LONDON, England — Chelsea went four points clear at the top of the Premier League on Sunday thanks to a 2-0 win over Arsenal, and Liverpool's shambolic season reached a new low with an embarrassing 2-1 home defeat to Blackpool.
Didier Drogba proved to be Arsenal's nemesis once again, glancing in from close range in the 39th minute for his 13th goal in his last 11 matches against the Gunners, before Alex's unstoppable late free kick clinched victory.
Chelsea leads the league on 18 points with its nearest rival Manchester City, which beat Newcastle 2-1 in Sunday's other game. Liverpool couldn't be much further from the title race after another humiliating result for the 18-time champions.
The Reds stayed in the relegation zone, with only six points, piling the pressure on manager Roy Hodgson. His team has not won in five matches, including a penalty-shootout defeat to fourth-tier Northampton in the League Cup and a dire goalless draw at Utrecht in the Europa League on Thursday.
Arsenal dominated possession for large spells but failed to find a cutting edge as Chelsea clinched a sixth victory in seven league matches, its only defeat coming at City last weekend.
Drogba enjoys playing against Arsenal and the Ivory Coast striker made the visitors pay for their early profligacy in front of goal by meeting Ashley Cole's cross from the left with a flicked finish that went in off the post.
Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny were guilty of wasting clear chances in the first half and striker Chamakh headed wide in the second half as Arsenal piled forward in search of the equalizer.
Alex, who hobbled off injured in stoppage time, settled the result with a powerful free kick that swerved past Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and into the top corner in the 85th.
Arsenal dropped a place to fourth and is two points behind Manchester United, which drew 0-0 with Sunderland on Saturday. United has 13 points and Arsenal 11 from seven games.
Liverpool's plight off the pitch is now looking just as bad on the field. The club's fans staged a pre-match protest march against American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., who put the club up for sale in April and face a deadline to repay a debt which has grown to about 280 million pounds.
Liverpool began the day in its lowest position in the standings this season and saw star striker Fernando Torres withdrawn with a suspected groin strain after just 10 minutes.
It went from bad to worse when Blackpool took the lead through a penalty by Charlie Adam after Luke Varney was brought down by Glen Johnson in the 28th minute.
Varney put Blackpool 2-0 ahead in first-half stoppage time, running onto a flick by Gary Taylor-Fletcher and shooting past Jose Reina from just inside the area.
Liverpool was much better after the break and gave itself hope when Greece center back Sotirios Kyrgiakos met Steven Gerrard's free kick to plant a header past Matthew Gilks.
The hosts could not find an equalizer, though, and has just one win from seven matches.
Adam Johnson came off the bench to score the winner for City in a match marred by a suspected leg break for Newcastle winger Hatem Ben Arfa.
Johnson drove home an angled shot in the 75th minute to lift City to 14 points and above neighbor Manchester United in the standings.
"It's always the plan to come on and make a difference, and I did that," said Johnson, a boyhood Newcastle fan. "It's a vital win for us."
Ben Arfa was taken to hospital after injuring his left leg following a robust third-minute challenge by midfielder Nigel De Jong.
Carlos Tevez's 18th-minute penalty put City ahead before Newcastle equalized in the 24th through Jonas Gutierrez.