Chelsea leave it late to retain lead

Chelsea FC left it late but eventually saw off Everton FC in the final minute to stay top of the Premier League, as nearest rivals Arsenal FC and Manchester city FC also won.

The Toffees looked to have earned a draw at Stamford Bridge until the 93rd minute, when Frank Lampard's free-kick into the area got a final touch off John Terry to secure a vital 1-0 win which keeps the Blues a point clear of Arsenal. The Gunners cruised to the points with a 4-1 home win against Sunderland AFC after Olivier Giroud had put them two up inside the opening 31 minutes. Tomáš Rosický and Laurent Koscielny rubber-stamped the success, which was required to keep the London club in second after City also picked up three points. Manuel Pellegrini's side were made to work hard by Stoke City FC, but Yaya Touré swept in Aleksandar Kolarov's cross on 70 minutes to secure a 1-0 win which leaves them three points off the pace with a game in hand.

Manchester United FC earned first win in four with a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace FC and West Ham United made it four wins in a row to move tenth with a 3-1 home win against Southampton FC. Hull City AFC are a place back after a 4-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Cardiff City FC while Fulham FC drew their first game under Felix Magath 1-1 at West Bromwich Albion FC.