Drogba gives Chelsea priceless win over Arsenal

By Mike Collett

LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea kept alive their hopes of winning the Premier League title at the same time as severely denting Arsenal's when late goals from Didier Drogba gave them a 2-1 come-from-behind win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Drogba scored with an unstoppable drive after 73 minutes and powerfully hooked home nine minutes later to give Chelsea victory after Bacary Sagna had put Arsenal ahead in the 59th minute with a near-post header from a Cesc Fabregas corner.

The London derby victory lifted Chelsea into second place above Arsenal on 68 points from 31 matches.

Arsenal, now without a win in five league games after four draws and this defeat -- only their second in the league all season -- slipped to third on 67 points.

After leading the table at the start of the month, their hopes of their first title since 2004 are fading fast with only seven matches to play.

Champions Manchester United maintained their lead at the top when they beat Liverpool 3-0 at Old Trafford earlier on Sunday to move to 73 points.

The loss left Liverpool on 59 points and out of contention.

The Chelsea fans, who last saw their team lose at home in the league 78 matches ago when Arsenal won at Stamford Bridge in February 2004, were fearing the worst as the match moved into its closing stages with Arsenal leading by Sagna's first goal for the club.