Liverpool shrugged off the loss of suspended striker Luis Suarez to produce a stunning 6-0 victory over Newcastle United at St James' Park on the weekend.
The Reds were without their leading scorer, who copped a 10-match ban for biting, but managed to hammer the Magpies to record their biggest away in the Premier League.
Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge both scored doubles for Liverpool whilst Daniel Agger and Fabio Borini also hit the back of the net as Brendan Rodgers' men crushed the hapless Toon to remain seventh on the table with Alan Pardew's side dropping to 16th.
Newly-crowned champions Manchester United drew 1-1 with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium after Robin van Persie, on his return to North London, equalised from the penalty spot following Theo Walcott's early opener which kept the Gunners in fourth but forcing them to fall behind third-placed Chelsea.
The Blues scored twice in five minutes at the end of the first half to beat Swansea City 2-0 with Frank Lampard scoring his 201st goal (one short of Bobby Tambling's record) for the club who are now in with a strong chance of producing a top-four finish.
Tottenham, in fifth place, held Wigan Athletic to a 2-2 draw at the DW Stadium with a last-minute Emmerson Boyce own-goal denying the 18th-placed Latics a crucial victory.
Manchester City got the job done with a 2-1 win over West Ham United which included a stunning left-footed thunderbolt from Yaya Toure, Everton beat Fulham 1-0 and West Bromwich Albion, reduced to ten men, got the better of nine-man Southampton to win 3-0 at St Mary's.
Stoke City edged Norwich City 1-0 whilst Reading and QPR's 0-0 draw at the Madejski Stadium condemned both sides to the Championship as they now have no chance of avoiding relegation.
Monday night sees Aston Villa, placed 17th, host Sunderland for the chance to move five points clear of the drop zone whilst the Black Cats will be looking to secure their survival as a win would improve their current sit of 15th to 11th.
2012/13 Barclays Premier League season scores
Manchester City: 2 (Sergio Aguero 28', Yaya Toure 83') West Ham United: 1 (Andy Carroll 90+4') Etihad Stadium, Manchester - 47,189
Everton: 1 (Steven Pienaar 16') Fulham: 0 Goodison Park, Liverpool - 34,563
Southampton: 0 (red cards: Gaston Ramirez 70', Daniel Fox 82') West Bromwich Albion: 3 (Marc-Antoine Fortune 6', Romelu Lukaku 67', Shane Long 77', red card: Fortune 70') St Mary's Stadium, Southampton - 31,946
Stoke City: 1 (Charlie Adam 46') Norwich City: 0 Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent - 27,488
Wigan Athletic: 2 (Emmerson Boyce 11', Callum McManaman 49') Tottenham: 2 (Gareth Bale 9', Emmerson Boyce (og) 89') DW Stadium, Wigan - 22,326
Newcastle United: 0 (red card: Mathieu Debuchy 75') Liverpool: 6 (Daniel Agger 3', Jordan Henderson 17'/76', Daniel Sturridge 54'/60', Fabio Borini 74') St James' Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne - 52,351
Reading: 0 Queens Park Rangers: 0 Madejski Stadium, Reading - 23,388
Chelsea: 2 (Oscar 43', Frank Lampard (p) 45+2') Swansea City: 0 Stamford Bridge, London - 41,780
Arsenal: 1 (Theo Walcott 2') Manchester United: 1 (Robin van Persie (p) 44') Emirates Stadium, London - 60,112
