LONDON (AP):Manchester United strengthened their hold on first place in the Premier League with a 10th straight victory, beating visiting Blackburn 2-1 yesterday.

Although Roque Santa Cruz ended United's record run of 14 league games without conceding a goal, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo scored to take the defending champions to 62 points - eight more than Liverpool, who host Manchester City today.

Chelsea moved above Aston Villa and into third place after Nicolas Anelka scored in the 19th minute at Villa Park to give Guus Hiddink a victory in his first match as manager. Fifth-place Arsenal failed to take full advantage of Villa's slip-up when they drew 0-0 with visiting Sunderland for a third straight scoreless draw in the Premier League.

free kick

Blackburn had just come close to a 2-1 lead at Old Trafford when Ronaldo, who had, moments earlier ,received a yellow card for diving, struck a curling free kick into the far corner.

That 60th-minute goal took his season tally to 12 in the Premier League.

"We gave away a really bad goal when you consider the way we defended the past 10 weeks," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "They made it a real fight for us. Sometimes when you don't play your very best you get a result like that and go on to win the title."

Rooney had put United ahead in the 23rd minute, scoring in his fourth straight Premier League game for the first time, but Santa Cruz made it 1-1 nine minutes later when he took the ball past the goalkeeper and slipped it into the net from an acute angle.

United, though, started with reserve 'keeper Tomasz Kuszczak so first-choice Edwin van der Sar can still stretch his British record of 1,302 minutes without conceding.

United defender Jonny Evans appeared unlucky to have a first-half header ruled out because of a push in the area and Blackburn almost took the lead in the 59th when Keith Andrews hit the post and Kuszczak smothered a follow-up shot by Ryan Nelson to ensure United stay undefeated in the league since November 8.

"What happened today is a good reminder that we have to fight for our lives," Ferguson said.

Liverpool can trim the gap back to five points with victory today, although captain Steven Gerrard will miss the match injured. Everton are at Newcastle and last-place West Bromwich Albion are at Fulham in today's other matches.

Anelka scored his 15th league goal of the season to end Villa's 13-match unbeaten run and possibly push Chelsea back into contention for the title it last won in 2006.

England midfielder Frank Lampard slipped between two opponents to release a perfectly weighted pass that the France striker chipped over goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

"I am satisfied with the per-formance and the result, especially against a team like Villa who have had a very good record recently," said Hiddink, who is in charge until the end of the season. "They have not been beaten in the league for a long time.

"In the first half we were very dominant and the only criticism is that we did not finish the game off."

Arsenal's concern

Arsenal appear only to be concerned with making it back into the top-four and retaining their place in next season's Champions League after the draw left them on 45 points, six fewer than Villa and seven fewer than Chelsea.

The Gunners started with record-signing Andrei Arshavin in the team for the first time but the Russia playmaker was substituted with 27 minutes left. His replacement, Carlos Vela, almost had an impact when he sent a cross into the area but no teammate could get the touch that would almost certainly have led to a goal.

Goalkeeper Marton Fulop saved a free kick by Robin van Persie before Arsenal were jeered from the field by their fans.

Sunderland have now stopped the opposition from scoring in two straight games for the first time in six years to earn another point in their efforts to edge away from the relegation zone.