London: Chelsea charged to the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday while Arsenal twice fell behind before crushing Blackburn 6-2.

After champion Manchester United had been held 2-2 at home by Sunderland on Saturday, Chelsea took full advantage by beating another title rivals at Stamford Bridge with Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda scoring second half goals.

Anelka stretched out a leg to turn home a cross from co-striker Didier Drogba in the 60th minute and Malouda added the other in the final minute from another Drogba cross to give Chelsea their seventh victory in eight games and make up for last weekend’s surprise 3-1 loss at Wigan.

For Liverpool, their third defeat means they have now lost more games than the whole of last season when they finished runners-up to United.

Rafa Benitez’s team is now in fifth place and six points behind Chelsea.

Although goals by Steven Nzonzi and David Dunn threatened an upset at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners replied through Thomas Vermaelen, Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin before half time. Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner added three more in the second half for Arsenal's fifth victory in seven games. Walcott was making his first appearance of the season.

The victory gives Arsenal 15 points with a game in hand on most of their rivals while Blackburn remain in the lower half of the standings.

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce was furious his team didn’t get a penalty when, at 3-2 down, David Dunn was brought down by Vermaelen.

This was Arsenal’s first game since Arsene Wenger, who joined the Gunners in September 1996, became the club’s longest serving manager. Barcelona striker Thierry Henry, who spent eight years under Wenger at Arsenal, was in the crowd to see this impressive fightback.

Stoke captured a point with a 1-1 draw away to Everton and West Ham scored an injury time equaliser to finish 2-2 at home against Fulham.

Robert Huth’s 50th minute header gave Stoke the lead at Goodison Park where Leon Osman replied five minutes later.

Although Carlton Cole gave West Ham a 16th minute lead and Fulham had South African midfielder Kagisho Dikgucao sent off after a clash with Scott Parker at Upton Park, the 10-man visitors hit back with Danny Murphy’s 47th minute penalty and a goal by Zoltan Gera.

But substitute Junior Stanislas made it 2-2 in the second minute of injury time with a deflected shot.

(AP)