Thanks to Frank Lampard, defending champions Chelsea edged struggling hosts Charlton Athletic 1-0 on Saturday, keeping the pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester United.

Chelsea are on 57 points, three behind Manchester United, who play at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, and seven ahead of Liverpool in third.

In the early kickoff, Liverpool's hopes of mounting a late title challenge suffered a knock when they were held 0-0 at home by Everton in the Merseyside derby.

Thierry Henry spared fourth-placed Arsenal's blushes with a 77th minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough after Yakubu Aiyegbeni had won and converted a penalty. Philippe Senderos was dismissed for the second time this season for the foul on Yakubu.

At the basement end, new signing John Carew scored his first goal to help Aston Villa beat relegation-threatened West Ham United 1-0 while fifth-placed Bolton Wanderers won 1-0 at bottom side Watford.

Wigan Athletic, who had lost a club record eight league games in a row, opened up a five-point gap on the relegation places thanks to a 1-0 victory over UEFA Cup hopefuls Portsmouth.

In other matches, Blackburn Rovers beat Sheffield United 2-1, Reading won 2-0 at Manchester City and Fulham edged out Newcastle United 2-1.

Source: Xinhua