LONDON, 30 October 2005 — Leaders Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 4-2 home victory over Blackburn Rovers yesterday while Arsenal recovered from a goal down to draw 1-1 at north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester United were stunned 4-1 by a Gaizka Mendieta-inspired Middlesbrough and only Cristiano Ronaldo’s late header prevented the twice European champions’ going down to their worst league defeat this century.

Knocked out of the League Cup on Wednesday, Chelsea threw away a two-goal lead against Rovers before strikes by Frank Lampard and Joe Cole brought them a victory that preserved their nine-point lead at the top.

French midfielder Robert Pires, who was ridiculed after a bizarre penalty miss against Manchester City last weekend, scored a second-half equalizer for Arsenal to cancel out Ledley King’s first half goal for Spurs.

That result meant promoted Wigan Athletic jumped to second place after French defender Pascal Chimbonda’s stoppage time header gave them a 1-0 home win over Fulham.

Champions Chelsea have 31 points from 11 games, with Wigan on 22 points from 10. Spurs have 20, the same as Bolton Wanderers who won 1-0 at Charlton Athletic. United are sixth with 18 points with Arsenal are seventh on 17.

Everton lifted themselves off the bottom with a 1-0 win at Birmingham and there were also victories for Liverpool and Portsmouth, who sent Sunderland to the foot of the table by winning 4-1 at the Stadium of Light.

Goals by Ivory Cost striker Didier Drogba and Lampard, with a penalty, put Chelsea in control early on at Stamford Bridge. But Rovers striker Craig Bellamy netted a spot kick and then took advantage of an error by Chelsea keeper Petr Cech to make the score 2-2 at halftime.

Slightly fortuitous second-half strikes by Lampard and Joe Cole though, settled the match in the champions’ favor.

Spaniard Mendieta took less than two minutes to put Middlesbrough ahead against Manchester United with a blistering shot from outside the area, which Edwin van der Sar failed to stop despite getting both hands on the ball.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink outwitted Rio Ferdinand to lash home the second after being released down the flank by Mendieta before Kieran Richardson’s foul on Stuart Parnaby allowed Yakubu to convert from the penalty spot and give the home side a three-goal advantage at the break. Yakubu’s fine run to the byline set up Mendieta to drive home the fourth in the 77th minute, sealing United’s worst defeat since they lost by a similar score at Manchester City in March last year.

At Wigan, Fulham wasted a series of early chances and paid dearly when Chimbonda muscled aside his marker and headed in Graham Kavanagh’s free kick two minutes into stoppage time. It was Wigan’s seventh consecutive win in all competitions and their fifth in a row in the Premier League.

Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso and Dutch midfielder Boudewijn Zenden gave European champions Liverpool a much-needed 2-0 victory over West Ham United at Anfield.

Hearts Lose Unbeaten Run Against Hibs

In Glasgow, Hearts, reduced to 10 men, suffered their first Scottish Premier League defeat of the season when they were beaten 2-0 by Edinburgh rivals Hibernian yesterday.

The leaders, who had won 10 and drawn two of their previous matches, remained on 32 points from 13 games while champions Rangers were booed off after struggling to a 1-1 home draw with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Thistle went ahead with a 25-yard shot from Craig Dargo in the 25th minute before Rangers leveled after the break through striker Steven Thompson. Hearts had Lithuanian striker Edgaras Jankauskas sent off in the 62nd minute before two goals in two minutes handed them their first SPL defeat of the 2005-06 campaign.

Frenchman Guillaume Beuzelin gave Hibs the lead in the 78th minute and Garry O’Connor made it 2-0. Kilmarnock racked up an impressive 4-2 home win over Aberdeen with striker Kris Boyd grabbing a double against the team that tried to sign him during the close season.

Dunfermline crashed 3-0 at home to Motherwell while bottom club Livingston collected a valuable point with a 1-1 draw at Falkirk.