Eminem and Rihanna deny One Direction their fourth Number 1

Plus: Rihanna joins Elvis and The Beatles in the Official Chart history books!

In one of the most exciting chart battles of 2013, One Direction have been denied their fourth UK Number 1 single by Eminem and Rihanna.

Despite being released on Tuesday, and having a 48 hour disadvantage on the rest of this week’s new singles, Eminem and Rihanna’s The Monster has romped ahead of Harry, Zayn, Niall, Liam and Louis, who had been leading the race all week with their new single, Story Of My Life.

Taken from Eminem’s forthcoming eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (out tomorrow), The Monster is both the US rapper's and Rihanna’s eighth Number 1 UK single.

The last time the pair released a single together was 2010’s Love The Way You Lie, which peaked at Number 2 on the Official Singles Chart. It has gone on to become one of the UK’s biggest selling singles of all-time, with more than 1.15 million copies sold.

Eminem last topped the Official Singles Chart almost seven years ago featuring on Akon’s Smack That, while Rihanna now joins Elvis Presley and The Beatles in the Official Chart history books as just one of three acts to have scored a Number 1 single over seven consecutive years.

Last week’s chart topper, Royals by 16-year-old New Zealand singer Lorde, falls one place to Number 2 today, while Fat Boy Slim’s Eat Sleep Rave Repeat debuts at Number 3. The Calvin Harris remix of the track, which was neck-and-neck with Eminem and One Direction on Friday, is superstar DJ Norman Cook’s first Top 10 hit since 2001’s double A-side Star 69 / Weapon Of Choice.

One Direction finish the week in fourth place, while OneRepublic’s former Number 1, Counting Stars, completes this week’s Top 5.

New Entries

Tinie Tempah narrowly misses out on a Top 5 placing with his latest single, Children Of The Sun FT John Martin (Number 6). The track is taken from the London-based superstar’s hotly anticipated second album, Demonstration (out tomorrow).

The Wanted debut a few places behind Tinie with Show Me Love (America) (Number 8) which is lifted from their new album, Word Of Mouth (alsoreleased tomorrow). Foxes, who previously joined forces with Rudimental for their Top 20 hit Right Here earlier this year, scores a Top 20 hit of her own with Youth, which is new at Number 12.

This week’s Official Singles Chart’s new entries are completed by Justin Bieber’s Recovery (28) and new boyband M.A.D. – AKA 16-year-olds Michael Sutthakorn, Aiden Hancock and Dan Lewis – with their debut Top 40 hit, Toy Boy (37).

The Official Singles Chart Top 10 is as follows. Click here to see the Official Singles Chart Top 100 in full after 7pm.

© 2013 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.