Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0
Chelsea's Roman legion conquered new territory today as Claudio Ranieri's battlers beat Manchester United 1-0 to soar above Arsenal at the Premiership summit.
Frank Lampard got the killer goal in the 28th minute, sweeping home from the penalty spot as Blues owner Roman Abramovich looked on admiringly from the directors' box with 400 of his comrades flown in specially from Russia.
Lampard, a colossus in a dominant Blues midfield, hit the 28th-minute winner after Roy Keane had upended Joe Cole.
Today must surely have been the most satisfying moment so far of oil oligarch Abramovich's five-month reign in west London.
Victory meant Chelsea capitalised fully on Arsenal's 0-0 draw with Fulham and are now a point above the Gunners at the top of the table.
The focus today had been on becoming champions even before kick-off, with England's rugby World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward and player Lawrence Dallaglio greeted with deafening applause when they took to the field in the pre-match build-up.
United are, of course, the Premiership's defending champions and their fans were not slow to remind Chelsea's supporters it is 48 years since the Londoners' one and only title triumph, back in 1955.
But the possibility of Chelsea's class of 2004 repeating the achievement of their predecessors almost half a century ago moved a significant step closer today with this deserved victory which ruined the St Andrew's Day celebrations of proud Scot Sir Alex Ferguson.
United, who almost took a scrappy fourth-minute lead through Diego Forlan, failed to respond to going behind just before the half-hour.
Cole could and should have made it two when he blazed over from 10 yards when clean through.
And Lampard would have established a two-goal cushion if his shot on the stroke of half-time had swerved back inside rather than outside of the post.
United threatened late on but by then the game was won for Chelsea, setting in motion a huge celebration party in Abramovich's luxury Millennium Suite at Stamford Bridge.
The visitors had almost grabbed a scrappy lead in the fourth minute. Ruud van Nistelrooy turned Wayne Bridge to square for Forlan and his scuffed side-foot shot was bouncing goalwards until Carlo Cudicini stuck out a glove to claw it round the post.
The keeper's life was not being made any easier by his defence, with William Gallas' providing an awkward back-pass which needed clearing and John Terry's chested pass ending up in no-man's land. Cudicini bravely blocked as Quinton Fortune tried to nip in.
Ryan Giggs clipped Gary Neville's right-wing cross just over the top as Ferguson's men pushed for the opener.
But the first goal came at the other end after 28 minutes, from the penalty spot.
Chelsea knitted together an intricate series of passes on the edge of the United box, which culminated in Hernan Crespo flicking the ball through to Cole.
Keane lunged in with a rash challenge and upended the midfielder.
Referee Alan Wiley pointed to the spot and Lampard sent Howard the wrong way to give the Blues a 1-0 lead.
Ranieri's men could have doubled their lead two minutes later but Howard made a smart reaction save when Mario Melchiot directed Mutu's cross goalwards.
Cole missed a golden chance to establish a two-goal cushion eight minutes before the break.
Chelsea broke and pace and Mutu's shot was blocked by Ferdinand. It fell straight into the path of Cole, who took a touch to skip round Ferdinand but scooped over the bar from 10 yards.
And Lampard's thunderous drive brushed the paint on Howard's right-hand post just before the interval.
Chelsea played the first 51 seconds of the second half with 10 men as Geremi bemusingly emerged from the dressing room several minutes after his team-mates.
Duff was handed the opportunity to show United what they missed out on when he entered the fray just before the hour.
The Irishman, long linked with a move from Blackburn to Old Trafford before his switch to Chelsea, came on and almost immediately had a run-and-shot which was blocked.
United striker Forlan completely wasted a 64th-minute free-kick, drilling the ball harmlessly wide when a cross was by far the better option. Howard made a fine diving save from Lampard as the Blues pressed.
United were close to an equaliser when van Nistelrooy's turn-and-shot deflected off Gallas with 15 minutes remaining. Cudicini was scrambling across his goal-line in the opposite direction as the ball spun just wide of the near post.
And Giggs had an opportunity to salvage a point for United but could not get the direction on his header from Cristiano Ronaldo's delicate cross. Portuguese substitute Ronaldo fired narrowly wide as United continued to push on.
But Howard had to make a superb recovery save from Geremi as the visitors left space at the back.