Arsenal surged to the top of the Premier League with Samir Nasri scoring twice in their 2-1 win over Fulham as Chelsea's dire run continued with a 1-1 home draw against Everton on Saturday.
French international midfielder Nasri showed great footwork for both his goals at The Emirates as Arsenal moved to 32 points.
Chelsea, who have taken just five points from their last six league games, led with a Didier Drogba penalty but Everton, who took four points from the champions last season, grabbed a deserved late equaliser through Jermaine Beckford.
The champions have 30 points, one behind Manchester United whose game at Blackpool was frozen off. Manchester City are fourth on 29 after they ended Bolton Wanderers' good run with a 1-0 Eastlands victory courtesy of an early Carlos Tevez goal.
Fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur lost ground when they could only draw 1-1 at Birmingham City while Blackburn Rovers, thrashed 7-1 by Manchester United last week, bounced back impressively by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0.
