LONDON, England (AFP) — Didier Drogba sent Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League yesterday, but Arsenal stayed right on their heels thanks to a stoppage-time victory over 10-man Hull.

Nicklas Bendtner was again the Gunners’ saviour, following up his hat-trick against FC Porto in the Champions League in midweek with a strike three minutes into added-on time to seal a 2-1 win at the KC Stadium.

Chelsea’s 4-1 win over relegation-threatened West Ham kept them above Arsenal on goal difference with Manchester United a point further back ahead of their meeting with Fulham at Old Trafford today.

Tottenham consolidated their hold on the final Champions League qualifying spot with a 3-1 win over Blackburn, while Wolves won the day’s big relegation battle, 2-1 at Burnley.

Arsenal, who have the easiest run-in of any of the top three, looked set for a straightforward victory after Andrey Arshavin fired them ahead after 14 minutes.

But they were pegged back by Jimmy Bullard’s penalty after Sol Campbell was deemed to have pulled down Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Hull were reduced to 10 men before half-time when George Boateng received a second yellow card but held the vistors at bay until right at the death, when Bendtner slotted home the rebound following a Denilson shot.

West Ham had gone in level at the break at Stamford Bridge, thanks to a stunning 25-yard strike from Chelsea old boy Scott Parker which cancelled out Alex’s early header for the home side.

But Drogba’s second-half brace, either side of a Florent Malouda strike, took his goal tally for the season to 27 and enabled Chelsea to preserve a little energy ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Inter Milan.

“It was important to have a good reaction,” said Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti in reference to the recent 4-2 home defeat his side suffered at the hands of Manchester City.

Tottenham tightened their grip on fourth place after Roman Pavlyuchenko made it eight goals in his last six matches with a double in a 3-1 win over Blackburn.

Tottenham are three ahead of Manchester City, who travel to Sunderland today, and manager Harry Redknapp is growing increasingly confident about his side’s prospects of joining the European elite.

Aston Villa remain in the hunt for fourth spot but their cause was not helped by a goalless draw at Stoke.