Manchester City took charge of the Premier League title race as Edin Dzeko and Yaya Toure scored first-half goals to secure a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

A couple of hours after leader Liverpool lost 2-0 against Chelsea at home, City cut its deficit to the Reds to three points with one game in hand. If they win their three remaining matches and keep their superior goal difference, City's players will be crowned champions.

Having recovered from a thigh problem, Toure made a spectacular return to competition, setting up Dzeko's opener in the fourth minute with a precise cross that the striker headed home. The powerful midfielder then started and concluded a superb collective move two minutes before halftime with a curling effort.

After Liverpool's earlier slip-up, City players got off to the best possible start at Selhurst Park as the returning Toure crossed for Dzeko, who jumped between two defenders and headed past Julian Speroni from close range to open the scoring.

Undeterred by the goal and having secured their topflight status last weekend, Palace put on an attacking display as Yannick Bolasie created danger on both flanks and Cameron Jerome caused havoc in City's central defense. Palace's first real chance came in the 18th minute when Jason Puncheon tried his luck from the edge of the box but his effort was too weak for City keeper Joe Hart.

Still, Manuel Pellegrini's team looked in control and City captain Vincent Kompany had a superb chance to double the title contenders' lead a few minutes later but his powerful header from close range from Samir Nasri's corner ended just wide.

The game toughened up toward the end of the first half and referee Howard Webb had to show yellow cards to Damien Delaney and Pablo Zabaleta before Samir Nasri received treatment following a contact with Puncheon.

Toure then turned from provider to scorer two minutes before the interval by finishing off a superb move he initiated on the halfway line. The Ivory Coast international played a one-two with Dzeko then passed the ball to Nasri, with the Frenchman putting it back into his path before Toure imposed his physical strength in the area and slotted home.

Palace was on the front foot at the start of the second half, with Hart forced to a dive down to his right to deny Puncheon's effort.

But Tony Pulis' players were too often wasteful with their final pass. Chamakh was among the culprits, ignoring Puncheon on his right before misfiring a long pass toward Bolasie. Jerome then wasted a superb pass from Chamakh in the back of the City defense as he took too much time after a heavy first touch.

Toure was applauded by fans from both teams as he was replaced by Fernandinho after 65 minutes while Tony Pulis tried to reinvigorate his team with the introduction of Glenn Murray and Dwight Gayle.

The move did not pay off and City kept creating the best chances — with Sergio Aguero and James Milner combining well down the right flank before Palace keeper Julian Speroni saved Dzeko's deflected effort with his leg — as Palace's record-equaling run of five consecutive Premier League wins was brought to an abrupt end.

Jose Mourinho riled his former assistant Brendan Rodgers as Chelsea successfully stifled Liverpool and scored twice against the run of play to win 2-0 on Sunday and dent the Premier League leaders' hopes of a first title in 24 years.

However unambitious Chelsea appeared at Anfield, goals at the end of each half from Demba Ba, who seized on Steven Gerrard's slip-up, and Willian ended Liverpool's 11-game winning streak in the league. Mourinho's side is just two points behind Liverpool with two games remaining.

"They obviously sat very deep — I think there were two buses parked today, never mind one," said Rodgers, who was a coach at Chelsea between 2004 and 2008.

"It was clear that they'd come certainly not wanting to win the game, with the time wasting."

That claim was unsurprisingly challenged by Mourinho — "Time wasting? What's that?" — with the Chelsea manager affronted by criticism of his tactics.

"When a team defends well you call it defensive display," he told reporters. "When a team defends badly and concedes two or three goals you don't mention a defensive display."

But Mourinho continued his policy of dismissing Chelsea's title prospects, stressing: "We have no chance."

It's not that unrealistic for Chelsea, but Manchester City has replaced Liverpool as the team which has the destination of the trophy in its own hands.

Third-placed City closed the gap on Liverpool to three points by winning 2-0 at Crystal Palace on Sunday, and it has a game in hand to play at Everton on Saturday. So by the time Liverpool plays at Palace next Monday it could have been knocked off the top on goal difference by City.

It's a long time to dwell on a defeat that will suppress the fervor that had been growing at Liverpool that the team will win the English title for the first time since 1990, having started the season as 33-1 outsiders with bookmakers.

Hours before kickoff, thousands of Liverpool fans lined the streets, preparing for the team's arrival at Anfield. It had the air of a victory parade, but whether the real thing takes place next month is now a lot more uncertain.

"The bigger picture is that we're still two points ahead of a team (Chelsea) that has spent an absolute fortune," Rodgers said. "If we win our two games we'll finish above them and then we'll see what happens with Manchester City. We achieved our objective of Champions League football."

That competition is Mourinho's priority this season, resting several key players Sunday for Wednesday's semifinal against Atletico Madrid after the first-leg was a 0-0 draw.

Mourinho's defensive tactics at Liverpool might have seemed to his critics to be anti-football, but they demonstrated his abilities to successfully set up a team to be well organized and frustrate opponents.

While Chelsea defender Ashley Cole's curling effort forced the first save of the game from Simon Mignolet, there was little attacking ambition from the visitors. Liverpool controlled the game, but without the speed or fluency of recent weeks as the hosts couldn't find a route to goal.

In the opening 15 minutes, Phillippe Coutinho volleyed into the sidenetting and Mamadou Sakho's shot was cleared off the line by Cole before he mis-fired the follow-up from six yards.

The last time Liverpool played here Gerrard was caught on camera telling the players: "This does not slip now."

But it was Gerrard, usually the reliable heartbeat of the team and inspirational one-club player, who slipped in possession near the halfway line in the third minute of stoppage time, giving away the ball to Ba. With Gerrard unable to chase him down, the Senegal striker charged through on goal and coolly placed the ball past Mignolet and into the net.

However much Liverpool tried to batter through toward the Chelsea goal in the second half, the defense held up well.

Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, a second-half substitute, are the leading scorers in the league with 50 goals between them, but they rarely came close to equalizing. Not even when facing 41-year-old goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, deputizing for the injured Peter Cech, who repelled Joe Allen's first-time volley with a low diving save just before the hour.

A rasping strike from Gerrard was also thwarted and a downward header by the captain lacked power to trouble Schwarzer.

As the end neared, Suarez could not connect with Coutinho's cross, and the Uruguay striker saw a shot turned over in stoppage time before Chelsea stunned Anfield again.

Former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres launched the breakaway, drawing Mignolet off his goal-line and then passing to Willian to walk the ball into the net — and sending Mourinho racing down the touchline to celebrate with Chelsea fans.