Ashley Cole dinks the ball over the keeper's head to save from a second straight draw

BBC

Ashley Cole was the unlikely hero as Chelsea scored a dramatic late winner to finally breach Stoke's resistance.

The England defender stole in with five minutes remaining to prod in Juan Mata's flick from close-range and keep Chelsea top of the Premier League, on Saturday.

Stoke had threatened to cause an upset when Jonathan Walters headed against Petr Cech's crossbar before half-time.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis threw Michael Owen on as he sensed victory, but it was Chelsea who snatched the points.

Romelu Lukaku struck on his full debut as West Brom deservedly continued their excellent start to the season at the expense of struggling Reading.

And at the Hawthorns, Lukaku collected Shane Long's knock down before beating Alex McCarthy from 18 yards with 14 minutes remaining.

Jonas Olsson had earlier hit the post and McCarthy twice denied James Morrison as West Brom dominated.

The result takes Steve Clarke's team up to third in the Premier League, while Reading have slipped to the bottom.

Brian McDermott's Royals have only a solitary point from their first four games since returning to the top flight.

In other games played Saturday, Southampton beat Aston Villa 4-1, West Ham drew 1-1 with Sunderland and Fulham secured a 2-1 road win at Wigan.