Joe Cole rescued Chelsea with a smartly taken goal to win the points against the defensively-minded Liverpool and keep the Blues firmly on the heels of leaders Arsenal.
A quick free-kick from Frank Lampard after 63 minutes found the alert Cole, who arrowed a low, right-foot curler from 12 yards which squeezed between Chris Kirkland's outstretched left hand and the left upright.
Liverpool, like Spurs previously, defended like Trojans and only came up for air with the odd counter-attack. This time though Chelsea managed to get past the dogged defence of the visitors.
Josemi signalled Liverpool's intent with less than a minute played when he upended Damien Duff. The Irishman responded by winning a corner after he beat Sami Hyypia, only to see his shot on goal blocked.
Didier Drogba had an excellent chance after five minutes from Lampard's defence-splitting throughball, but the Ivory Coast striker scuffed his shot wide of the target.
A whipped free-kick from wide on the left by Xabi Alonso, on 12 minutes, bisected the Chelsea defence but no Liverpool player was able to take advantage.
After 15 minutes a well worked move on the left, involving Duff, Lampard and Drogba, saw the England midfielder turn on the edge of the box to give himself a shooting chance, but his effort drifted aimlessly wide.
Kirkland, restored to the Liverpool goal at the expense of Jerzy Dudek, twice came to the edge of his area and both times successfully made clearances.
Alexei Smertin had Chelsea's first real shot on target in the 19th minute, but John Arne Riise managed to put in an effective block.
Liverpool's best effort on goal in the opening stages resulted in a corner, after Harry Kewell met Djibril Cisse with a firm header which was deflected away for a corner by Paulo Ferreira.
Cisse should then have put the Merseysiders in front after 26 minutes, but headed Kewell's left-wing cross wide of Petr Cech's goal.
A fluid move from Chelsea ended with Lampard shooting wide from the edge of the box after being played in by Smertin in the 35th minute.
Two minutes later Cisse, Liverpool's best player, struck a wonderful 30-yard drive which Ferreira managed to deflect for a corner.
Six minute before the break Drogba limped out of the action with a groin injury and was replaced by Cole. For all the millions in the bank, Chelsea did not have a fit striker on the bench.
On the stroke of half-time Duff sliced a shot across the box, but Lampard's first touch was too weak and the danger ended when the ball trickled wide of goal.
Cole enlivened the start of the second half with an excellent first-time shot from just inside the area. However the England midfielder's shot only found the side netting.
Duff and Cole looked the most likely Chelsea players to prise open the Reds defence and it was Cole who answered his manager's call.
His goal was the only thing worth recording about the second half, but it was enough for the Blues to keep up the pressure at the top of the table.