Didier Drogba was on target for the second game in a row as Chelsea, the only top-six team in Premier League action on Saturday, cruised to a 3-1 win at mid-table West Bromwich Albion.
Peter Odemwingie chipped West Brom ahead after 17 minutes but Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Frank Lampard had Chelsea 3-1 up at halftime as they bounced back from their midweek Champions League exit at the hands of Manchester United.
United, who play Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals later on Saturday, top the table with 69 points, seven ahead of Arsenal who host Liverpool on Sunday. Chelsea are third on 61 with Manchester City on 56 and Tottenham Hotspur fifth on 53.
At the other end of the table Blackpool's dire run continued as a 3-1 home defeat by Wigan Athletic lifted the winners off the bottom and dragged the hosts into the relegation zone for the first time this season.
