Chelsea went two points clear at the top of the Premier League after they beat Everton 1-0 and struggling champions Arsenal were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by promoted Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Chelsea's Dutch winger Arjen Robben scored his second match-winner of the week in the 72nd minute and things improved for Jose Mourinho's men when Arsenal squandered yet another lead and could easily have lost the late kickoff at Selhurst Park.
Liverpool lost 1-0 at home to Birmingham City, Aston Villa trounced Portsmouth 3-0 and Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 3-2 at home by Charlton Athletic, a day after the abrupt resignation of Spurs' French coach Jacques Santini.
Chelsea are top on 29 points, overnight leaders Arsenal slipped to second on 27, the first time they are not top since January, with Everton still third on 23.
Yet to recover from a 2-0 defeat by Manchester United two weeks ago, Arsenal showed none of the pace and confidence which had typified their record 49-match unbeaten league run.
Palace, who had won three of their last four league games, worked hard to deny them any space going forward and shrugged off a close-range strike by Thierry Henry after 63 minutes.
Finnish midfielder Aki Riihilahti steered home an equaliser just two minutes later after Arsenal skipper Patrick Vieira gave away possession and Palace's Greek midfielder Vassilis Lakis missed a sitter from four metres minutes later.
It was only the latest setback for Arsenal, who have not won in the league since mid-October and have drawn their last three Champions League games -- each time after taking the lead.
The problems facing Arsenal, who needed a 90th-minute equaliser to draw 2-2 with Southampton last weekend, are coming just as Chelsea are clicking into gear.
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Everton failed to take their few chances and were punished by 20-year-old Robben, who scored in Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League win at CSKA Moscow and whose Chelsea career only really began two weeks ago due to a pre-season foot injury.
Asked how close they were to being a title-winning team, Mourinho told Sky Sports News: "I think we have everything.
CHELSEA'S DEFENDING
"We defend like no-one else, we have a very dangerous counter-attack and we create a lot of chances.
"Today we didn't score enough but we are doing well. The spirit is amazing, and the mentality is there to fight in matches like this one."
Liverpool, who buoyed their Champions League hopes with a 1-0 win at Deportivo Coruna in midweek, were sunk by a 77th-minute winner from Birmingham's Darren Anderton at Anfield.
Villa's South American connection paid dividends against a Portsmouth side unrecognisable from the one that beat Manchester United 2-0 last weekend.
Peter Whittingham scored after 18 minutes and Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel finished off a three-man move involving Peruvian Nolberto Solano and Ecuador's Ulises de la Cruz. Solano completed the scoring five minutes before the break. Spurs provided a thrilling finale as they rallied from 3-0 down with a 69th-minute penalty from Robbie Keane and a strike by England forward Jermain Defoe 10 minutes later.
Wales striker Robert Earnshaw scored twice for West Bromwich Albion in a 2-2 draw at Southampton, while Norwich City were denied a first league win of the season after conceding an 86th-minute equaliser to draw 1-1 with 10-man Blackburn Rovers.
Topping the bill on Sunday is the Manchester derby at Old Trafford between United and City.
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