London: Chelsea dropped their first points of the season when they were held to a surprise 1-1 draw at bottom club Everton on Sunday.

James Beattie put Everton ahead in the 35th minute but Frank Lampard equalised just after halftime to extend the champions’ unbeaten run to 39 league matches and keep them nine points clear at the top of the table.

A brilliant free kick by Turkish midfielder Emre Belozoglu earned Newcastle United a 3-2 win over north-east neighbours Sunderland, West Ham United beat Middlesbrough 2-1 and Bolton Wanderers defeated West Brom 2-0 in Sunday’s other games.

Everton were dreaming of only their second win of the season when striker Beattie converted a penalty following a foul on Tim Cahill by Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. England midfielder Lampard continued his prolific scoring form, however, with a clinical 20-metre strike five minutes after halftime.

Chelsea dominated possession for the rest of the match but were unable to break down a disciplined Everton defence except when striker Didier Drogba had an effort ruled out for offside.

The draw ended Chelsea’s nine-match winning streak since the start of the season, two short of Tottenham Hotspur’s record. (REUTERS)