Chelsea have moved seven points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League table courtesy of a 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Saturday as Tottenham defeated Arsenal in the north London derby.
Jose Mourinho's Blues further extended their advantage over reigning champions Manchester City by scoring either side of the break, bookending Jores Okore's debut goal for Villa, to record their 17th win of the campaign.
Eden Hazard opened the scoring in the 8th minute with his 9th goal of the season before Okore responded three minutes into the second half with a header from a Carles Gil's cross to net Villa's first league goal in seven outings.
But just as he has done so often in his career, reliable full-back Branislav Ivanovic came up with a winner in the 66th minute when lashing home Cesar Azpilicueta's cross with a delightful half-volley from 16 yards.
The triumph was Chelsea's sixth in their past 10 outings and got them back on the winners' list following last weekend's 1-1 draw with City.
Manuel Pellegrini's side were held at home by Hull City to fall off the trail of Chelsea who are now odds-on favourites to take out the 2014/15 title.
The Tigers took the lead through David Meyler in the 35th minute and looked likely to cause an upset at the Etihad Stadium before James Milner saved City's blushes in injury time to deny Steve Bruce's side a famous victory.
Earlier in the day, Tottenham claimed a massive 2-1 win over Arsenal in the north London derby at White Hart Lane.
Harry Kane further enhanced his status as a homegrown hero by scoring a brace as Spurs leapfrogged their arch enemies into fifth spot on the table.
Kane hit the back of the net in the 56th and 86th minutes - the second a header which sparked chaotic scenes at 'the Lane' - following Mesut Ozil's 11th-minute opener.
It was Tottenham's second win over their local rivals in their past five meetings with their last triumph coincidentally being a 2-1 result at the same venue in March 2013.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace claimed their third win in four league matches under Alan Pardew when beating Leicester City 1-0 at the King Power Stadium courtesy of Joe Ledely's 55th-minute header.
Southampton edged into third position thanks to a last-gasp 1-0 win over QPR at Loftus Road which was masterminded by Sadio Mane's injury-time winner while Swansea City and Sunderland drew 1-1 at the Liberty Stadium with Jermain Defoe and Ki Sung-yueng trading goals either side of the break.
And in the Merseyside derby, Everton and Liverpool drew 0-0 in a tense affair at Goodison Park which saw the Reds remain in seventh place despite an unbeaten run of eight matches.
Sunday sees Burnley host West Bromwich Albion which gives the Clarets a chance to move out of the drop zone, Stoke City head to Newcastle United on the back of a two-game winning streak and Manchester United will be looking to return to third place when they visit West Ham United in east London.
2014/15 Barclays Premier League - season scores
Tottenham: 2 (Harry Kane 56'/86') Arsenal: 1 (Mesut Ozil 11') White Hart Lane, London - 35,659
Aston Villa: 1 (Jores Okore 48') Chelsea: 2 (Eden Hazard 8', Branislav Ivanovic 66') Villa Park, Birmingham - 35,969
Leicester City: 0 Crystal Palace: 1 (Joe Ledley 55') King Power Stadium, Leicester - 31,695
Manchester City: 1 (James Milner 90+2') Hull City: 1 (David Meyler 35') Etihad Stadium, Manchester - 45,233
QPR: 0 Southampton: 1 (Sadio Mane 90+3') Loftus Road, London - 18,082
Swansea City: 1 (Ki Sung-yueng 66') Sunderland: 1 (Jermain Defoe 42') Liberty Stadium, Swansea - 20,355
Everton: 0 Liverpool: 0 Goodison Park, Liverpool - 39,621
