Branislav Ivanovic’s rocket gave Chelsea a crucial 2-1 win at Aston Villa, despite the hosts ending their 11-hour goal drought.
Defender Ivanovic has five goals in his past seven games against Villa and handed Chelsea an advantage in the title race.
Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Hull allowed Jose Mourinho’s side to move seven points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
Jores Okore had cancelled out Eden Hazard’s opener as Villa scored for the first time in the league in 11 hours.
But defeat left them two places above the drop zone having won just twice in 20 league matches.
Substitute James Milner struck a superb injury-time free-kick as lacklustre champions Manchester City rescued a point with a 1-1 draw against Hull.
City looked to be heading to a potentially damaging defeat in their Premier League title chase after David Meyler struck for relegation battlers Hull on 35 minutes at the Etihad Stadium.
But after a dismal first-half display, City showed greater urgency after the break and had a justifiable penalty appeal turned down, then hit the woodwork before Milner struck.
Even the occasion of his final Premier League Merseyside derby could not inspire Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard to more heroics as the 224th meeting of the clubs disappointingly finished goalless.
QPR 0 SOUTHAMPTON 1
Southampton moved up to third as Sadio Mane’s goal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time sealed a 1-0 win at QPR in struggling Rangers’ first match since the departure of Harry Redknapp. QPR had an even later effort ruled out.
SWANSEA 1 SUNDERLAND 1
Ki Sung-yueng marked his return from the Asian Cup in Australia by salvaging Swansea a point in a 1-1 draw against his old club Sunderland.
The South Korean had been away for five weeks and he struck with a diving header halfway through the second period after having an earlier effort disallowed.
Jermain Defoe’s regal finish before the watching Prince Albert of Monaco had threatened to give Sunderland all three Premier League points before Ki struck.
LEICESTER CITY 0 CRYSTAL PALACE 1
The Crystal Palace revival under Alan Pardew rolled on as Joe Ledley’s winner sunk rock-bottom Leicester.
Ledley’s second goal of the season in the 55th minute was enough to give Palace their fifth victory in six matches since Pardew took up the reins and move them six points clear of the relegation zone in the Premier League.
For City manager Nigel Pearson’s side, defeat was a blow to their survival hopes and, in fairness, they had their chances to either have taken the lead or salvaged an equaliser.
In falling to a third successive league defeat, their top-flight status is looking in increasing peril unless they conjure a revival of their own.
Harry Kane inspired Tottenham to victory over Arsenal in a wonderfully frantic and frenetic north London derby.
Arsene Wenger’s side made the 6.5-kilometre 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 comeback, with Kane’s second-half double securing a deserved 2-1 win.
The victory saw Spurs leapfrog Arsenal in the Premier League standings as they again displayed their growing resilience, like the unforgettable New Year’s Day annihilation of Chelsea.
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