Cristiano Ronaldo [Images] scored an 88th-minute penalty to give Manchester United a 2-1 victory over Everton at Old Trafford on Sunday that kept them within a point of Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Everton seemed set to extend their unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions after Tim Cahill's 27th-minute header had cancelled out the opening goal by Ronaldo five minutes earlier.

However, a lazy trip by Steven Pienaar on Ryan Giggs allowed Ronaldo to score his second of the day from the spot and extend United's home league winning streak to nine games.

Chelsea keep up the  pressure

Third-placed Chelsea kept up the pressure on Arsenal and Manchester United when a first-half Joe Cole goal gave them a 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers.

Arsenal, who beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Saturday, lead the way on 43 points with United second on 42 and Chelsea on 37.

Chelsea weathered some early Blackburn pressure before striking with a sweetly taken goal by Cole after a killer through-ball by Salomon Kalou in the 22nd minute.

Both goalkeepers then made excellent first-half saves as Petr Cech pushed a Steven Reid shot on to the bar and Brad Friedel dived to tip a Frank Lampard [Images] effort against a post before Chelsea tightened up to secure the victory.