Blackburn came from behind to beat Burnley in the local rivals' first meeting in the top flight since 1966.
Rovers were stunned when Robbie Blake opened the scoring with a superb 20-yard shot after only four minutes.
But David Dunn equalised with a low drive and Franco Di Santo nodded Rovers ahead after woeful Burnley defending.
Pascal Chimbonda added a third goal for Rovers with a precise finish into the corner before Chris Eagles grabbed a late consolation from six yards.
The win was no more than Rovers deserved after they recovered from being the first home team to concede a goal against Burnley in the league this season.
Blake's excellent strike, curled in from outside the box as Blackburn backed off, set up the derby for a sizzling start in keeping with the feverish atmosphere that had built up for at least an hour before kick-off.
With so much pride at stake between the two old rivals - both clubs being founding members of the Football League - a match of passion and tenacity was expected.
That proved to be the case early on, coupled with a lot of quality - not least the calibre of the goals.
Dunn's effort that cancelled out Blake's opener was also a peach, curled into the corner after on-loan Chelsea striker Di Santo had perfectly laid off Morten Gamst Pedersen's cross
As Rovers continued to press forward, driven on by the impressive Dunn, they created another chance but El-Hadji Diouf could only drag his shot wide.
Burnley, for all their attempts to play their way out of trouble, were struggling to keep Rovers at bay.
And the visitors contributed to their downfall when goalkeeper Brian Jensen fell under no challenge when trying to deal with a cross and Graham Alexander headed the ball up for Di Santo to nod into an empty net.
If that goal was a messy effort, Rovers' next strike was much more pleasing to the eye.
Pedersen headed cleverly into the path of Chimbonda and the defender cut inside Steven Fletcher before slotting a shot into the far corner.
At that stage it looked a long way back for Burnley, who had yet to secure a point on their travels in this campaign.
By contrast, Rovers looked to have found some confidence and were comfortably in control.
The pattern remained similar after the interval as Burnley's lack of firepower prevented them from forcing a way back into the match.
Unable to take advantage of a spell of possession, Burnley were short of ideas and could only muster a weak effort from Fletcher and a header from Steven Caldwell.
And at the other end, the uncertain Jensen almost dropped another clanger when he allowed Paul Robinson'kick to bounce and was lucky to see his opposite number's clearance go over the bar.
Robinson tried to repeat the trick moments later and once again Jensen was almost found out, needing his defenders to hack the ball away.
Burnley did manage to get a sight on goal when substitute Eagles was played in by Wade Elliott but he hesitated and the chance was gone.
Elliott also worked an opening for Alexander a little later, but the shot was blocked.
There was definite improvement from Burnley and Eagles fired a low shot narrowly wide as they pressed to reduce the deficit.
And moments later, Eagles gave Burnley a chance of pulling off an unlikely comeback when he turned in Stephen Jordan's cross.
However, Blackburn held out for the last few minutes and almost had the final word when Pedersen blazed a volley over the bar.
Arsenal 3 - 1 Birmingham
Arsenal were not quite at their clinical best but still proved too strong for Birmingham at the Emirates.
Robin van Persie opened the scoring with a precise, low drive across goal after Alex Song had played him in.
Abou Diaby doubled the lead when he smashed in a rising shot before Lee Bowyer volleyed in after Vito Mannone's mistake to halve Birmingham's deficit.
Substitute Andrey Arshavin shot wide and Robin van Persie hit the bar before Arshavin curled in to seal the points.
Arshavin's strike came at a time when Birmingham were threatening to get an equaliser but overall, the Gunners were good value for the three points that moves them up to fourth in the Premier League table.
The only blemish on the Gunners' afternoon was an injury suffered by Theo Walcott, who had started a match for the first time this season but was forced off on the half-hour mark after failing to shake off the after-effects of a robust challenge by Liam Ridgewell.
England winger Walcott had been one of three changes for Arsenal, with Kieran Gibbs playing at left-back and Mannone keeping his place in goal despite Manuel Almunia's return to fitness.
Walcott had started brightly and tested Blues keeper Joe Hart with a curling shot that came at the end of a strong run before he was replaced by Arshavin.
Arsenal had already posted warnings of their attacking intent by then, with Tomas Rosicky twice getting in good positions only to fail to connect properly with volleys.
It must have made uncomfortable viewing for new Birmingham owner Carson Yeung as he sat in the stands as president of the club for the first time since he completed his takeover.
Yeung has promised to make £40m available for new players but any green shoots of recovery that may come from that potential cash injection look a long way off on this showing.
Fielding a team with four changes from that side that lost to Burnley, the visitors, who had lost four of their last five league games going into the match, struggled to keep pace with their opponents.
And they were soon undone by Song's fine through ball and Van Persie's equally well-placed finish gave Arsenal the lead.
Moments later, Arsenal worked a great opening with some fluid football, and Diaby arrived at the far post to hammer home Rosicky's cross.
Birmingham's first effort at goal came form Sebastian Larsson, but his free-kick was pushed away by Mannone.
However, the Italian keeper was soon to make a costly mistake when he flapped at a cross and succeeded only in patting the ball down at the feet of Bowyer, who dispatched the ball into an empty net.
Arsenal almost restored their two-goal lead when Arshavin took a snap shot but Joe Hart made a decent low stop to his right.
Birmingham started the second half well and Cameron Jerome's ball almost reached Lee Bowyer via Barry Ferguson as Arsenal looked vulnerable.
But the hosts hit back and Arshavin dragged a shot wide when he looked set to score before Cesc Fabregas was just about kept out by Hart.
As Arsenal began to assume full control once more, they were presented with an indirect free-kick in the area after Larsson was harshly judged to have played a deliberate back pass.
From the set-piece, Van Persie smashed the ball against the top of the bar.
Arsenal then suffered a scare when Ridgewell's cross looked certain to be turned in before Mannone made up for his earlier error by clawing the ball away from two waiting Blues players.
But the home side's nerves were settled when Arshavin cut in from the right and curled a sweet shot into the far corner.
Arsenal might have had a fourth goal but Hart made a fine save to deny Diaby from close range and Van Persie's shot was blocked by Ridgewell.
Robin van Persie opened the scoring with a precise, low drive across goal after Alex Song had played him in.
Abou Diaby doubled the lead when he smashed in a rising shot before Lee Bowyer volleyed in after Vito Mannone's mistake to halve Birmingham's deficit.
Substitute Andrey Arshavin shot wide and Robin van Persie hit the bar before Arshavin curled in to seal the points.
Arshavin's strike came at a time when Birmingham were threatening to get an equaliser but overall, the Gunners were good value for the three points that moves them up to fourth in the Premier League table.
The only blemish on the Gunners' afternoon was an injury suffered by Theo Walcott, who had started a match for the first time this season but was forced off on the half-hour mark after failing to shake off the after-effects of a robust challenge by Liam Ridgewell.
England winger Walcott had been one of three changes for Arsenal, with Kieran Gibbs playing at left-back and Mannone keeping his place in goal despite Manuel Almunia's return to fitness.
Walcott had started brightly and tested Blues keeper Joe Hart with a curling shot that came at the end of a strong run before he was replaced by Arshavin.
Arsenal had already posted warnings of their attacking intent by then, with Tomas Rosicky twice getting in good positions only to fail to connect properly with volleys.
It must have made uncomfortable viewing for new Birmingham owner Carson Yeung as he sat in the stands as president of the club for the first time since he completed his takeover.
Yeung has promised to make £40m available for new players but any green shoots of recovery that may come from that potential cash injection look a long way off on this showing.
Fielding a team with four changes from that side that lost to Burnley, the visitors, who had lost four of their last five league games going into the match, struggled to keep pace with their opponents.
And they were soon undone by Song's fine through ball and Van Persie's equally well-placed finish gave Arsenal the lead.
Moments later, Arsenal worked a great opening with some fluid football, and Diaby arrived at the far post to hammer home Rosicky's cross.
Birmingham's first effort at goal came form Sebastian Larsson, but his free-kick was pushed away by Mannone.
However, the Italian keeper was soon to make a costly mistake when he flapped at a cross and succeeded only in patting the ball down at the feet of Bowyer, who dispatched the ball into an empty net.
Arsenal almost restored their two-goal lead when Arshavin took a snap shot but Joe Hart made a decent low stop to his right.
Birmingham started the second half well and Cameron Jerome's ball almost reached Lee Bowyer via Barry Ferguson as Arsenal looked vulnerable.
But the hosts hit back and Arshavin dragged a shot wide when he looked set to score before Cesc Fabregas was just about kept out by Hart.
As Arsenal began to assume full control once more, they were presented with an indirect free-kick in the area after Larsson was harshly judged to have played a deliberate back pass.
From the set-piece, Van Persie smashed the ball against the top of the bar.
Arsenal then suffered a scare when Ridgewell's cross looked certain to be turned in before Mannone made up for his earlier error by clawing the ball away from two waiting Blues players.
But the home side's nerves were settled when Arshavin cut in from the right and curled a sweet shot into the far corner.
Arsenal might have had a fourth goal but Hart made a fine save to deny Diaby from close range and Van Persie's shot was blocked by Ridgewell.
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Aston Villa 2 - 1 Chelsea
Aston Villa delivered a blow to Chelsea's title ambitions by inflicting a second successive away defeat on the pre-match Premier League leaders.
Chelsea took the lead when Brad Friedel failed to deal with a speculative long-range effort from Didier Drogba, but they failed to capitalise.
An unmarked Richard Dunne headed the home side level after Ashley Young's corner flicked off Frank Lampard.
James Collins headed the winner from another Young corner to stun Chelsea.
It was Collins' first goal in four years as Chelsea's defence was uncharacteristically exposed again at a set piece.
Two seasons ago, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich left Villa Park before the end of a 2-0 defeat by Martin O'Neill's side. Two weeks later then manager Jose Mourinho was dismissed.
Current Blues' coach Carlo Ancelotti has no concerns as far as his job security goes, but he will have been deeply unhappy with the lack of concentration at the back which allowed Villa to get back into the game.
Villa, with frustrated England striker Emile Heskey again confined to the bench by O'Neill until the final eight minutes, should take plenty of confidence from a hard-earned victory.
After a quiet opening, the game exploded into life when emergency referee Kevin Friend - called in at the last minute after Steve Bennett was taken ill - waved away Villa appeals for a penalty.
On closer inspection, Jose Bosingwa had wrapped his arm all over Gabriel Agbonlahor's shoulder, preventing him from capitalising on Stilyan Petrov's cross with only Petr Cech to beat.
Chelsea, fortunate not to concede a penalty, quickly poured forward, James Milner denying Florent Malouda with a smart tackle. But on their next attack the west London club took the lead.
Drogba skilfully turned Collins, but was still about 35 yards out when firing his shot at the Villa goal.
Friedel should have had the effort comfortably covered, but the 38-year-old American was deceived by the dip and bounce of the shot, and had to hide his embarrassment as he picked the ball out of net.
Chelsea, no doubt fortified by the goal, tended to offer more in the way of a threat going forward - so it was a bit of a surprise to see Villa grab an equaliser.
It had an element of fortune about it, as Lampard's attempted clearing header from Young's corner served up a chance on a silver platter for Dunne. The Republic of Ireland defender buried his header from close range.
But Chelsea now produced their best football of the half. Friedel, atoning for his earlier error, had to back-pedal furiously to tip a cheeky chip from the consistently excellent Deco over the top right-hand corner.
And a neat move of short passes played across the edge of the Villa area presented Drogba with an excellent chance, whereupon Collins produced a terrific block, throwing his body into the path of the shot.
The Blues' defence was found wanting early in the second half, however, when another corner from Young proved too much to deal with.
This time the winger picked out Collins on the far post, who was given vast swathes of undefended territory in which to rise up to nod the ball down, back across goal and into the net.
John Terry reacted by jumping around the box like a toddler with a tantrum, but the only way Chelsea could respond was to attack once again.
Chelsea took the lead when Brad Friedel failed to deal with a speculative long-range effort from Didier Drogba, but they failed to capitalise.
An unmarked Richard Dunne headed the home side level after Ashley Young's corner flicked off Frank Lampard.
James Collins headed the winner from another Young corner to stun Chelsea.
It was Collins' first goal in four years as Chelsea's defence was uncharacteristically exposed again at a set piece.
Two seasons ago, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich left Villa Park before the end of a 2-0 defeat by Martin O'Neill's side. Two weeks later then manager Jose Mourinho was dismissed.
Current Blues' coach Carlo Ancelotti has no concerns as far as his job security goes, but he will have been deeply unhappy with the lack of concentration at the back which allowed Villa to get back into the game.
Villa, with frustrated England striker Emile Heskey again confined to the bench by O'Neill until the final eight minutes, should take plenty of confidence from a hard-earned victory.
After a quiet opening, the game exploded into life when emergency referee Kevin Friend - called in at the last minute after Steve Bennett was taken ill - waved away Villa appeals for a penalty.
On closer inspection, Jose Bosingwa had wrapped his arm all over Gabriel Agbonlahor's shoulder, preventing him from capitalising on Stilyan Petrov's cross with only Petr Cech to beat.
Chelsea, fortunate not to concede a penalty, quickly poured forward, James Milner denying Florent Malouda with a smart tackle. But on their next attack the west London club took the lead.
Drogba skilfully turned Collins, but was still about 35 yards out when firing his shot at the Villa goal.
Friedel should have had the effort comfortably covered, but the 38-year-old American was deceived by the dip and bounce of the shot, and had to hide his embarrassment as he picked the ball out of net.
It had an element of fortune about it, as Lampard's attempted clearing header from Young's corner served up a chance on a silver platter for Dunne. The Republic of Ireland defender buried his header from close range.
But Chelsea now produced their best football of the half. Friedel, atoning for his earlier error, had to back-pedal furiously to tip a cheeky chip from the consistently excellent Deco over the top right-hand corner.
And a neat move of short passes played across the edge of the Villa area presented Drogba with an excellent chance, whereupon Collins produced a terrific block, throwing his body into the path of the shot.
The Blues' defence was found wanting early in the second half, however, when another corner from Young proved too much to deal with.
This time the winger picked out Collins on the far post, who was given vast swathes of undefended territory in which to rise up to nod the ball down, back across goal and into the net.
John Terry reacted by jumping around the box like a toddler with a tantrum, but the only way Chelsea could respond was to attack once again.
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