LONDON (AP) -Didier Drogba scored twice in the first 23 minutes, and Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0 on Sunday to stay ahead of Manchester United in the race for the Premier League title.
``Arsenal played well and we are happy with those two goals,'' Drogba said.
The Blues now have 58 points, two ahead of defending champion United and nine more than third-place Aresenal. After losing to United last weekend, Arsenal was desperate for victory at Stamford Bridge but now faces a tough challenge to close on the leading pair.
Chelsea captain John Terry started the game two days after being stripped of the England captaincy and set up the first goal in the eighth minute.
``It's a difficult week for us, for all the club,'' said Drogba, who has scored 12 goals in 10 games against the Gunners. ``We try to stay together and focus on the games. We offered him as much support as he can. ... I think the best thing for him is to play.''
Terry could miss Wednesday's match at Everton after receiving treatment to his left thigh midway through the second half, only returning to the game with his leg heavily strapped.
Drogba has 17 Premier League goals this season, putting him second in the scoring charts to United's Wayne Rooney, who has 21.
Also Sunday, former England striker Kevin Phillips scored twice in the last 10 minutes to give Birmingham a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton. Liverpool beat Everton 1-0 on Saturday to take fourth place from Tottenham, which was held to a 0-0 draw by Aston Villa.
Manchester United beat last-place Portsmouth 5-0.
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MILAN (AP) - Goran Pandev, Walter Samuel and Diego Milito scored to give Inter Milan a 3-0 victory at home to Cagliari on Sunday, extending its lead over second-place AC Milan.
Milan struggled to a 0-0 draw at Bologna.
Inter has 52 points, Milan has 42 and AS Roma is in third place with 41.
Also Sunday, it was Atalanta 1, Bari 0; Genoa 1, Chievo Verona 0; Catania 1, Lazio 0; Sampdoria 2, Siena 1; and Udinese 3, Napoli 1.
``This win against Cagliari is very important because it puts us 10 points above second place,'' Inter coach Jose Mourinho said.
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PARIS (AP) - Saint-Etienne beat Monaco 3-0 on Sunday to move clear of the relegation zone, while 10-man Lyon salvaged a point at Toulouse with a scoreless draw.
In Saint-Etienne, Dimitri Payet set up Blaise Matuidi, who fired into the top corner in the 15th minute. Argentine forward Gonzalo Bergessio doubled the lead with a chip in the 75th before Emmanuel Riviere sealed the win in stoppage time with a curling shot.
On Saturday, Bordeaux's lead was cut to three points after it lost 4-2 to Rennes and Montpellier beat Boulogne 2-0. Bordeaux tops the standings with 48 points, followed by Montpellier with 45 and Lille with 41.
Also Saturday, it was Nice 1, Lille 1; Grenoble 5, Auxerre 0; Lorient 3, Paris Saint-Germain 0; Sochaux 1, Nancy 1; and Lens 2, Le Mans 1.
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FRANKFURT (AP) - Mainz remained one of only three unbeaten teams at home in the Bundesliga on Sunday with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Bo Svensson scored the only goal of the game in the 42nd minute as Mainz leapfrogged three teams to move into seventh place with 30 points from 21 games.
The victory was much needed for Thomas Tuchel's team, which had won just once in the previous eight games. Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich are the only other two teams without a loss at home this season.
``I don't care if some think it was lucky today. We are happy to remain unbeaten at home. We are on a good path. And we can't complain at all with seventh place,'' Tuchel said.
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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) - Robbie Keane scored his first goal for Celtic on Sunday to help his new club to a 4-2 victory at Dunfermline in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.
Celtic rallied from 2-1 down before Keane completed the scoring with a 68th-minute penalty awarded after he was fouled by defender Austin McCann. It was Keane's 11th goal of the season, with the others coming at Tottenham before he left the Premier League club on a loan transfer.
Celtic joins Dundee, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Ross County and Dundee United in the quarterfinals.
Rangers must replay its fifth-round match after drawing 0-0 at St. Mirren on Saturday, when Aberdeen drew 1-1 at Raith.
