Gritty Chelsea inch closer to title

The victory took Carlo Ancelotti's men on to 77 points with four matches remaining, four clear of Manchester United whose hopes of an unprecedented fourth successive title are fading fast.

Anelka struck against one of his former clubs with a point-blank header two minutes before halftime when he broke free of static defending to meet Drogba's teasing cross at Stamford Bridge.

Bolton, who have now lost five of their last six league matches without scoring, remained just five points clear of the relegation zone and are not yet safe from the drop.
Ancelotti went for an attacking lineup with Anelka and Drogba paired together for the first time in five matches and his ploy paid off with Anelka scoring for the first time since January.

Chelsea created better chances, going close to taking the lead after 30 minutes when Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen parried a Drogba free kick straight to Salomon Kalou who diverted the ball just wide. It was far from straightforward for Chelsea as Bolton fought for every ball and physically harassed the home side, with Russian defender Yuri Zhirkov bearing the brunt of their aggression.

Chelsea's Frank Lampard hit a post with a low drive after 79 minutes but a frenzied finish from both sides brought no further goals.

Sevilla lose
Sevilla's Champions League hopes suffered a big blow when they lost 2-1 at struggling Real Valladolid in La Liga on Tuesday. Diego Costa and Manucho scored either side of halftime with a header and sweeping finish after a counter-attack to reward a spirited display by the hosts.

A stunning long-distance effort from Juan Cala gave Sevilla hope seven minutes from time and it took desperate saves from Valladolid goalkeeper Jacobo to deny Jesus Navas and Luis Fabiano in a nail-biting finish. Sevilla remained fourth on 51 points, in the last Champions League qualification place, but could drop back if fifth-placed Real Mallorca get at least a draw at Real Zaragoza on Wednesday.

In the late game, Villarreal's Spain goalkeeper Diego Lopez had an unfortunate night as his side lost 3-0 in Getafe.

He first fumbled a long-range shot to gift Nicolas Fedor 'Miku' the opener, and then he could only push Mane's freekick against the post, the rebound going in off his back.
There was nothing he could do about the third, however, as Fedor scored his second of the night on a two-against-one breakaway near the end.