Chelsea lost ground in the Premier League title race after being upset 2-1 by Arsenal, enabling defending champion Manchester United to close the gap to five points with a 1-0 victory over Manchester City.

Liverpool, which is tied with Chelsea atop the standings on 33 points, can take the outright lead when it plays West Ham on Monday.

Robin van Persie scored twice in four second-half minutes after Arsenal defender Johan Djourou had scored an earlier own-goal, as Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari lost his second home match of the season yesterday - which his two predecessors never experienced.

The Red Devils had Cristiano Ronaldo sent off but Wayne Rooney's goal clinched victory in the 150th Manchester derby.

Portsmouth lost a 2-0 lead for the second time in three days but, unlike the 2-2 UEFA Cup draw with AC Milan on Thursday, recovered to beat Blackburn 3-2.

Everton's 1-0 victory over Tottenham was overshadowed by the loss of Ayegbeni Yakubu for the rest of the season because of a ruptured Achilles tendon, with strike partner Louis Saha also facing a lengthy layoff due to a hamstring strain.

Consecutive league losses for the Gunners had left Arsene Wenger defending his managerial reputation, but the London derby victory moved them up to fourth with 26 points, seven behind Chelsea, which has now won just once in its past five games.

Arsenal was struggling to compete with bigger, more physical opponents when Van Persie lashed a 59th-minute equalizer into the top corner from what appeared to be a clear offside position.

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