Premier League leader Chelsea maintained its 100 percent start to the season with a 2-0 home win over Stoke thanks to goals by Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba, while Arsenal and Manchester United remained on its shoulder with victories Saturday. Malouda opened the scoring for the defending champions in the 31st minute, before Drogba joined the winger on four goals for the season by sealing Chelsea's third successive win with a 77th-minute penalty. Russia forward Andrey Arshavin scored a 51st-minute winner as Arsenal beat Blackburn 2-1. United also stayed unbeaten and two points behind Chelsea after thrashing West Ham 3-0, with Wayne Rooney scoring the first to end his barren run in front of goal. Elsewhere, Tottenham lost surprisingly 1-0 at home to previously bottom Wigan, Blackpool and Fulham drew 2-2 and Wolverhampton was held 1-1 by Newcastle. Free-scoring Chelsea won its opening two league games 6-0 but found goals harder to come by against a team which lost 7-0 at Stamford Bridge last season. England midfielder Frank Lampard had a penalty saved by Thomas Sorensen in the 11th minute after Malouda was brought down in the box but the in-form France international found the net just after the half-hour mark when he ran onto a pass from John Terry to shoot home. Drogba, who scored a hat trick in the opening-day win against West Bromwich Albion, got back on the scoresheet by slotting home a penalty 13 minutes from time after Nicolas Anelka had been fouled by Sorensen. Lampard had been substituted at that stage and will undergo hernia surgery next week, ruling him out of England's European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland. Arsenal had produced a resilient display at Ewood Park a few hours earlier to climb to seven points and stay second. Theo Walcott opened the scoring for Arsene Wenger's side in the fourth minute. Blackburn equalized through on-loan striker Mame Diouf in the 27th. Arshavin stroked home the winning goal six minutes after the interval. Rooney had not scored for United or England since March but slotted home a 33rd-minute penalty, after Ryan Giggs was fouled by Jonathan Spector, to set United on its way against West Ham. Nani and Dimitar Berbatov added second-half goals as United condemned the visitors to a third successive defeat and a place at the foot of the standings. Wigan produced the shock of the day against Tottenham. thanks to Hugo Rodallega's goal in the 80th minute. Wigan had earlier come close to breaking the deadlock when defender Steve Gohouri hit the bar from close range in the first half. Unbeaten Wolves opened the scoring in the 43rd minute through Sylvain Ebanks-Blake but striker Andy Carroll leveled for Newcastle in the 62nd. Dickson Etuhu maintained Fulham's unbeaten start with a late equalizer in the draw at Blackpool. Bobby Zamora put Fulham in front but an own goal by John Pantsil and Luke Varney's debut strike put the promoted side ahead.
