Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 on Wednesday to close within six points of English Premier League leaders Manchester United.
Frank Lampard converted a penalty in the 28th minute for his 20th goal of the season after winger Salomon Kalou was fouled by defender Micah Richards. Chelsea controlled possession for the remainder of the game to send Manchester City to its fifth straight defeat.
In the only other Premier League game on Wednesday, Arsenal beat Aston Villa 1-0 thanks to a goal by Vassiriki Diaby in the 10th minute to move past Liverpool into third place.
Manchester United leads the standings with 72 points while Chelsea improved to 66. Arsenal has 55 points, two more than Liverpool.
"We will be taking it one game at a time," Chelsea defender John Terry said.
Chelsea is seeking its third title in as many years.
For the second time in a week, Kalou was instrumental in the result. After scoring a late equalizer to earn Chelsea a 3-3 draw with Tottenham in Sunday's FA Cup quarterfinal, on Wednesday he outmaneuvered Richards to draw a clear foul.
Lampard confidently put his penalty into the left corner for the only goal of the game.
Chelsea welcomed back captain Terry following an absence of more than two weeks after being kicked in the head during the Blues' League Cup final victory on Feb. 25. His presence solidified a defense that had allowed four goals in two matches.
He was one of four changes from Sunday's lineup against Spurs. Up front, Ukraine's Andriy Shevchenko was kept on the substitute's bench after injuring his left ankle in training on Tuesday. And, this time, standout forward Didier Drogba performed below par.
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