Everton's 16-year-old striker Wayne Rooney scored a sensational 90th minute winner winner to bring Arsenal's 30-match unbeaten run to an abrupt end and send Liverpool to the top of the Premiership today.
Rooney's 25-yard strike flew past David Seaman and in off the underside of the bar to give David Moyes' revitalised Everton side a famous 2-1 victory at Goodison Park.
Freddie Ljungberg ensured Arsenal had scored in 49 consecutive matches when he put the Gunners ahead from their first meaningful attack of the match.
Nigerian midfielder Nwankwo Kanu's shot was blocked, but Li Tie and David Unsworth failed to clear and Ljungberg steamed in to glance his shot past Richard Wright.
Everton hit back immediately and a period of sustained pressure produced an equaliser in the 22nd minute. Danish international Thomas Gravesen played Lee Carsley in on the right. His shot crashed off the post and back outside the box, where it was picked up by Tomasz Radzinski, who carried it back into the area and fired home.
David Seaman, who has suffered a torrent of ridicule since conceding a goal direct from a corner in England's Euro 2004 draw with Macedonia in midweek, was given a warm reception from both sets of fans.
But the fragility of his confidence was all too evident as he mis-punched one Mark Pembridge corner then failed to clear another one from Gravesen in the early stages. But there was no way he could be blamed for Rooney's sensational winner.
A Salif Diao goal was enough for Liverpool to claim the three points at Leeds earlier in the day and they now lead Arsenal by one point.
But Manchester United failed to capitalise on Arsenal's slip-up after being held to a 1-1 draw at Fulham.
Steve Marlet, who scored twice in France's 4-0 win over Malta in midweek, picked up where he left off to fire Fulham ahead at Loftus Road.
The United defence failed to clear Rufus Brevett's cross and Marlet was able to nip in at the back post to score.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, leading the United forward line in the absence of the injured Ruud van Nistelrooy, notched his fifth goal of the season to get United back on level terms.
Solskjaer's volleyed finish was impeccable but he only got his chance after Fulham centrebacks Abdes Ouaddou and Zat Knight got in each other's way as they tried to clear a long ball.
The draw represents a serious blow to United's hopes of making up ground on Arsenal but things would have been even worse if Fabien Barthez had not saved Steed Malbranque's penalty.
Alan Shearer scored his 300th and 301st career goals as Newcastle mounted a valiant fightback at Blackburn.
Two David Dunn goals, one from the penalty spot, inside eight minutes had got the home side off to a flying start.
But after Shearer had entered the 300 club with a 36th-minute penalty, he fired home a trademark powerful header three minutes after the break to get the Magpies back on level terms.
Blackburn however found another gear and a double from Martin Taylor and an Andy Griffin own goal saw them run out easy winners.
West Ham moved off the bottom of the table with a 1-0 win away at fellow strugglers Sunderland.
Howard Wilkinson's hopes of turning Sunderland's season around suffered a setback after only 22 minutes when England midfielder Trevor Sinclair raced on to a superb Paulo di Canio pass to fire past Jurgen Macho for what was to prove the winner.
Manchester City's slide toward the relegation zone gathered pace with a 3-0 defeat at home to Chelsea. The London club withstood a fierce City onslaught at Maine Road before taking the lead through Gianfranco Zola in the 69th minute.
Fifteen minutes later, the veteran Italian broke free on the left, cut inside and finished with a curling shot for his second. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink completed the rout just before the end.
Premiership newcomers West Brom and Birmingham looked destined for a 0-0 draw in their derby clash at the Hawthorns before a final five minutes of drama.
First Darren Moore deflected the ball into his own net to give 10-man Birmingham an unlikely lead with only four minutes left. But only a minute later, Jason Roberts fired West Brom level.
Results
Blackburn
5-2Newcastle
Everton
2-1Arsenal
Fulham
1-1Manchester United
Leeds
0-1Liverpool
Manchester City
0-3Chelsea
Sunderland
0-1West Ham
West Brom
1-1Birmingham
(Details to follow...)