Clarke said.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa got out of the relegation zone following a 3-1 win over Stoke City at Britannia Stadium.

Gabriel Agbonlahor opened scoring in the ninth minute but Stoke equalized behind Michael Kightly's goal in the 80th minute.

Matthew Lowton restored Villa's lead with a stunning volley in the 87th minute and Christian Benteke sealed the win with a stoppage-time goal.

The win put Villa to 16th place ahead of Wigan Athletic and Sunderland, which will both play tomorrow. Stoke dropped to 14th with 34 points, one above Villa and four away from the relegation zone.

In other matches, Southampton defeated Reading, 2-0, while Swansea City and Norwich City battled to a 2-2 tie.