Chelsea cemented their place at the top of the Premier League table with a 3-0 victory over their neighbors Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday. A brace from Didier Drogba and a Thomas Vermaelen own-goal to gave the visitors a deserved win in the London derby, and a five-point lead in the title race. Fourth-placed Arsenal are on 25 points, 11 adrift of Chelsea. Manchester United are the Blues' closest rivals with 31 points. The first half was by far eventless, with no worth mentioning chances in the first 40 minutes. However, the last four minutes of the game saw Chelsea take a surprising two-goal lead. Drogba side-footed an Ashley Cole low cross into the roof of the net to open the scoring. Another cross from former Arsenal man Cole, who was repeatedly jeered by the home fans, was accidently diverted by Vermaelen into the Gunners' net. Hosts' Andrei Arshavin had a goal disallowed four minutes after the break, when Eduardo was adjudged for his challenge on Petr Cech. Drogba left Arsenal with no hope upon converting a free-kick on 86 minutes.
