( CNN ) -- Bolton 's first match since the on-pitch collapse of their midfielder Fabrice Muamba last weekend ended with an emotional 2-1 victory over local rivals Blackburn Saturday . Muamba is recovering in a London hospital after the horrific scenes at Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane while his teammates did him proud with a battling victory . A pair of David Wheater goals in the first half set them on their way to three points which lifted them out of the relegation zone . But Steven N'Zonzi pulled one back in the second half and Bolton had to survive some nervous moments before sealing victory . At the end they formed a huddle on the pitch , with fans chanting Muamba 's name in celebration . Before kickoff , there was a minute 's applause for the footballer , who has made a remarkable recovery after his heart stopped for 78 minutes after his collapse last Saturday . Manager Owen Coyle said he was proud of his players after a difficult week . `` In a football context it 's a great end to the week to get three points but the perfect end will be for Fabrice to come out of that hospital better with that big smile of his , '' he told Sky Sports . `` Sometimes you are so pumped up to represent Fabrice that it can be a negative energy . `` But once we got the first goal we kicked on . We could have had more goals but we made it nervous , as we always do here . `` Our thoughts are still with him . He 's not only a footballer and a colleague to those players in the dressing room but an outstanding young man . '' In the late kickoff , Manchester City went back to the top of the table but were held 1-1 at Stoke . They head Manchester United on goal difference , but the reigning champions can open up a three point lead when they host Fulham at Old Trafford Monday . City were heading for defeat until Yaya Toure equalized with a deflected long-range shot . Former England striker Peter Crouch had put Stoke ahead with a superb volley from outside the penalty area . Wolves stayed rooted to the bottom after losing 2-1 at Norwich , but Wigan improved their chances with a 2-1 victory at slumping Liverpool although they stay in the bottom three . Shaun Maloney put Wigan ahead from the penalty spot only for Luis Suarez to equalize early in the second half . The home side , who were heading for their fifth defeat in six matches , looked the more likely to edge it until defender Gary Caldwell became an unlikely match winner for the visitors with a fine strike just after the hour . But QPR 's hopes of avoiding the drop took a setback as they lost 3-1 at Sunderland after having Djbril Cisse sent off in the second half . Arsenal cruised past Aston Villa 3-0 with goals from Kieran Gibbs , Theo Walcott and Mikel Arteta to cement third spot . They are three points clear of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur , who held Chelsea 0-0 in the early kickoff at Stamford Bridge to maintain their five-point gap over their rivals for a Champions League spot . Tottenham might have secured the three points , with the better chances in a tense affair with Rafael van der Vaart and Emmanuel Adebayor having efforts cleared with the goal gaping . Gareth Bale also rattled the post while Juan Mata 's free kick which hit the woodwork was the closest fifth-placed Chelsea came to scoring .
Bolton beat Blackburn 2-1 in their first match since Bolton collapse . David Wheater scores 1 first 1 goals for Bolton . Leaders England held 1 -1 at Kieran Gibbs . Arsenal beat Aston Villa 3-0 to stay in third place .