Steven Gerrard's astonishing blunder allowed Chelsea to take a giant stride towards the Premier League crown with a 2-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield. Gerrard was left with his head in his hands in the 33rd minute after his attempted backpass to Jose Reina was seized upon by Didier Drogba, with the Ivory Coast international rounding the goalkeeper before slotting home.
Chelsea felt they should have had a penalty moments before the interval with Salomon Kalou going down after tangling with Lucas, but referee Alan Wiley was uninterested, much to the Blues' fury.
But they did not have to wait long to double their advantage after the interval with Frank Lampard sliding the ball home from close range after Nicolas Anelka's low cross from the right.
Carlo Ancelotti's men now boast a four-point cushion over nearest challengers Manchester United, who must beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light later on Sunday to keep the title race alive, given the Blues' superior goal difference.
Liverpool, who had more than matched their opponents until the opener, rarely looked like getting back into the match from that point and saw their faint UEFA Champions League hopes finally extinguished.
Chelsea were undoubtedly the better side in the end but the match may have turned out differently had they not been gifted a 33rd-minute lead in a moment which will allow the conspiracy theorists to have a field day.
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