( CNN ) -- Substitute Didier Drogba missed a last minute penalty as Premier League champions Chelsea drew 1-1 at rivals Tottenham in a thrilling London derby on Sunday . Drogba , who had earlier scored the equalizing goal for the visitors , saw his spot-kick superbly saved by Heurelho Gomes -- after the Brazilian goalkeeper had clattered into compatriot Ramires in the penalty area . Chelsea had come into the match in poor form , with a run of just one win in six league games seeing them slide down the table from top to fourth position . And another defeat looked on the cards for Carlo Ancelotti 's side when Roman Pavlyuchenko gave Tottenham a 15th-minute lead . Strike partner Jermain Defoe looked just offside when collecting a long ball , but play was allowed to continue and his ball into the box was well controlled in one touch by Russian Pavlyuchenko , before his second touch found the bottom corner of Peter Cech 's net . Drogba , who was relegated to the bench by manager Ancelotti after a run of just two goals in 11 games in all competitions , was brought on in the second half and he made his mark in the 70th minute when his snapshot proved much too hot for Gomes to handle . Both sides had chances to claim all three points in an end-to-end contest but Drogba 's last-gasp miss ensured the points were eventually shared . The result means Arsenal stay top of the table ahead of their crunch visit to Manchester United on Monday . The Gunners lead Manchester City on goal difference , with Manchester United and Chelsea just a point behind in third and fourth -- in the closest title race in recent seasons . Tottenham remain in fifth place after the draw , a further four points behind , with Bolton in sixth after defeating Blackburn 2-1 on Sunday despite the second-half dismissal of midfielder Mark Davies . The other match on Sunday saw second-from-bottom Wolverhampton improve their chances of avoiding the drop , as Stephen Hunt 's goal gave them a 1-0 victory over West Midlands rivals Birmingham .
Didier Drogba misses a late penalty as Chelsea draw 1-1 at Tottenham on Sunday . The Ivory Coast striker was sent off in the first half for his challenge on Gareth Bale and will miss Chelsea's trip to White Hart Lane next weekend. Drogba had equalized for the visitors after Roman Pavlyuchenko scored for Spurs .