Chelsea kept their Premier League record perfect with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday on goals from Frank Lampard, Damien Duff, Joe Cole and Geremi.
The Blues have won their first eight league games — allowing only two goals. They are unbeaten in 37 straight league matches.
It was also the seventh match between the two clubs in a year — and their second in four days. After a drab 0-0 draw on Wednesday in the Champions League, this one was attacking and entertaining — and Chelsea left no doubt about their superiority.
Lampard converted a penalty in the 27th minute after Djimi Traore brought down Didier Drogba in the area. Steven Gerrard equalised in the 36th, driving home a sharp-angled shot from 10m after the ball bounced through the area off a corner.
Chelsea regained the lead in the 43rd minute. Drogba cut back a ball from the left wing, with Duff stretching to score from 6m.
Cole made it 3-1 in the 63rd, and again Drogba was in the mix.
The Côte d’Ivoire international broke down the left side and, as Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Manuel Reina came out, Drogba slipped the ball through to Cole, who chipped it home from close range.
Geremi scored in the 82nd, seconds after coming on as a substitute.
Also on Sunday, it was: Manchester City 2, Everton 0; Wigan 2, Bolton 1; Arsenal 1, Birmingham 0; and Aston Villa 2, Middlesbrough 3.
Chelsea lead the Premier League with 24 points, followed by Charlton and Tottenham with 15, and Manchester United, Bolton and Man City with 14.
The loss offered a minor moral victory for Liverpool; the Reds managed to dominate possession at times, and scored only the second goal this season against Chelsea in league play.
Chelsea are unscored on in two other official matches this season — both in the Champions League.
The two clubs have played seven times in a year, and have overshadowed the long-time rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United. Chelsea are 4-2-1 in those seven games. The lone loss came in the semifinals of last season’s Champions League — ousting Chelsea.
Liverpool went on to win their fifth Champions Cup title, beating AC Milan on penalties in the finals.
Arsenal, Manchester City, Wigan and Middlesbrough also picked up key victories.
Arsenal sneaked a 1-0 victory over Birmingham at Highbury, taking advantage of Stephen Clemence’s own-goal in the 81st minute.
Second-half goals from Danny Mills and Darius Vassell lifted Manchester City to a 2-0 victory over Everton. Wigan defeated Bolton 2-1 and Middlesbrough beat Aston Villa 3-2.
Arsenal struggled in the match at Highbury despite playing with a man advantage from the 24th minute when Kenny Cunningham was sent off with a red card.
The Gunners should have put the game away in the first half, but Birmingham goalkeeper Maik Taylor foiled Jose Antonio Reyes several times, and then stopped a penalty by Robert Pires.
”We were very lucky,” Arsenal’s Robin van Persie said. ”It wasn’t a good match. It was very hard playing against them.”
Arsenal improved to 13 points in seven games. Birmingham have only six points from eight games.
In Man City’s victory, Mills scored on a dramatic strike in the 72nd minute, beating goalkeeper Nigel Martyn on a right-footed drive from 25m. Vassell added his in injury time.
Man City’s victory moved the club into sixth place with 14 points from eight games.
For Everton, who finished fourth last season in the Premier League, the loss left the club in last place with only one goal through seven games. It was Everton’s fifth straight league loss.
Only Arsenal have played longer than Everton in the top-flight of English soccer without being demoted. But the Toffees are in real danger this season.
”You should find out more about people in adversity, but I have been saying that for three or four weeks now,” Everton manager David Moyes said.
Newly promoted Wigan continued to be the surprise of the league, improving to 13 points from seven games. Henri Camara and Lee McCullouch gave Wigan a 2-0 lead after 63 minutes with Radhi Jaidi pulling Bolton closer in the 68th.
In Middlesbrough’s 3-2 victory over Villa, Aiyegbeni Yakubu scored twice for the winner — in the 33rd to open the scoring and in an 88th-minute penalty to make it 3-1. George Boateng scored ‘Boro’s other goal. Luke Moore and Steven Davis scored for Villa.
‘Boro improved to 11 points in eight games. Struggling Villa have only six in eight.
On Saturday, it was: Blackburn 2, West Bromwich Albion 0; Charlton 2, Tottenham 3; Fulham 2, Manchester United 3; Portsmouth 0, Newcastle 0; and Sunderland 1, West Ham 1.
Robbie Keane came off the bench to score the winner, and Tottenham rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Charlton 3-2.
Ruud van Nistelrooy scored twice to lead Manchester United to a 3-2 victory at Fulham. — Sapa-AP