Manchester City almost slipped up to relegation strugglers Hull City as they were held to a 1-1 draw, and only saved a late point from James Milner's free kick.
David Meyler struck as a scrappy passage of play in the second half saw the ball rebound off the post for the Hull man to slot past Joe Hart.
City struggled to break through in the remaining part of the game -- as Sergio Aguero hit the bar late on -- but Milner's fine free kick just before the final whistle saved at least a point.
Manuel Pellegrini's men now fall seven points behind Chelsea at the top of the table.
Chelsea beat goal-shy Aston Villa 2-1 with goals from Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic,
Villa had not scored for five hours and 42 minutes in the Premier League before the game and dropped striker Christian Benteke, while they were mocked by their own fans for failing to find the net.
Hazard struck on eight minutes after a pass from Willian found him in the box. However, just a few minutes after the break, Jores Okore arrived unmarked at the far post to head home a cross for the equaliser.
Aston Villa has ended a 659-minute PL scoring drought, 4th-longest in the PL era.
- Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) February 7, 2015
Ivanovic, though, netted his fifth goal against Villa in his last six games to hand the Blues the win.
Harry Kane inspired boyhood club Tottenham to a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in a wonderfully frantic and frenetic north London derby.
Arsene Wenger's side made the short, four-mile journey to White Hart Lane looking to secure a sixth successive victory and dampen their bitter rivals' hopes of a top-four finish.
An early Mesut Ozil volley put Arsenal on course for just that, only for Spurs to produce a thrilling, and deserved, comeback, with Kane's second-half brace securing a 2-1 win.
The victory saw Spurs leapfrog the Gunners in the standings as they again displayed their growing resilience, like the unforgettable New Year's Day annihilation of Chelsea.
Even the occasion of his final Premier League Merseyside derby could not inspire Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard to more heroics as the 224th meeting with Everton disappointingly finished 0-0.
The Reds midfielder was appearing in his 33rd and last encounter -- unless the Europa League conjures up a grand finale -- but it was not one of his more memorable.
Everton made short shrift of their visitors' free-flowing passing game with a compact defensive unit and hard work in midfield to ensure Gerrard left without the send-off he would have liked to have given Goodison Park.
The 34-year-old, who leaves for the Los Angeles Galaxy in the summer, was first to leave the pitch at the final whistle to a chorus of boos.
Jermain Defoe continued his fine form to score as Sunderland held Swansea 1-1 at the Liberty Stadium.
Defoe hammered home in the first half, but Ki Sung-Yeung hit back just after the hour mark to leave honours even.
Queens Park Rangers were very close to holding Southampton after the exit of manager Harry Redknapp this week. Matt Targett was stretchered off after a clash of heads, but it was Sadio Mane who struck with seconds remaining to give the Saints a 1-0 win.
The returning Joe Ledley scored from a corner to give Crystal Palace a 1-0 win over Leicester. Ledley span off his marker to head home and continue Alan Pardew's fine run of form since he took charge.