Robben gives Everton the blues

Liverpool lost 1-0 at home to Birmingham City, Aston Villa trounced Portsmouth 3-0 and Norwich City were denied a first win of the season after conceding an 86th-minute equaliser in their 1-1 draw with 10-man Blackburn Rovers.

There was more bad news though for Tottenham Hotspur, a day after the abrupt resignation of French coach Jacques Santini, as they lost 3-2 at home to Charlton Athletic. South African striker Shaun Bartlett got two goals and a 67th-minute red card for the visitors.

Chelsea8217;s victory, which added to a remarkable defensive record with just three goals conceded in their 12 league games, showed the strength in depth of Jose Mourinho8217;s side despite the absence of injured striker Didier Drogba.

Everton failed to take their few chances and were finally caught out by 20-year-old Robben, whose Chelsea career only really began two weeks ago due to a pre-season foot injury.

Asked how close his side were to being a title-winning team, Mourinho told Sky Sports News: 8220;I think we have everything.

8220;We defend like no-one else, we have a very dangerous counter-attack and we create a lot of chances.

8220;Today we didn8217;t score enough but we are doing well. The spirit is amazing, and the mentality is there to fight in matches like this one.8221; Reuters