Bolton scored twice in the last 13 minutes yesterday to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone with a 2-0 win over visiting Manchester City.

Bolton had missed several chances but refused to settle for a draw that would still have lifted it above Newcastle on goal difference and substitute Ricardo Gardner met a cross from the right for his first league goal since December 2002.

City captain Richard Dunne then capped a poor performance by his side, which rarely threatened Bolton despite the presence of Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips in its lineup, when he scored an own goal in the 88th.

Bolton’s third win of the season lifted it three places, pushing West Bromwich Albion into the three-team relegation zone on goal difference. Newcastle are now in last place, although they get their chance to push Tottenham back down there if they beat visiting Aston Villa today.

“It’s very important for us,” Gardner said. “We can gain confidence from this and we can do even better in our next game than we did today.”

City stayed 10th in the 20-team standings, missing the chance to move up to seventh. Despite heavy investment in its team, City is eight points behind local rival Manchester United and 13 behind leader Chelsea.

Nicolas Anelka hit a hat trick Saturday to help Chelsea beat visiting Sunderland 5-0 and take the Premier League lead from Liverpool, which lost 2-1 at Tottenham for its first loss of this season.

Arsenal’s poor week continued with a humiliating 2-1 loss at Stoke – which let defending champion Manchester United take third place with a 4-3 win over visiting Hull.

Bolton and its coach Gary Megson had been jeered this season, particularly during last weekend’s 2-0 loss at Tottenham, and could have been 1-0 down in the sixth minute when Robinho hit a shot just over the bar.

Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen made two saves to keep it 0-0 before halftime and his team then dominated the second half.

Gary Cahill and Kevin Nolan missed chances before Gardner, who was perhaps offside, hit a cross by Gretar Rafn Steinsson high into the roof of the net from inside the six-yard box.

“It’s been a long time, but I’m just glad for the lads,” Gardner said. “We thoroughly deserved it.”

Gardner then set up the second goal, sending in a diagonal cross from the left that Dunne, under pressure, put past his own goalkeeper.