Chelsea swaggered to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Everton on Monday but were denied the chance to celebrate a second consecutive Premier League title by Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.
Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba scored one and made another for Frank Lampard before Michael Essien thundered home Chelsea's third at Stamford Bridge. Lee Carsley was dismissed for Everton two minutes after the re-start with Chelsea 1-0 up.
Jose Mourinho's men had known before kickoff the title would not be theirs on the day as Rooney's brace had earlier given United a 2-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur.
Instead, Chelsea's win restored a nine-point lead at the top with three games left to play.
Still firmly on course for the title, Jose Mourinho's men have 88 points from 35 games, with United lying second on 79 points and Liverpool third on 73.
With an FA Cup semi-final looming against Liverpool on Saturday, Chelsea's next chance of winning the league will be a much-awaited showdown against United at Stamford Bridge on April 29.
Portsmouth's fine run ended on Monday with a 2-1 defeat at Charlton Athletic that will revive fears of relegation.
In other games, Middlesbrough defeated West Ham United 2-0 and Newcastle United came from behind to beat relegated Sunderland 4-1 in the northeast derby.
Rooney shines
Rooney slid home United's opener after an eighth minute breakaway and steered home their second from close range in the 36th after a blunder by Spurs' South Korean defender Lee Young-pyo.
Midfielder Jermaine Jenas scrambled the ball home for Spurs in a 53rd minute melee but their second-half pressure failed to pay off and Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy hit the post for United in the closing stages at White Hart Lane.
Defeat for Spurs has put a dent in their hopes of holding on to fourth place and reaching the Champions League qualifiers ahead of north London rivals Arsenal, who are fifth.
Arsenal, who have a game in hand and trail Spurs with 57 points to 61, will host Tottenham at Highbury on Saturday in what should be a thrilling derby.
Spurs manager Martin Jol told Sky Sports: "It's a big disappointment, because we scored an early goal in the second half so maybe a draw would have been deserved. But we couldn't do that, so it's a big blow to us.
"We have to go to Arsenal now and get a result."
Premier League action was continuing on Monday with Chelsea's game one of five.
