LONDON, 23 January 2005 — Arjen Robben teased and tormented Portsmouth as Chelsea moved 11 points clear at the top of the Premiership following a 3-0 win yesterday.

The Dutch winger set up Didier Drogba for a tap in on eight minutes at Stamford Bridge and then latched on to a Frank Lampard pass six minutes later to score himself.

And it was Robben’s mazy run, ended unceremoniously by uncompromising defender David Unsworth, that earned a free-kick from which Drogba scored his second, and 11th of the season, after 39 minutes.

It was a 19th victory and 18th clean sheet in 24 Premiership games for Jose Mourinho’s men and a seventh win in a row as the new manager’s imperious march towards the title shows no sign of abating.

Manchester United conceded their first goal in nine matches but still breezed past Aston Villa 3-1 at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring on eight minutes with his third goal of the season from a Louis Saha pass.

Gareth Barry equalized early in the second half but Saha scored his first league goal of the season to restore United’s advantage on 69 minutes. A minute later Scholes bundled the ball home after great work from Ronaldo whose multiple step-overs mesmerized JLloyd Samuel.

The victory moved United into second place but they will be ruing the early-season form that allowed Chelsea to scamper over the horizon.

Harry Redknapp secured his first league victory as Southampton manager since switching from Portsmouth as Liverpool’s slump continued.

First half goals from David Prutton and Peter Crouch gave the Saints a 2-0 win and condemned Rafael Benitez’s men to a third defeat in the space of seven days.

Defeat against Manchester United and an embarrassing FA Cup exit at Burnley in the last week were compounded by an insipid display from Liverpool who were second best throughout to a lively Southampton side.

The victory was not enough to lift the Saints clear of the bottom three, though, as Crystal Palace inflicted a second successive league defeat on Tottenham, winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park. Mikele Leigertwood scored his first goal for the club before Danny Granville and an Andy Johnson penalty put the gloss on a polished second half performance by the Eagles.

Norwich produced a grandstand finish, including two injury time goals, to come back from the dead in a 4-4 draw with Middlesbrough.

Braces from Franck Quedrue and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink gave Middlesbrough a seemingly unassailable 4-1 lead midway through the second half.

Damien Johnson had given the Canaries an early lead and then Dean Ashton opened his account on 80 minutes before late goals from Leon McKenzie and Adam Drury earned Norwich an unlikely point.

The draw helped neither team, though, as Norwich remain rooted in the bottom three and Middlesbrough stay sixth.

Everton remain in fourth despite a poor defeat at home to Charlton who had Matthew Holland to thank for a winner in first half stoppage time.

With James Beattie making his home debut, hopes were high on Merseyside but even the introduction of Duncan Ferguson in the second half to play alongside the new-signing could not inspire the Toffees.

Fulham came from behind to win 2-1 at Birmingham with a penalty from Andrew Cole and a late Papa Bouba Diop strike securing the three points.

The Midlanders took the lead through a Moritz Volz own goal under pressure from Emile Heskey.