By Jonathan Wilson,DPA,
London : Chelsea recorded their third victory in three games Saturday as they beat Stoke City 2-0, while Arsenal are two points behind in the Premier League after a 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers.
Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, slipped to a shock home defeat to Wigan Athletic.
After two successive 6-0 wins, Chelsea had to settle for rather fewer, but they were comfortable winners over a Stoke side that has now lost three out of three this season.
Frank Lampard had a weak first-half penalty saved by Thomas Sorensen after Florent Malouda had been tripped by Ryan Shawcross.
But Malouda, running on to a John Terry pass, put the champions ahead after 32 minutes.
Glenn Whelan struck the bar for Stoke before Didier Drogba confirmed the win from the penalty spot.
Andrei Arshavin scored the winner as Arsenal won at Ewood Park.
Theo Walcott had given Arsenal the lead, but Mama Biram Diouf levelled, raising the spectre of dropped points at Ewood Park yet again for Arsenal.
But six minutes into the second half Arshavin made it 2-1 after Cesc Fabregas’s shot from Bacary Sagna’s cross was blocked.
For the second successive home league game, Tottenham Hotspur failed to score, and this time Wigan Athletic, who had conceded 18 in their previous three Premier League games, took advantage to score a late winner.
In an even first half, Wigan came closest to scoring, Steve Gohouri smashed against the bar early on, while Ali Al-Habsi made a superb reflex save to keep out a fierce Jermain Defoe shot after the forward had turned superbly on the edge of the box.
And then, with 10 minutes remaining, Hugo Rodallega burst into the box and squeezed a shot past Carlo Cudicini.
Al Habsi then made fine late saves from Niko Kranjcar and Matt Dawson to earn Wigan their first three points of the season.
In the first Premier League match at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road ground, both teams had goals ruled out in front of watching England manager Fabio Capello, before Bobby Zamora headed Fulham in front from a Moussa Dembele cross.
An own goal from John Pantsil, though, after good work from Luke Varney levelled the scores, and then Varney struck from Brett Ormerod’s pass with 14 minutes remaining.
But with three minutes remaining Dickson Etuhu equalized to make it 2-2.
Newcastle United had the better of the first half at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but fell behind two minutes before half-time, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake shrugged off James Perch and volleyed in.
Andy Carroll, after his hat-trick last week, made it 1-1 after 62 minutes from a Joey Barton free-kick in a game of 11 yellow cards.