Premiership leaders Chelsea were handed the second defeat of the season on Saturday after slumping to a shocking 3-0 victory against strugglers Middlesbrough. First-half strikes by Fabio Rochemback and Stewart Downing followed by Yakubu Aiyegbeni's goal in the second period earned Boro a memorable win over holders Chelsea. Chelsea, though, are still sitting comfortably on the top of the table with 69 points, 18 ahead of second-place Manchester United who play Portsmouth later on Saturday. The stunning victory moved Middlesbrough up to 16th place with 28 points, eight points away from the relegation threat. Rochemback needed only two minutes to put Middlesbrough ahead when he sidestepped Chelsea captain John Terry before unleashing a low drive which bounced off keeper Petr Cech's hands and went into the net. Winger Downing put the home side two up just one minute before the break as he collected the ball inside the area and sent a low shot home
Hyypia scored for Liverpool Nigerian striker Yakubu completed the rout in the 68th minute after he beat Terry on the edge of the box before drilling a low dink past the helpless Cech. Elsewhere, a last-gasp strike by Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva gave Arsenal a 1-1 draw with Bolton Wanderers. Gilberto's goal in the stoppage time of the second-half cancelled out Kevin Nolan's opener in the 12th minute. Earlier on Saturday, defender Sami Hyypia struck in the 30th minute to lead Liverpool to a 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic. In other matches, Newcastle beat Aston Villa 2-1, Everton edged Blackburn 1-0 and Fulham humiliated West Bromwich 6-1.
