By Alan Baldwin

LONDON - Chelsea trounced struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 to surge eight points clear in the Premier League on Saturday after Arsenal's 14-match unbeaten run ended with a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.

Chelsea, who set a club record of 12 straight home wins, have 33 points from 13 matches to Arsenal's 25 from 12.

Manchester United are also on 25 and playing Everton in a late kick-off at Old Trafford with at least a point enough to lift the champions into second place.

Carlo Ancelotti's sparkling Chelsea side were dominant from the start at Stamford Bridge, strolling to a 3-0 lead after 22 minutes with Florent Malouda opening the scoring with a left-foot shot in the fifth.

Michael Essien made it 2-0 with a 12th minute header and grabbed another 10 minutes later. Joe Cole made it 4-0 in the 56th, unleashing a low right-foot shot off a pass from Salomon Kalou for his first league goal in more than a year.

Wolves were flattered by the scoreline and stayed second from bottom.

"It was an easy game because we played very well," Ancelotti, who gave French teenager Gael Kakuta his Premier League debut, told Sky Sports. "When Chelsea play at their best, it's difficult to play against Chelsea."

ARSENAL LOSE

Sunderland had Darren Bent to thank after his 71st minute goal stunned Arsene Wenger's high-scoring Arsenal.

"It's always nice to beat one of the big top four, isn't it?" said Sunderland manager Steve Bruce.

"We stifled them in the middle of the park. It's okay to have a game plan but you've still got to go out and do it and they stuck to their task," he added.

Wenger, without injured Dutch striker Robin van Persie, considered the defeat a big setback, saying: "You do not prepare yourself to drop points in a situation like that. "It's frustrating."

Injury-hit Liverpool and big-spending Manchester City squandered their chances to move up to fourth place after battling to a 2-2 draw at Anfield in the early kick-off.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, whose depleted side are in danger of going out of the Champions League next week, was forced into making two unscripted substitutions within the first 18 minutes of a scrappy first half.

Defender Daniel Agger suffered concussion and needed five stitches after collapsing with a gashed forehead in the fifth minute following a clash with Kolo Toure in the goalmouth.

Ryan Babel followed him off with an ankle injury and was replaced by Yossi Benayoun, making an early return from a hamstring injury and scoring the 77th minute equaliser to salvage a point.

City striker Emmanuel Adebayor and midfielder Stephen Ireland had put the visitors 2-1 ahead after Martin Skrtel gave Liverpool the lead five minutes into the second half.

There was also plenty of action at the other end of the table, with Hull City scoring three first-half goals to come back from 2-0 down against West Ham at the KC Stadium. Hull were then reduced to 10 men in the 54th and the match ended 3-3.

Aston Villa came from behind to draw 1-1 at Burnley with a goal from substitute Emile Heskey and leapfrog Tottenham Hotspur, who play at home to Wigan Athletic on Sunday, in fourth place on goal difference.

Birmingham City moved further away from the drop zone by beating visitors Fulham 1-0.