London - Nicolas Anelka netted a hat-trick as Chelsea crushed Sunderland 5-0 on Saturday to go top of the English Premier League table on goal difference.

Alex and Frank Lampard scored the other goals to lift Chelsea alongside Liverpool on 26 points, but with a better goal difference. Liverpool can regain the lead if they avoid defeat in the day's late match at Tottenham Hotspur.

Champions Manchester United edged out high-flying Hull City 4-3 to go third above Arsenal, who were stunned 2-1 at lowly Stoke City.

Wigan Athletic and Everton also claimed victories.

It took Chelsea 27 minutes to break down Sunderland but once Alex had scored, the floodgates opened.

Anelka doubled their lead three minutes later and made it 3-0 in first-half injury time. Lampard scored early in the second half and Anelka completed his hat-trick to seal the rout.

Champions Manchester United moved up to third, but had to survive a dodgy last few minutes as Hull hit back from 4-1 down to 4-3.

Ronaldo and Michael Carrick had put United 2-0 up before Hull pulled one back through Daniel Cousin. Ronaldo's second and a Nemanja Vidic goal put United 4-1 up but Bernard Mendy and a Giovanni penalty put the visitors back into it.

In the end, though, United held on to move above both Hull and Arsenal, who were humbled at Stoke.

Ricardo Fuller put the home side ahead on 11 minutes and Seyi Olofinjana (73) doubled their lead, rendering Gael Clichy's late goal no more than a consolation.

To add insult to injury, Robin van Persie was sent off for a bad challenge late on.

Louis Saha scored with three minutes to go to give Everton a 1-0 win over his former side Fulham, while a late equalizer from Mido was enough to give Middlesbrough a 1-1 draw at home to West Ham United.

Emile Heskey scored a last-gasp winner for Wigan at Portsmouth, while Benni McCarthy scored in injury time for the second successive week to give Blackburn Rovers a share of the points in a 2-2 daw at West Brom. (dpa)