Fulham 2 Chelsea 2

Clint Dempsey's last-minute header dented Chelsea's Premier League title challenge as Fulham earned a battling 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.
Chelsea, who, thanks in part to bad refereeing decisions, have now taken only 10 points from their last 21, had been on course for a west London derby win after two second-half strikes from Frank Lampard.
But Dempsey, who had given Fulham the lead after 10 minutes, popped up with seconds remaining to extend the Cottagers' unbeaten run to nine games.
Chelsea now head into the new year three points behind the Scousers, who had signed off 2008 earlier in the day with an easy 5-1 win at Newcastle (did they turn up?).
Fulham may not challenge for the title this season, but are determined to have a major say in its eventual destination having now beaten Arsenal and taken points off Liverpool and Chelsea.
It is some turnaround in the space of 12 months under manager Roy Hodgson, who took charge a year ago when the club seemed bound for relegation.
Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari decided to start with Nicolas Anelka on the bench and Didier Drogba caused Fulham all sorts of problems in the opening stages.
Florent Malouda fed the Ivorian striker with a delicate reverse ball but Drogba drove his shot into the side-netting, wide of the near post.
Chelsea full-back Jose Bosingwa was frustrated to concede a free-kick for a foul on Andrew Johnson and Fulham took full advantage to take a 10th-minute lead.
John Mikel Obi failed to deal with Simon Davies' curling free-kick as it bounced at the far post and Dempsey controlled the ball on his chest before flicking it past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Drogba worked space in the Fulham box with a neat turn past Aaron Hughes to slide his shot between Mark Schwarzer's legs and was unfortunate to see the ball roll agonisingly wide.
Chelsea were laying siege to the Fulham box. Hughes did well to shepherd the ball out for a corner when Drogba latched onto a knock-down from Malouda.
Malouda was replaced by Anelka after half an hour and his first touch teed up a stinging drive from 25 yards that Schwarzer could only parry clear off his thigh.
Chelsea's reshuffle saw Joe Cole pushed into a more advanced role on the right and they continued to dominate possession but Fulham were bright on the ball and Cech needed to intercept a low cross from Bobby Zamora before Dempsey could pounce again.
Chelsea then made a second change with Alex replaced after 36 minutes by Ricardo Carvalho, who returned to action after nearly three months out with a knee injury.
Bosingwa teed up Lampard for another strike from outside the box and Schwarzer did well to scramble across and push it behind for a corner.
Fulham was under pressure right from the restart with Brede Hangeland and then Dickson Etuhu forced into vital rearguard action as Drogba linked with Cole down the left flank.
Branislav Ivanovic unleashed a fierce volley from outside the Chelsea box which Schwarzer appeared to have covered, though he was saved the bother as the ball slammed straight into Anelka's midriff.
Four minutes into the second half the pressure finally told as Lampard pounced on a mix-up between Hughes and Schwarzer to put Chelsea level.
Hughes, retreating towards his own goal to deal with Deco's lofted ball and under pressure from Drogba, collided with Schwarzer and Lampard was able to slot the loose ball home.
Chelsea ramped up the pressure further. Lampard's pin-point 50-yard ball bisected Hughes and John Pantsil to find Drogba who took one touch but then rifled his shot over the bar.
Chelsea switched their point of attack to Cole, who forced Schwarzer to make two sharp saves in the space of a minute as Fulham continued to be stretched.
But there was no hint of Fulham, driven by the industrious Dempsey and Danny Murphy in midfield, trying to hold on for the draw and when Pantsil cut inside his left-foot shot flew just wide of Cech's near post.
Chelsea fans booed the substitution of Cole but it was soon cheered as Lampard rifled a 25-yard free-kick through a gap in the Fulham wall and under Schwarzer's dive to put Chelsea 2-1 up.
But Fulham refused to roll over and with the clock ticking down earned one final chance and once again Chelsea were found wanting at a set-piece.
Dempsey rose highest to meet the corner and directed his header inside the unguarded far post.
There was more drama to come as Chelsea piled forward in search of an injury-time winner but Schwarzer pulled off a brilliant double save to deny Cole and then Lampard to seal the draw.

Just to change the subject slightly.
Referees decisions continue to have a bearing on where the Premier League trophy might end up this season.
On Boxing Day Manchester United got a late winner against Stoke after thr Potters had a man sent off for a second yellow card, the first of which was given for a very innocuous challenge.
In the same game, that spoilt brat Ronaldo kicked out at an opponent reminiscent of David Beckham against Argentina but of course none of the officials saw it so, as usual, he got away with it.
Before that, Shrek Rooney elbowed an opponent in the face right in front of the linesman but again no one saw it and no action was taken. He also got away with stamping on an opponent in a Champions League game a couple of weeks ago.
The saying about these things evening themselves up over the season is rubbish. United always get away with it.

Chelsea 2 WBA 0

Chelsea went back to the top of the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 win over rock-bottom West Brom at Stamford Bridge, writes PA Sport.
First-half goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard gave Chelsea its first home league win in four games.
The Blues took three minutes to go in front with Drogba, making his first league appearance since the end of September, heading home a cross from Joe Cole.
It was the Ivorian's second goal of the season and his first in the Premier League this term.
In the ninth minute Lampard tried his luck with a 35-yard free-kick which Albion keeper Scott Carson did well to hold at the first attempt.
Drogba's goal allowed Chelsea the luxury of playing without the nervousness that had accompanied its last three league games at the Bridge.
A defeat by Arsenal and draws with Newcastle and West Ham had stunted its title charge in recent weeks.
Lampard should have done better in the 19th minute when Ashley Cole found him unmarked inside the Albion penalty area.
But the England midfielder, captain in the absence of the suspended John Terry, sent his shot wide of the target.
Moments later Chelsea carved out a fine move down the right flank but a cross from Jose Bosingwa eluded everyone in the six-yard box.
In the 32nd minute, Carson had to be alert to keep out a low drive from Michael Ballack as Chelsea increased the tempo.
Ten minutes before the break, Joe Cole fed namesake Ashley on the left but the defender saw his shot tipped onto the post by Carson.
The ball rebounded back to Ashley Cole but Carson also saved his second effort, even though it was going wide.
Chelsea's biggest threat was coming from the rampaging runs of Bosingwa on the right.
The full-back was virtually ever-present in attack such was Albion's lack of a cutting edge.
Chelsea made it two in first-half injury time when Joe and Ashley Cole linked up to provide Lampard with the chance to beat Carson from close range.
Chelsea replaced Bosingwa with Juliano Belletti at half-time and he was quickly into the action, but a neat combination of passes with Drogba ended with an attempted chip over Carson going far too high.
Anelka and Drogba were starting a game together for the first time this season but Scolari had kept faith with his 4-3-3 formation.
That meant Anelka found himself out on the left flank for large periods of the game - a position he disliked under former coach Avram Grant last season.
But it was clear Drogba offered Chelsea more power in the central role and in the 53rd minute his trickery and muscle opened up the Albion defence sufficiently for him to test Carson with a powerful shot.
Lampard should have scored his second of the game in the 58th minute but he was far too cavalier with his effort.
Anelka, for once in a central position, supplied the England midfielder with a perfect pass but Lampard's attempted chip was easily dealt with by Carson.
Three minutes later Ballack found Drogba in space on the right side of the penalty area but the Ivorian sent his shot swerving into the crowd as he looked for a second goal of the afternoon.
Moments later Drogba squandered another chance after a fabulous run from Anelka presented him with a clear-cut opportunity.
The Chelsea striker was foiled by Carson who punched away Drogba'seffort. It was the Ivorian's last contribution as seconds later he was replaced by Florent Malouda.
Eight minutes from time Anelka tried his luck from 20 yards but sent his shot straight at Carson.
Malouda snatched wildly at a chance four minutes from the end of normal time but the France international hit the side netting.

Everton 0 Chelsea 0

Luiz Felipe Scolari was seething today after captain John Terry was sent off in the 0-0 draw with Everton.
Scolari's only reported reaction, according to Setanta TV's touchline reporter, was Scolari shouting, "Are you afraid? Are you afraid?" at referee Phil Dowd as the pair departed down the tunnel at half-time of the Premier League match at Goodison Park.
Terry now faces a three-match ban, which will rule him out of league matches against West Bromwich Albion and Fulham, and the FA Cup third-round game with League 1 side Southend on January 3.
Clearly, Scolari knew he risked Football Association sanctions of his own if he vented his anger publicly so he boycotted the compulsory post-match press conference.
"None of the Chelsea management is coming up to talk to you," Chelsea media chief Steve Atkins told waiting journalists.
"The Chelsea management have a number of issues with a number of the decisions during the game and they feel it is better not to say anything that gets them into trouble."
Chelsea's Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack were also booked for dissent as the Blues squandered a chance to leap above Premier League leader Liverpool in the standings.
But Everton manager David Moyes backed the referee, despite his side being denied a late winner when Steven Pienaar bundled the ball into the net.
The midfielder was adjudged to have been offside before stealing the ball out of goalkeeper Petr Cech's hands.
"My first reaction from the side was that it was reckless and I thought it was going to be close," Moyes said.
"In my day, I would have enjoyed a tackle like that but I don't think you are allowed it now. "And did he get the decision right leading up to the goal that we scored? Yes he did."
The stalemate saw Chelsea move to Liverpool - Everton's city rivals - and ended a run of 11 straight away league wins for the Blues.
Chelsea played 55 minutes of the match a man down after England skipper Terry received a straight red card from referee Dowd for a late and dangerous tackle on Everton midfielder Leon Osman.
But, despite the centre-half's expulsion 10 minutes before half-time, Everton - without a recognised striker because of injury - couldn't score.
Chelsea, who'd seen Liverpool drop points in a 1-1 draw away to Arsenal, were going for a Premier League record of 12 straight away wins against an Everton side that had won just once on home turf all season.
Injuries to Everton's strikers again saw manager David Moyes field Australia's Tim Cahill as the lone man up front after the midfielder had netted an an injury-time winner at Manchester City last week.
Chelsea made the brighter start, though, and defender Ashley Cole almost gave them a second-minute lead after breaking behind the Everton back four to fire a left-foot volley at goal.
But United States goalkeeper Tim Howard reacted well to push the shot behind for a corner. Moyes's team, who suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa in their last outing at Goodison Park, responded well and captain Phil Neville's 25-metre effort forced Cech into a fine save.
Chelsea, with Nicolas Anelka once again keeping Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba on the bench, struggled to make any headway against the home side.
Their frustration spilled over in the 35th minute when Terry committed the foul that saw him sent off.
Terry was always up against it in his bid to beat Osman to the ball inside the Everton half and he mis-timed his tackle badly, catching his opponent on the leg in front of the referee and, for the second time this season, Terry found himself dismissed.
Had Everton been blessed with a full complement of strikers, a second-half onslaught against Chelsea's goal could have been expected.
But with options limited, Moyes's team instead attempted to find their way to goal by gradually increasing the pressure on their under-manned opponents and it was a frustrating spectacle for the home supporters.
And as the clocked ticked by, only a Marouane Fellaini header from Neville's cross, saved by Cech in the 53rd minute, was created by a cautious Everton.
Chelsea were unable to push Everton back inside their own territory, however, and an off-target 30-metre strike from Frank Lampard in the 75th minute was as close as they came to scoring. Everton almost snatched it when Fellaini's back heel bounced just wide of the far post 10 minutes from the finish, but Chelsea held out to claim what could ultimately prove to be a crucial point.

In my opinion, Dowd was in his usual "look at me" mood.

He sent J.T. off for what was, at the end of the day, a rash but not dangerous challenge which warranted a booking at best. He also booked a number of other Chelsea players for 'nothing' offences and Ballack for asking if the wall was 10 yards back at a free kick.

Referees decisions are becoming farcical and it's about time that they realised the best referees are innocuous, and when they're not they spoil the game for thousands of paying fans.

They are not the stars of the show.

More Points Lost To Incompetent Officials

Two more points were dropped by the Blues yesterday as that big nosed comedian Mike Riley either missed or chose to ignore a nailed on penalty eight yards in front of him. His linesman also failed to spot either of two handball incidents in the build up to the Hammers 'goal'.
Add that to the linesman failing to spot that van Persie was at least a yard offside as he scored an equaliser in our last home league game against Arsenal and also giving Salomon Kalou offside (when he wasn't) when through on goal one on one with the keeper in the same game and that amounts to five points taken from Chelsea by incompetent, and make no mistake that's what they are, officials.
Liverpool, on the other hand, won a point in their home game against Hull by the referee, Alan Wiley, missing or turning a blind eye to incidents in the build up to both of their goals scored by ickle Stevie. He's obviously blind or got no bottle.
If the officials in only these three games had done their job properly, Chelsea would be five points clear at the top of the table by now.
Fans of all clubs like us pay a lot of ticket money to watch these games and it's about time these officials were forced to perform to a higher standard or be dropped permanently.
Where are the referee observers? Do they actually give their reports in? If so, they don't seem to be acted upon very strictly.
Riley in partcular gives consistently sub standard displays and something should be done about it.
The govering bodies should realise it's a high powered job and act accordingly.
The trouble is they are too protected. Nobody is allowed to criticise them and if managers give their opinion they are banned, fined, etc.
It's about time referees were treated in the same way for their disgaceful performances.

Chelsea 1 West Ham 1

Gianfranco Zola stopped his old club Chelsea from returning to the top of the Premier League as his West Ham side claimed a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
On his return to Chelsea, where the former Italy striker holds legendary status, the fledgling manager's Hammers team gained a well-earned point in a fiercely contested London derby.
Wales striker Craig Bellamy gave the visitors a 33rd-minute lead with a well-taken strike but France forward Nicolas Anelka rescued a point for Chelsea in the 51st minute with his 100th Premier League goal.
The result means Chelsea remain second in the Premier League table, one point behind Liverpool, while West Ham's struggle to pull away from the relegation zone is helped by a useful point gained away from home.
Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari had treatment for a kidney stone problem overnight but was well enough to take charge on the touchline.
Despite substitute Didier Drogba scoring the winner in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Romania's CFR Cluj that put them into the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, Scolari kept the Ivory Coast forward on the bench with Anelka remaining as the sole striker.
Frank Lampard came in for Salomon Kalou in the only change to the Blues line-up.
Zola was given a warm welcome back to Stamford Bridge by the home fans, and the Sardinian's exit from the tunnel was delayed by several warm exchanges with Blues backroom staff. Germany captain Michael Ballack missed the first scoring chance of the game, firing over the bar after Lampard dummied.
Lampard them combined with fellow former West Ham midfielder Joe Cole, sending his England team-mate through but Cole's shot from close range deflected wide off former Blues midfielder Scott Parker.
Both sides were struggling to create goalscoring opportunities and convert corners into dangerous chances.
But fired-up forward Bellamy broke the deadlock with a well-taken strike in the 33rd minute. Parker took down Herita Ilunga's throw-in, rounded right-back Jose Boswinga as he charged into the penalty box and cut the ball back for Bellamy, who chested it down and blasted a shot low inside goalkeeper Petr Cech's near post.
Anelka missed a good chance just before the interval, blasting a bobbling ball wide when presented with a good chance to hit the target.
Scolari had seen enough and replaced the booked Ballack with Drogba at half-time to sharpen up Chelsea's attack.
But within six minutes Anelka reminded Scolari of his shooting skills with a well-taken goal. After smart passing among the Chelsea ranks, Drogba laid the ball off to Lampard outside the penalty box and the former Hammer clipped it over the visitors' back line for Anelka.
The France striker took a half-volley in his stride, hitting it down into the turf and beyond goalkeeper Robert Green's dive for the equaliser.
Chelsea went in search of a winner, with Lampard firing a volley straight at Green five minutes later and then screwing another shot wide.
Lampard hit a long-distance shot at Green in the 65th minute, which the England international managed to smother at the second attempt.
Alex then had a shot on the turn deflected over the crossbar and Green had to be alert to keep out Drogba's volley from the resulting corner.
Parker headed a 79th-minute effort off the line as Chelsea upped the pressure and Scolari brought on Kalou and Juliano Belletti in a bid to capitalise on their dominance.
Lampard was seemingly clipped in the penalty box by Hammers captain Lucas Neill but referee Mike Riley waved away his penalty claims.
In injury time, Carlton Cole could have hit a shock winner after being played through by Valon Behrami but Cech saved his low shot to secure a point for Chelsea in their bid to recapture the Premier League title.

Chelsea 2 FC Cluj 1

Luiz Felipe Scolari hailed Didier Drogba as "one of the best strikers in the world" after Chelsea reached the Champions League knockout stages, reports Teamtalk.com.
Substitute Drogba climbed off the bench to grab the Blues' winner in a 2-1 victory over CFR Cluj, and Scolari believes he must now find a way to accommodate both the Ivorian and Nicolas Anelka in his side.
Anelka has bagged 15 goals so far this season, while Drogba's campaign has been hampered by a knee injury and suspension.
But the Ivorian upstaged Anelka against Cluj by coming on in the 65th minute and firing the winner six minutes later.
It enabled Chelsea to finish second in Group A behind Roma, but while Drogba took all the plaudits, Scolari insisted he still had to find a place in his side for both of them.
"Drogba is one of the best strikers in the world," said Scolari. "I have more options now he is fit. But he didn't have a pre-season build-up because of injury and when he came back he got injured again.
"Then he was suspended and now he is back again. But it gives me a chance to play a different system sometimes. Before he was fit, I could not do that.
"He is important but don't forget we are second in the Champions League group and second in the Premier League because our top scorer is Nicolas Anelka.
"Drogba is one of the best in the world but I need to think about Anelka. He is as important as Drogba. After this, it is my job to put the two together."
Chelsea's second place in the group means they will have to play the second leg of their knockout tie away from home.
But Scolari, who says he feels 'zero pressure' as Chelsea coach, insists he does not fear anyone.
"I don't get to choose," said Scolari. "For me it is not difficult if we play Barcelona, Real Madrid or any team because they are the best.
"If we want to arrive in the final games, we need to win."
Chelsea took the lead in the 40th minute through Salomon Kalou but Cluj shocked the Blues with a 55th minute leveller from Yssouf Kone.
But Scolari's blushes were spared when Drogba, who refused to speak after the game, scored the vital winner.
"I think we played well, but not very well," said Scolari. "We had more of the ball but they did well on the counter-attack.
"They have a very good group and good spirit and I like some of the Cluj players.
"We played with spirit and fight. Maybe some of my players made mistakes but the others helped them. All of my players are important not just one. We played as a team today."
Cluj coach Maurizio Trombetta was disappointed that his side could not go on to beat Chelsea after giving them an almighty scare.
Cluj finished bottom of Group A, but Trombetta insisted their first campaign in the competition had given them much valuable experience.
"Unfortunately Chelsea managed to score again after we had equalised," said Trombetta.
"Maybe Chelsea were a little bit nervous and when we scored maybe there was little less in their playing capacity but in the end they managed to get another goal and win.
"But obviously playing in the Champions League has been a very useful experience for the players and the club."

Bolton Wanderers 0 Chelsea 2

Nicolas Anelka struck the 99th goal of his Premier League career to help Chelsea to a place in the record books during its 2-0 win over Bolton.
On his old Bolton stamping ground 11 months after a £15million move, a diving header from Anelka gave the Blues an 11th consecutive away win in the league, with eight this season.
Deco's sumptuous scissor-kick 12 minutes later sealed the victory as Chelsea eclipsed the mark set 48 years ago by Bill Nicholson's Tottenham side.
With leaders Liverpool winning at Blackburn, the win keeps perfect-on-the-road Chelsea hot on the heels of the Merseyside club at the top of the table.
In fairness, the first half was all too easy for Chelsea once Anelka set it on its way.
But shortly before that there was one a chance for Bolton that would undoubtedly have put a different complexion on the game.
Despite Chelsea's frightening away record coming into this game, and its dominance over Bolton as it has now won its last six at the Reebok Stadium without conceding a goal, the home side came into the match on a roll themselves with four wins in five games.
Salomon Kalou had cleared the crossbar by inches with a deft flick with the outside of his right foot from the edge of the area in the fifth minute.
But three minutes later came an opportunity for Kevin Davies to at least put Chelsea on the back foot.
However, despite being given a free header from six yards in latching onto an inswinging corner from Gavin McCann, he shaved the crossbar instead of putting Petr Cech under pressure.
Chelsea's relief was evident, and Davies' dismay intensified just a minute later when Anelka found the back of the net.
Switching the play from left wing to right, Deco fed an unmarked Jose Bosingwa who then produced a measured cross into the six-yard box.
Anelka drifted off the back of Andy O'Brien and planted a home diving header off Jussi Jaaskelainen's right-hand post.
It was the Frenchman's 15th goal in all competitions this season and his ninth in his last seven Premier League games.
It was a simple chance for an on-song Anelka to take, in particular in light of Bolton's recent upturn in form and new-found resilience.
Yet just 12 minutes later boss Gary Megson's side were left chasing shadows as Chelsea doubled their advantage, even if the visitors enjoyed a touch of fortune into the bargain.
There can be no doubting the clinical nature of Chelsea's attack, culminating in Deco and Michael Ballack teeing up Bosingwa for a fearsome drive that cannoned off Jaaskelainen's legs.
Then came the luck as the ball ballooned up in the air straight to Ballack who instinctively nodded on for Deco.
The finish from the unmarked Portuguese, though, was exquisite as he beat Jaaskelainen inside his right-hand post with a right-foot scissor-kick from 15 yards.
It was a fine way for Deco to end a personal 14-match drought after scoring in his opening two matches for the Blues following his move from Barcelona in the summer.
If Anelka had made it 3-0 midway through the half then a rout would have been on the cards, but instead he sidefooted an angled effort wide after Jaaskelainen had fisted clear a Frank Lampard free-kick.
But Bolton dug in for the remainder of the half, and for the majority of the second period, without thereward its character and attitude deserved.
They were fortunate, though, not to have conceded a third in the 56th minute when Deco was sent scampering clear from the edge of the centre circle.
But with only Jaaskelainen to beat, and although making the right choice in lifting the ball over Bolton's number one as he went to ground, he somehow contrived to send his flick wide.
If Chelsea felt it should have been out of sight, Bolton will have felt aggrieved at being denied a nailed-on penalty on the hour.
Replays showed Johan Elmander's half-volley clearly struck Terry on his upper-left arm, but a possibly unsighted Howard Webb turned aside the vociferous appeals.
Cech then produced a superb point-blank reaction save 10 minutes later to block Gary Cahill's diving header inside the six-yard box as Bolton fought desperately for a foothold in the game.
But it never came, and instead Luiz Felipe Scolari's side are now record-breakers, but that will matter little to the Blues boss unless this season ends with the title in his grasp.

Arsenal Forget To Pay Linesnman Shock

The Goners were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Burnley last night, losing 2-0.
The only possible reason is that they forgot to pay off the linesman or referee, or both, as is their custom.
Blame the accounts dept.

Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie put Arsenal back into the Premier League title race with a superb second-half double to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Van Persie struck twice in three minutes after the Blues had taken a first-half lead through a fortuitous Johan Djourou own goal. But while the Dutch striker's second goal was sheer class, his equaliser was clearly scored from an offside position.
Chelsea remain top on goal difference from Liverpool but the Merseysiders will replace them if they get at least a point from their home clash with West Ham on Monday night. The victory helped Arsenal to move back into the top four and cut the gap between them and Chelsea to seven points.
There was no hint of an Arsenal revival after a first half which saw them largely outplayed by the league leaders. Arsenal's season, dogged by dressing-room unrest and five league defeats, looked in danger of imploding completely.
The opening 45 minutes was typically frenetic for a London derby and although Chelsea started brightly, the visitors almost snatched the lead in the 13th minute. A cross to the far post from Emmanuel Adebayor was expertly controlled by Samir Nasri at the far post. His drilled shot was only kept out by the outstretched arm of the giant Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal.
But Chelsea weathered Arsenal's early fire and almost opened the scoring themselves in the 23rd minute when a cross from Jose Bosingwa was met by the unmarked Frank Lampard. The England midfielder sent his header goalwards only for Manuel Almunia to grasp it with both hands.
But Chelsea went ahead in the 29th minute thanks to some comedy football from Arsenal. Almunia threw the ball straight to Bosingwa and when the Portugal right-back had exchanged passes with Nicolas Anelka, he sent over a dangerous low cross that Djourou could only turn into his own net from six yards. But the first portent of an Arsenal revival arrived in the 32nd minute when Van Persie forced Cech into another fine save after the Arsenal midfielder had got the better of Branislav Ivanovic and unleashed a low drive towards the bottom corner.
Arsenal could have gone further behind five minutes before the interval but Almunia denied Salomon Kalou after Lampard's audacious flicked header had put him clear. He was given offside but subsequent replays showed that he wsan't.
Chelsea had not conceded a second-half goal all season and so any chance of an Arsenal fightback was deemed remote at best.
The home side should have gone two in front four minutes after the restart but Lampard saw his shot flash just wide of Almunia's left-hand upright. It was the last Chelsea attempt before Arsenal, against all the odds, turned the game on its head with two goals in three minutes.
The first was a controversial one as Van Persie was clearly yards offside when Denilson found him on the edge of the penalty area. But with no whistle from referee Mike Dean, the Arsenal midfielder smashed the ball into the net for a 59th-minute equaliser.
Three minutes later the Dutchman put Arsenal in front. There seemed little danger as Van Persie shielded the ball on the edge of the penalty area with his back to Cech's goal. But a superb shot on the turn sent the ball through the legs of Lampard and beyond the surprised Cech and into the bottom corner to the delight of the Arsenal fans. It was his ninth of the season.
Chelsea were stunned but the introductions of both Florent Malouda and Miroslav Stoch in place of John Obi Mikel and Deco, proved fruitless for Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Chelsea have not won at home now for three games and the flowing football that allowed them to destroy Sunderland 5-0 at the start of the month has deserted them.
Scolari's side ran out of ideas as the game wore on and even when they fashioned a rare chance to get back in the game, it was squandered by poor finishing. Malouda sent a shot high into the crowd with four minutes remaining when the Frenchman should have at least hit the target. Arsenal were clearly in no mood to allow Chelsea to get back in the game and despite a spell of injury-time pressure, Wenger's side clung on to defy the critics and keep themselves in the hunt for the title.
So, well done officials. Two key mistakes in one game, both favouring the Goners. Yes, only one 'o'. Well, they're not called 'Lucky' Arsenal for nothing.
When will the officials of the game learn the rules and concentrate on the job in hand? They're paid enough.