Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez lamented his side's lack of cutting edge after seeing them crash to a 3-1 defeat at Fulham.

Last week's win over Manchester United ended a run of five successive defeats, but that became six from seven on Saturday as goals from Bobby Zamora, Erik Nevland and Clint Dempsey earned Fulham the Premier League points.

Fernando Torres equalised just before the break but was substituted in the second half. Nevland restored Fulham's lead - and Philipp Degen and Jamie Carragher both saw red within three minutes, before Dempsey rubbed salt in the wound.

Benitez, however, was left wondering how Liverpool could have lost after enjoying so much possession. He said: "It's hard to take the defeat, especially when we were in control of the game. The first half was one-sided. We made one mistake - and we conceded a goal.

It's hard to take the defeat, especially when we were in control of the game. The first half was one-sided.
Rafael Benitez

"In the second half, they were more offensive - and we made a massive mistake when we conceded the second goal. We worked hard with nine players, but it was very difficult."

Chelsea maintained their two-point lead at the top thanks to a second 4-0 win of the week over Bolton. "It was our aim to make sure we were still top of the league when we play Manchester United next week," said manager Carlo Ancelotti. "We can now play Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday with confidence and prepare for a really great match against United."

In the late game, United saw off Blackburn 2-0 at Old Trafford thanks to second-half goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney. Arsenal forward Robin van Persie struck twice in a 3-0 home victory over Tottenham in the early game.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said: "We took advantage of the shock of the first goal and in the second half we always played a little restricted. After the third, there wasn't the impression that Spurs would come back."