Chelsea held by West Brom

Chelsea missed the chance to ensure they would stay ahead of Barclays Premier League title rivals Arsenal at the end of the midweek fixtures as Victor Anichebe's late goal saw West Brom hold them to a 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns.

Branislav Ivanovic escaped his marker to fire home from a David Luiz set-piece delivery in first-half stoppage time, and that for a long time looked to have given Jose Mourinho's side a four-point cushion over second-placed Arsenal, who play Manchester United on Wednesday.

However, Anichebe headed past Petr Cech in the 87th minute to secure a valuable point for the struggling Baggies.

West Ham claimed a crucial win over fellow strugglers Norwich, with James Collins and Mohamed Diame both scoring late goals.

The Canaries created most of the better openings in the game but Collins arrived just in time to head home an 84th-minute chance - with Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy culpable of coming to collect the delivery and getting caught out.

With the visitors chasing a late equaliser they were then exposed at the back, allowing second-half substitute Diame to wrap up the win late in stoppage time.

Cardiff and Aston Villa played out a goalless draw which does far more good for the visitors' hopes of survival than their hosts.

Cardiff dominated the opening half and struck the woodwork through Fraizer Campbell and a deflected Craig Noone shot, but could not find the net.

Villa offered no threat during the opening 45 minutes but could have taken all three points had Leandro Bacuna and Gabriel Agbonlahor shown better composure in front of goal.

Ultimately this was a game Cardiff needed to win, and one Villa were happy enough to avoid losing, and there is no question this result will be more warmly welcomed by Paul Lambert than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Villa climb five points clear of the drop zone, but Cardiff remain 19th with just two wins from their last 17 league games.