Chelsea equalled a club-record run of 11 consecutive league victories with a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park that strengthened their lead in the Premier League table.
Exactly a year on from sacking Jose Mourinho for overseeing such a poor defence of their title, the Blues went nine points clear of closest challengers Liverpool and Arsenal with a goal from the rejuvenated Diego Costa.
The Spain international headed his 13th goal of the season from a lofted Cesar Azpilicueta pass in the 43rd minute.
Costa and N'Golo Kante will miss the home game against Bournemouth on Dec. 26 after picking up their fifth bookings of the season in the win.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice for Manchester United as they ran out 2-0 winners against West Bromwich Albion.
That lifted Jose Mourinho's side, who are now unbeaten in the Premier League in eight games, level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham ahead of their game against Burnley on Sunday.
Ibrahimovic headed United in front from an excellent Jesse Lingard cross in the fifth minute before adding a second with an effort deflected in via Craig Dawson on 56 minutes.
Wayne Rooney and Lingard also had good opportunities to get their name on the scoresheet as United made it three wins in seven days.
Stoke City threw away a two-goal lead against 10-man Leicester City to draw 2-2 in a bad-tempered game that saw Jamie Vardy sent off and six Foxes players booked by referee Craig Pawson.
Vardy received his marching orders for a 28th-minute challenge on Mame Diouf, before a Bojan penalty and Joe Allen strike put the Potters on course for a victory that lifted them into the top half of the Premier League table.
But the Foxes showed great character to pull a goal back through substitute Leonardo Ulloa in the 74th minute before Daniel Amartey netted from Christian Fuch's cross in the 88th minute to earn an unlikely point.
Claudio Ranieri's side are just three points above the relegation zone in 15th, while Stoke are 11th.
Middlesbrough put some distance between themselves and the bottom three thanks to a 3-0 win against Swansea City, who dropped a place to 19th.
Boro were in control after two first-half goals from Alvaro Negredo, a classy half-volley and a penalty following a Jordi Amat foul on Adam Forshaw.
And Marten De Roon added a third in the 58th minute, turning home a Gaston Ramirez cross.
Swansea, who have only won twice in 10 games since manager Bob Bradley was appointed, are three points from safety.
Patrick van Aanholt's close-range strike from an Adnan Januzaj pass was enough to earn Sunderland a 1-0 win against Watford and lift them off the bottom of the table.
David Moyes' side moved up to 18th and within a point of Crystal Palace following their fourth victory of the season.
In the other game a 75th-minute Mark Noble penalty earned West Ham United a narrow victory against Hull City.
Tom Huddlestone fouled Michail Antonio in the box as they battled to get on the end of a Dimitri Payet free kick.
Defeat, an 11th of the season, sent the Tigers to the foot of the table but they deserved better having hit the post twice through Dieumerci Mbokani and Andrew Robertson.
West Ham went unbeaten for a third Premier League game since losing 5-1 against Arsenal and continue to climb the table after a poor start to the season.