London - Champions Chelsea closed the gap on English Premiership leaders Manchester United to three points, for a few hours at least, as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. West Ham United gave themselves a massive boost in their bid to avoid relegation as they won 1-0 at Arsenal, moving them to within two points of safety.
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea dominated Tottenham in terms of possession but only managed to find the net once.
Ricardo Carvalho scored the only goal of the game, taking Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson by surprise with a long-range effort early in the second half.
Spurs, who had made several changes to their side, having played a UEFA Cup tie 36 hours previously, brought on Dimitar Beratov late on but they could not find an equaliser.
Manchester United can regain their six-point lead if they win at Portsmouth in the day's late match but Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was delighted with his side's efforts.
"We were better in the first half and should have scored goals," he said. "They had a great shot and header but Petr Cech was there to give us the security we need. We deserved the win."
Liverpool improved their chances of finishing third, Dirk Kuyt's late winner giving them a 2-1 win at Reading and lifting them five points clear of Arsenal, who suffered their first defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
Bobby Zamora scored what turned out to be the only goal of the game in first-half injury time and though Arsenal dominated the match, West Ham held on for a crucial three points.
The Hammers are now just two points behind Sheffield United, who lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle United, and Charlton.
Aston Villa moved away from trouble with a 2-1 win at Blackburn, while Bolton climbed to sixth with a 3-1 win at Wigan Athletic, who are still in real trouble themselves.
Bottom side Watford look doomed after they were hammered 4-1 at Middlesbrough.
