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Chelsea draws at Newcastle; Spurs beat Liverpool

After Chelsea conceded a sixth-minute opener to Andy Carroll and needed an equalizer from Salomon Kalou in first-half injury time to avoid a third straight league defeat, Tottenham’s fifth winning comeback of the season meant that all 20 Premier League sides scored over the same weekend for the first time.

Chelsea has now taken just four of the last available 15 points and trails new leader Manchester United by two points.

“We are not happy,” Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “We are happy for the performance but we didn’t start well. We conceded a goal too early. This made our game difficult but we reacted well.

“Now we need to keep going, stay focused, prepare for the next game and try to win.”

United routed Blackburn 7-1 on Saturday to preserve the league’s last unbeaten record and wipe out Chelsea’s long-established superior goal difference.

That big win helped equal a 13-year-old Premier League record of 41 goals over a weekend. There could easily have been a new record but Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe wasted an opportunity to equalize when he put a 60^th-minute penalty past the post

Martin Skrtel put Liverpool ahead three minutes before halftime following a ricochet in the area and then scored a 65^th-minute own goal. Aaron Lennon won it for Tottenham in injury time with his first goal since Nov. 22, 2009.

“It was difficult for us,” Tottenham captain William Gallas said. “We had to fight to win the game. It’s the Premier League, when you play Liverpool it’s not easy.”

But Chelsea appears to have lost its sparkling attacking form of early season. And with captain John Terry sidelined indefinitely, its defensive problems also continued.

Central defender Alex, who is only playing following the club’s decision to postpone surgery to his right knee, tried to touch the ball back to goalkeeper Petr Cech but instead pushed it past his teammate to Carroll. England’s latest international striker simply stabbed it into the net for his ninth Premier League goal.

Chelsea could have beaten Newcastle, with Didier Drogba having a 77^th-minute goal ruled out for a handball and Kalou shooting into the side netting, but the Blues’ goal owed something to luck.

Drogba drew a save from goalkeeper Tim Krul and Jose Enrique cleared Alex’s header off the line before Kalou weaved into the area and scored with a low shot to the far post that deflected off defender Steven Taylor.

Chelsea still has the best defensive record with just 10 goals conceded, but it now leads third-place Arsenal only on goal difference and fourth-place Manchester City by three points.

Tottenham rose to fifth place, a point behind City, despite losing Rafael van der Vaart and Younes Kaboul to first half injuries—putting them on the sidelines with Ledley King, Michael Dawson, Jonathan Woodgate, Tom Huddlestone, Jermaine Jenas and Jamie O’Hara.

Skrtel took advantage of Tottenham’s increased problems in central defense to put Liverpool ahead. He headed the ball against the back of one of his teammates but collected the rebound and prodded it through a crowd of players.

Defoe then missed a penalty awarded when David Ngog—like Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas did against Tottenham last weekend—raised his arm in front of his face to block a free kick.

But Luka Modric surged at pace to force his way past Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson and send in a cross from the left that Skrtel, trying to cut it out for a corner, directed past goalkeeper Pepe Reina at the near post.

Lennon then completed Tottenham’s comeback of the season, racing onto a flick by Peter Crouch and shooting low past Reina—who got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out.

Manchester City drew 1-1 at Stoke on Saturday, when Arsenal won 4-2 at Aston Villa. Bolton drew 2-2 with Blackpool, West Bromwich Albion won 4-1 at Everton, Birmingham drew 1-1 at Fulham, West Ham beat Wigan 3-1, and Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Sunderland 3-2.