(Updates after 1500GMT kickoffs)
By Mitch Phillips
LONDON, Dec 26 - Leaders Chelsea got off to a
victorious start in the Premier League's busy holiday programme
with a 1-0 home win over Aston Villa on Sunday, while champions
Arsenal, Everton and Manchester United also claimed home wins.
Chelsea were below their sparkling best but maintained their
five-point lead. In-form Damien Duff's goal after 30 minutes was
enough to beat injury-weakened Villa, their first Boxing Day win
for five seasons.
Across London at Highbury, Thierry Henry's 20th club goal of
the season after 12 minutes and one for fellow Frenchman Robert
Pires after 71 were fair reward for Arsenal's dominance in a 2-0
win over Fulham.
Manchester United kept up the chase when they beat Bolton
Wanderers 2-0 for their sixth win in seven games. Everton
maintained their remarkable season with a 2-1 home win over
Manchester City.
Chelsea top the standings on 46 points with Arsenal on 41.
Everton are third on 40 with Manchester United fourth on 37.
Tottenham Hotspur chalked up their fifth win a row. Robbie
Keane and Michael Brown scored to beat Norwich City 2-0 away,
Portsmouth won 1-0 at Crystal Palace, while Graeme Souness's
return to Ewood Park ended with his Newcastle United side
drawing 2-2 with Blackburn Rovers.
Liverpool were playing at West Bromwich Albion later on
Sunday.
RETREATING DEFENCE
Chelsea, bidding for their first league title for 50 years,
struck after 30 minutes when Arjen Robben attacked a retreating
Villa defence and fed Duff, who cut in from the right to fire in
a low left-footed shot from 12 metres.
It was the sixth time in Chelsea's last nine games that the
Irish winger had opened the scoring but, unlike in recent weeks,
they failed to build on the start.
The slick passing that has led to so many emphatic victories
was absent and the second half was something of a battle.
However, Jose Mourinho's team did enough to make it eight
wins and two draws from their 10 home games, in which they have
scored 20 goals and conceded just three.
"They played well, credit to Villa, but we battled it out
and dealt with everything they threw at us and a great goal
separated the teams," Chelsea captain John Terry told Sky
Sports.
At Highbury, Henry showed neat control to make space on the
edge of the box before stepping inside to score a typical
opportunist goal and get Arsenal going.
The champions looked sharp and inventive from then on but
had to wait until the last 20 minutes to make the game safe when
Pires scored after a neat passing move.
Manchester United were far to strong for Bolton, who have
lost five in a row to hurtle down the league.
SUPERB DISPLAY
Ryan Giggs hooked in the opener after 10 minutes and set up
the second for Paul Scholes a minute from time - with only a
superb display by Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen in
between preventing a rout.
Headed goals by Tim Cahill (22 minutes) and Marcus Bent
(63) either side of a Robbie Fowler equaliser (42) gave Everton
their 12th win of the season.
It took them to the 40-point mark after 19 games - their
survival target when they started the season among the
relegation favourites and one point more than they gained all
last season.
The Premier League swings back into action in two days with
a full programme of matches on Tuesday and Wednesday, including
Chelsea at Portsmouth and Arsenal at Newcastle United.