London: Arsenal drew 2-2 at 10-man Wigan to miss the chance to draw level with joint Premier League leaders Manchester United and Manchester City, while Chelsea ended a run of six matches without a win by grinding out a 1-0 victory against Bolton on Wednesday.
France defender Sebastien Squillaci scored an own goal in the 81st minute to deny Arsenal all three points at DW Stadium. Ben Watson had put Wigan ahead from the penalty spot before the Gunners rallied through goals by Russia captain Andrey Arshavin and Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner.
Florent Malouda scored Chelsea's winner in the 61st minute to lift his team above Tottenham into fourth place. The reigning champions are two points below Arsenal, which is another two off the pace.
In the other match, fallen giant Liverpool slumped to an embarrassing 1-0 home defeat to lowly Wolverhampton, which moved off the bottom of the standings. West Ham goes into 2011 as the division's last-place side.
Arsenal failed to back up its 3-1 win at home to Chelsea on Monday, lacking its usual fluency after manager Arsene Wenger made eight changes to his starting lineup. Wenger will be upset that his team conceded the equalizer when it had a man extra, Wigan midfielder Charles N'Zogbia having been sent off for pushing his head into substitute Jack Wilshere's face after an exchange of words.
N'Zogbia was brought down by Laurent Koscielny's trailing leg just inside the box, allowing Watson to convert from 12 yards (meters) to put Wigan — which is now fifth from bottom and a point above the relegation zone — ahead in the 18th.
Arshavin brought Arsenal level in the 39th with a lovely scissor-kick that flew past the Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi and the winger then set up Bendtner, who brushed off a couple of weak challenges before driving his shot home in the 44th.
Squillaci, however, headed into his own net in the 81st as he tried to thwart Gary Caldwell to leave Arsenal still trailing the two Manchester clubs.
Chelsea was booed off the pitch after a vapid first-half performance at Stamford Bridge but improved after the break, with Malouda tapping home from close range to score his eighth of the campaign.
The Blues' last victory had come on Nov. 10, since when they have blown a five-point lead as their confidence disappeared and their squad was hit by injuries to key players. But manager Carlo Ancelotti hopes the win will give his team more belief after its worst run in the league in 11 years.
"It was important to win and change the atmosphere, change the trend," Ancelotti said.
"It was a very important step ... The league is open for us again. We are not in the best condition, confidence or atmosphere. We have to improve."
Chelsea couldn't even muster a shot on target in a dire first half but Drogba hit the post in the 50th before providing the assist for Malouda's winner.
Liverpool's below-par season has seen it slip to a number of embarrassing defeats — notably at home to fourth-tier Northampton in the League Cup and promoted Blackpool in the league — and the loss to Wolves was a new low for under-pressure manager Roy Hodgson.
Wolves, which was bottom of the table when the game kicked off and was without an away league win all season, took the three points after striker Stephen Ward flicked the ball past Pepe Reina in the 56th.
Even fit-again England midfielder Steven Gerrard, back after six weeks out injured, could not rescue the 18-time champions, who are 12th heading into the new year.
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