Chelsea charged to the top of the English Premier League with a 5-0 win at last-place Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

　　The big-spending Blues, who have bought 15 players during the offseason thanks to the millions injected into the club by Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich, went above Arsenal on goal difference after two strikes by Hernan Crespo and one each from Frank Lampard, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Damien Duff.

　　Chelsea and the Gunners each have 13 points from five games with Manchester United on 12.

　　Southampton moved up to fourth with a 3-1 win at Tottenham while Manchester City slipped to fifth after a 2-2 tie with lowly Fulham. City is tied on 11 with Liverpool, which edged Leicester 2-1, and Birmingham, which won 2-0 at Leeds.

　　Saturday's other results were: Aston Villa 2, Charlton 1; Newcastle 0, Bolton 0; and Portsmouth 1, Blackburn 2.

　　Chelsea showed at Molineux what Abramovich is getting for his 111-million pound (US.6 million) outlay.

　　"They played very very well, the touch and movement of the ball and I am very pleased today," Blues manager Claudio Ranieri said, whose job has been the subject of media speculation with reports that the club might lure Sven-Goran Eriksson to Stamford Bridge.

　　Crespo replaced Hasselbaink in the 65th minute and scored the fourth with his first touch, firing home a cross from Duff.

　　The fifth came in injury time when Chelsea walked the ball through a dispirited Wolves defense and Crespo arrived unmarked to fire his second past Michael Oakes.

　　Michael Owen netted his sixth of the season and Emile Heskey scored against his former club in Liverpool's victory over Leicester at Anfield.

　　England striker James Beattie scored two of Southampton's goals at Tottenham to leave Spurs and under fire manager Glenn Hoddle struggling at third from last.

　　Second from bottom Newcastle didn't improve its position by failing to score at Bolton which is expected to be a relegation candidate.

　　"It will turn, we need a bit of luck," said veteran Magpies manager Bobby Robson.

　　Manchester City needed an equalizer three minutes into injury time from Paulo Wanchope - heading a cross from Chinese defender Sun Jihai into the net - to salvage a point at Fulham after Kevin Keegan's men had squandered the lead. Nicolas Anelka gave City the lead but French stars Steed Malbranque and Louis Saha netted for Fulham.

　　Aston Villa started with Juan Pablo Angel and Marcus Allback in attack against Charlton but it was defenders Ozalan Alpay and J Lloyd Samuel who scored.

　　A twice-taken penalty by Robbie Savage put Birmingham on the road to victory at Leeds with Mikael Forssell, on loan from Chelsea, adding the second.

　　Lucas Neill and Andy Cole netted Black-burn's goals at promoted Portsmouth, who lost for the first time.