Chelsea beat West Ham 4-1 on Saturday to retake the provisional lead in the Premier League, while Arsenal drew level on points after a stoppage time winner by Nicklas Bendtner earned a 2-1 victory at 10-man Hull.

Since climbing to the top of the Premier League, Arsenal has taken only one point from three games, slipped to third and been knocked out of the FA Cup.

Cesc Fabregas scored twice before being forced off with a recurrence of a hamstring injury on Sunday as Arsenal beat Aston Villa 3-0 to keep the pressure on Manchester United, which stayed second in the Premier League with a 3-1 win at Hull.

Arsenal hosts Aston Villa on Sunday with manager Arsene Wenger insistent that his current four-year spell without a trophy represents the most satisfying period of his time in the Premier League.

Michael Essien scored twice as Chelsea romped to a 4-0 win over Wolves to lead the Premier League by five points, while Arsenal tumbled 1-0 at Sunderland and Manchester United rose to second with a 3-0 victory over Everton.