Chelsea look destined to become English champions for the first time in 50 years after a 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur left them 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League yesterday.
Two Frank Lampard goals and a shock 1-0 defeat for champions Arsenal in the late game at Bolton means only a sudden collapse can deny Chelsea a historic end to their centenary season.
Chelsea, who also became the first club to win six consecutive Premier League games without conceding a goal, did just what their title hopes needed after 10-man Manchester United won 1-0 at Liverpool in the day's early kick-off.
They are now top with 58 points, with Arsenal on 48 and United third on 47, pressing Arsene Wenger's side for the second automatic slot in next season's Champions League.
Elsewhere, Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer returned from a 12-match injury lay-off to convert a penalty in a 2-1 win over Southampton, Aston Villa were 3-0 winners over Norwich and Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-1.
The 2005 title could well have been decided, though, by the games at White Hart Lane and Bolton's Reebok stadium. Chelsea had to work hard, but never looked like losing against a Spurs side who were unbeaten in eight previous league games.
Lampard broke the deadlock with a 39th-minute penalty after Alexei Smertin was caught by Spurs skipper and central defender Ledley King.
Spurs kept probing English football's best defence but the points were sealed in the 90th minute, when Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen got behind their rearguard and pulled the ball back for the inrushing Lampard to rifle home.
Though Chelsea had to grind out their win, assistant manager Steve Clarke said: "We've had to show that side of our game quite often this season.
"When you go away from home in the Premier League it's always difficult, you know you have to work hard for anything you get. And we've got a squad of players that are prepared to do that."
Spurs boss Martin Jol disagreed with Chelsea's penalty, but was pleased with his team's commitment.
"The only disappointing thing was that in the last part of the pitch we didn't have the power to be decisive," Jol said.
Arsenal were no more decisive at the Reebok, the same venue where a 2-2 draw in April 2003 virtually killed off their title hopes in that season.
Greek midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos headed Bolton's winner four minutes before the break, after Arsenal's Spanish keeper Manuel Almunia could only flap at a cross from El-Hadji Diouf.
Arsenal had plenty of possession but Robin van Persie and Robert Pires both missed chances in the second half and striker Thierry Henry lacked his usual cutting edge.
Ragged at times in the middle and suspect in defence, Arsenal's defeat was their third of the league season and will have delighted old rivals United.
Teenage striker Wayne Rooney scored United's winner at Anfield in the 21st minute, helped by poor goalkeeping by Jerzy Dudek. They held on for a deserved victory despite a 65th-minute red card for defender Wes Brown.
United's seventh consecutive clean sheet also stretched their unbeaten league run to 12 matches and had manager Alex Ferguson purring.
"It was a great performance, and a fantastic game," he said.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, who gave a debut to new Spanish signing Fernando Morientes, could only rue their failure to make the extra man count and Dudek's blunder.
"Sometimes in massive games with big teams, if you make a mistake you must pay for it," Benitez said. "And we paid."
Upcoming Fixtures
Tomorrow: FA Cup third round replay: 8.45 p.m. Swansea vs Reading.
Tuesday: FA Cup third round: 8.45 p.m. Burnley vs Liverpool. Replay: 8.45 p.m. Blackpool vs Leicester City.
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