( CNN ) -- Chelsea extended their lead in the English title race with a 2-0 win over London neighbors Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday while the misery continues for 18-time champions Liverpool . Goals in either half from Didier Drogba and Alex leave Chelsea four points clear of big-spending Manchester City . They beat Newcastle 2-1 in an earlier kickoff while Liverpool went down 2-1 at home to newly-promoted minnows Blackpool . Charlie Adam 's penalty and a fine goal from Luke Varney put Ian Holloway 's men two up by halftime . Sotirios Kyrgiakos pulled a goal back in the second half but Roy Hodgson 's strugglers could not force an equalizer and they stay in the bottom three . The match was preceded by a protest against the team 's American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks and by the finish the fans were even more disillusioned . To add to their misery , star striker Fernando Torres limped off after just 10 minutes with a groin injury and it was the signal for Blackpool to claim three points with an attacking approach which stunned the hosts . Varney was clumsily upended by England international Glen Johnson to concede a penalty and Adam easily beat Pepe Reina from the spot . And as half-time approached , Varney finished off a superb move to beat Reina . Kyrgiakos scored with a strong header from a Steven Gerrard free kick to give Liverpool hope and Joe Cole came close to an equalizer , but the final whistle was greeted by jeers for Hodgson and his team . `` Their great result is our nightmare result , '' he acknowledged . `` It is a very bad day and there is nothing I can say . `` At the moment things look bleak and really bad and it is difficult for me to put a bright face upon it , '' he told gathered reporters . Later , Chelsea maintained their recent dominance of Arsenal with a vital victory , Drogba putting them ahead just before the break after the the visitors had the better of the early play . He backheeled Ashley Cole 's low cross into the net for his 13th goal against Arsene Wenger 's side in 11 starts . Defender Alex sealed the three points with a powerful 25 meter free-kick in the 85th minute to hand the Gunners their second straight league defeat . They are tied on points with north London rivals Tottenham in fourth and fifth positions , seven points behind Chelsea with seven games played . Manchester City are up to second after their victory over a spirited Newcastle . They took the lead through a Carlos Tevez penalty after Mike Williamson pulled down the Argentina international . Newcastle lost Hatem Ben Arfa to a suspected broken leg after a Nigel de Jong challenge , but drew level through a sharp shot from Jonas Gutierrez . Substitute Adam Johnson scored the winner for City in the second half with an equally fine strike . Manchester United are in third place in the early standings , five points behind Chelsea , after their 0-0 draw at Sunderland on Saturday . In other news on Sunday , former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was confirmed as new manager of struggling second-flight side Leicester City . The Swede has signed a two-year deal at the Walkers Stadium .
Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-0 to extend lead in English title race to four points . The win means the Blues are now five points clear of second-placed Manchester City with two games left and a game at home against West Ham United on Sunday. Liverpool slump to shock 2-1 home defeat to Blackpool . Manchester City beat Newcastle 2-1 at Eastlands to move up to second .