London: Middlesbrough applied the brakes to Chelsea’s Premier League title express in spectacular fashion on Saturday, humbling the champions 0-3 at the Riverside.

It was Chelsea’s second league defeat of the season and only the third since coach Jose Mourinho took charge in 2004.

Third-placed Liverpool won 1-0 at Wigan Athletic to end a run of three defeats in four games, Sami Hyypia scoring the winner, while fifth-placed Arsenal needed a stoppage time equaliser from Brazilian Gilberto to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Bolton Wanderers.

Boro, threatened by relegation and without a home league win for six matches, made a perfect start when Fabio Rochemback punished some slack defending to score inside two minutes.

Chelsea were hampered by the loss of William Gallas to a hamstring injury and they slipped further behind on the stroke of halftime when Stewart Downing’s shot beat Petr Cech. Any hopes of a Chelsea comeback vanished after 67 minutes when Nigerian Aiyegbeni Yakubu powered past defender John Terry and rifled a shot past Cech.

Chelsea have 66 points from 26 games. European champions Liverpool, on 48 points, handed recently-returned striker Robbie Fowler his first start for the club since 2001 alongside Fernando Morientes.

(Reuters)