PL roundup: Chelsea save title hopes

PL roundup: Chelsea save title hopes

Published Apr. 30, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou scored in the 89th minute on Saturday to give his team a 2-1 win over Tottenham that keeps alive his team's hopes of retaining the Premier League title.

Spurs led through Sandro's 19th-minute shot from long range but Frank Lampard equalized in the final minute of the first half after Heurelho Gomes spilled his shot.

The referee gave the goal even though replays showed the recovering goalkeeper just prevented the whole ball crossing the line and Kalou scored the winner from what appeared to be an offside position, stabbing in Didier Drogba's deflected shot.

The win keeps up the pressure on Manchester United, which seeks to extend its three-point advantage over Chelsea when it visits Arsenal on Sunday.

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"They're in the driving seat and it's theirs to lose, but if they do slip up we're in a position now where we'll have a real go to try and do it," Lampard said. "We've kept ourselves alive today and we can sit back and watch and hope tomorrow."

Chelsea has just three games remaining to United's four, but one of those is the meeting between the teams at Old Trafford next weekend.

"We're fighting to the end," Lampard said. "We had a couple of months where we let ourselves down a bit and let it slip, but you saw the character today. We deserved it today."

Tottenham still has not won at Stamford Bridge since 1990 and is now unlikely to qualify for the Champions League. Manager Harry Redknapp's side is four points behind Manchester City, which occupies the fourth and final Champions League spot having played one game fewer.

"You've got to look at the two goals," Redknapp said. "The first one wasn't over the line and the second I thought was offside.

"I don't see why we're still messing around after all these years and haven't got technology in the game. It's amazing."

Manchester City hosts last-place West Ham on Sunday, when Wolverhampton Wanderers is at Birmingham, and Liverpool hosts Newcastle.

The identity of the clubs to be relegated remained unclear after Wigan and Blackpool each picked up a valuable point in their fight against the drop.

Blackpool drew 0-0 with FA Cup finalist Stoke, while Wigan drew 1-1 with seventh-place Everton.

Wigan led through Charles N'Zogbia's 21st-minute goal but Leighton Baines equalized with 12 minutes left with a penalty awarded for a handball by Hugo Rodallega.

Blackpool, in 17th place, and Wigan, in the third and final relegation spot, are tied on 35 points and separated only by goal difference with three games of their seasons remaining.

"This proves that we have come out of our doldrums," said Blackpool manager Ian Holloway after his team's first home clean sheet this season. "We have taken on a really good side at our place and kept a clean sheet."

West Ham has 32 points, one fewer than second-from-bottom Wolves.

Blackburn improved its chances of avoiding demotion with its first win since Jan. 23, beating Bolton 1-0. Martin Olsson scored the only goal with a low shot in the 20th, while Simon Davies scored twice as Fulham moved into the top half of the standings with a 3-0 win at Sunderland.

West Bromwich Albion's place in next year's Premier League looks secure after it rallied to a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

Queens Park Rangers secured the League Championship title with a 2-0 win at Watford, playmaker Adel Taarabt's 19th goal of the season also helping to clinch promotion to the Premier League for the west London club after a 15-year absence.

But QPR faces an FA disciplinary hearing next week over allegations of breaking transfer rules, with a points deduction a possibility if it is found guilty.

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