Soccer: Chelsea cruise on in top spot

LONDON - Chelsea have taken another stride towards the Premier League title, preserving their 11-point lead with a 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace.

In what their managers now admit is a battle for runners-up spot, second-placed Manchester United and Arsenal in third secured 1-0 wins over Fulham and Blackburn Rovers respectively.

Everton, who occupy the fourth Champions League spot, played sixth-placed Liverpool in the Merseyside derby overnight.

Chelsea conceded their first league goal at Stamford Bridge since November 20 as relegation-threatened Crystal Palace briefly threatened a surprise.

Aki Riihilahti punished a mistake by Frank Lampard to equalise for Palace shortly before halftime after the England midfielder had thumped home his 11th goal of the season.

Joe Cole restored Chelsea's lead after 54 minutes and substitute Mateja Kezman wrapped up the 24th league victory of the season for Jose Mourinho's side with a late double.

A further boost for Chelsea was a second-half substitute appearance for Dutch winger Arjen Robben, his first action for six weeks after breaking his foot.

"I was fortunate today," said Lampard. "I was ... just pleased that the lads made sure my mistake wasn't important.

"We got ourselves in the lead and then the third and fourth goals killed the game completely. "

With eight games left Chelsea, who last won the title 50 years ago, have 77 points and are on course to break United's record Premier League total of 92 set in 1993-94.

United needed a spectacular first-half strike by Cristiano Ronaldo to increase Fulham's relegation fears, although they were nearly made to pay for their wasted chances when Lee Clark hit the woodwork late on for the Londoners.

The Portuguese winger fired an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net after cutting in from the left midway through a first half dominated by the home side.

It was United's first league victory against Fulham in four attempts and moved them on to 66 points but manager Alex Ferguson all but conceded that Chelsea are out of reach.

"We want to finish second to qualify for the Champions League without having to go through the preliminaries again."

Arsenal are two points behind United after Robin Van Persie's goal three minutes before halftime gave his side victory in a dress rehearsal for next month's FA Cup semi-final.

The goal made amends for a 50th-minute red card the Dutch striker picked up at Southampton on February 26, when his team went on to concede an equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "We want to finish at least second and ... we'll fight until the end to do that."

West Bromwich Albion dented Charlton Athletic's European ambitions and increased their own chances with a 4-1 away win - their first in the league this season.

Robert Earnshaw got a second-half hat-trick against a Charlton side reduced to 10 men after Talal El Karkouri was sent off for a two-footed lunge in the first half.

West Brom remain second from bottom with 24 points but are now only two behind Crystal Palace who are in the safety zone.

"We've got a chance of getting out of the relegation zone and we've got to keep working at it," said West Brom manager Bryan Robson.

But bottom Norwich City look doomed after going down 1-0 at Bolton Wanderers, moving Wanderers above Liverpool into fifth place.

Former England fullback Stuart Pearce's first match as caretaker manager of Manchester City, after Kevin Keegan's resignation, ended in a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

Portsmouth and Newcastle shared the points, and nine yellow cards, in a 1-1 draw at Fratton Park.

- REUTERS