Chelsea keep steam on Man U, Arsenal

Charlton Athletic took fourth spot with a 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur, who dropped into the relegation zone, Fulham slipped to fifth after a 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa and teenager Wayne Rooney came off the bench to score the winner as Everton beat Birmingham City 1-0 to reach the safety of midtable.

Bridge broke the deadlock with a solo effort in the 65th minute, Lampard, who had hit the post in the first half, found the roof of the net off an Adrian Mutu pass eight minutes later and Geremi volleyed his first goal for Chelsea in the 82nd minute.

Players that Liverpool have offloaded came back to haunt them in a 2-2 draw at Manchester City. Robbie Fowler was the toast of the City fans after earning a 30th-minute penalty that was converted by former Kop striker Nicolas Anelka and then following up to deny his old club all three points with a 90th-minute equaliser.