Arjen Robben’s injury time goal saw reigning champions Chelsea maintain the pressure on Premiership leaders Manchester United with a dramatic 3-2 win away to Wigan on Saturday.
It looked as if United, 3-0 winners away to Aston Villa earlier on Saturday, would be left with a four-point lead after Wigan striker Emile Heskey scored twice to make it 2-2 at the JJB Stadium.
But Chelsea, 3-2 victors away to Everton last weekend, snatched all three points when Dutch international Robben scored his first goal of the season with a shot that left Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland wrong-footed.
The win meant second-placed Chelsea remained just two points behind United.
Goals from Solomon Kalou and Frank Lampard left the Londoners 2-0 up after just over half-an-hour’s play.
However, former England international Heskey pulled a goal back when he headed in Josip Skoko’s free-kick on the stroke of half-time.
Heskey then made it 2-2 in the 75th minute from what looked like an offside position.
But Robben’s strike secured Mourinho’s 100th victory as Chelsea manager in spectacular style.
Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice at Villa Park as United remained top heading into the busy Christmas period.
The Portugal winger ran 40 yards before his initial shot was blocked but scored from the rebound just before the hour mark.
In the 64th minute Paul Scholes’s 30-yard volley went in off the woodwork before Ronaldo completed the scoring five minutes from time.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who rested England striker Wayne Rooney, praised his United side for the way they responded to last
weekend’s shock 1-0 defeat by West Ham.
”It’s always a test when you lose a game. But we’ve answered it in the right way. It was a fantastic performance against a very good Aston Villa team,” said Ferguson, who couldn’t resist another dig at Mourinho.
”This proves we shouldn’t listen to Jose too much because he said we wouldn’t be top of the league at Christmas.”
Arsenal kept their hopes of a Champions League place alive with an extraordinary come-from-behind 6-2 win over Blackburn Rovers.
The fourth-placed side were joined on 33 points by Bolton Wanderers, 2-0 winners away to Manchester City after Nicolas Anelka scored twice against his old club.
But Liverpool stayed third after a 2-0 win over bottom-of-the-table Watford.
Elsewhere, high-flyers Portsmouth overturned an early deficit in a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United at Fratton Park while Newcastle beat Tottenham by the same scoreline at St James’ Park.
Reading’s progress was checked by Everton’s 2-0 win at the Madejski Stadium while Middlesbrough ensured Charlton stayed in the bottom three after a 2-0 victory at the Riverside.
West Ham, briefly out of danger following a goalless London derby draw away to Fulham, ended the day back in the drop zone after left-back Paul Konchesky was sent-off in the 85th minute for a foul on Wayne Routledge.
Craig Bellamy put Liverpool in front at Anfield in the 47th minute before Xabi Alonso’s goal two minutes from time secured victory.
Arsenal again went behind at the Emirates Stadium but preserved their unbeaten record at their new home with three goals in 17 minutes.
”I knew the team would respond,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insisted. ”Blackburn played well; they were dangerous and maybe the final result punished them too much.”
Rovers took the lead with a third minute penalty scored by Shabani Nonda after Arsenal old-boy David Bentley was fouled by Kolo Toure.
However, the Gunners levelled in the 10th minute when Brazil’s Gilberto Silva headed in a Robin van Persie corner.
Arsenal then went ahead in the 23rd minute through Alexander Hleb. Minutes later Emmanuel Adebayor made it 3-1 from the penalty spot after Australia’s Lucas Neill fouled van Persie.
Nonda then pulled a goal back for Rovers in the 69th minute before two late goals from van Persie wrapped up the points with Mathieu Flamini adding a sixth in the 90th minute.
At Eastlands, Anelka fired Bolton into an eighth-minute lead before making it 2-0 from a similar position out on the right-hand side of the box in the 25th minute.
City’s defeat was compounded by the sending-off of Joey Barton for a two-footed challenge on Abdoulaye Faye.
Portsmouth went behind to striker Rob Hulse’s fourth-minute header but levelled three minutes after half-time thanks to an own-goal from Rob Kozluk.
Former Arsenal and England centre-half Sol Campbell completed Pompey’s comeback with a 54th minute header.
Victory was confirmed by defender Noe Pamarot’s second goal in as many games leaving Pompey still in the hunt for European football next season.
Newcastle went ahead through Kieron Dyer’s 20-yard curling shot in the third minute before striker Obafemi Martins doubled the lead. Spurs then pulled a goal back through midfielder Danny Murphy before the Magpies restored their two-goal lead through Scott Parker.
Andy Johnson gave Everton a 14th-minute lead against Reading with a shot from inside the box and shortly after the break he played in fellow striker James McFadden for the second goal.
Middlesbrough, themselves in the drop zone after West Ham’s draw, pulled clear after a goal in each half from Yakubu and Julio Arca. — Sapa-AFP