Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 3-1 and second-place Chelsea crashed to a 1-0 defeat at Manchester City - as the English Premier League resumed play after an almost two-week pause.
Arsenal, the defending champion, now has 25 points to their London rivals' 20. Everton is third with 19 points.
In Germany, Stuttgart took the league lead - at least until Sunday - with a 2-0 win against Dortmund. Perennial title contenders Bayern Munich lost at home 1-0, to Schalke. Wolfsburg, which led the league before Saturday's games, plays on Sunday.
In the Spanish First Division, league leaders Barcelona travel to cross-town rivals Espanyol later Saturday. Second-place Valencia, the defending champion, plays on Sunday at third-place Sevilla.