Chelsea misses chance with 1-1 draw at Hull

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-02-03 11:19

LONDON - Chelsea missed the chance to go four points clear at the top of the English Premier League with a 1-1 draw at Hull on Tuesday.

Chelsea misses chance with 1-1 draw at Hull

Chelsea's Didier Drogba (2nd L) shoots to score against Hull City during their English Premier League soccer match in Hull, northern England February 2, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Defender Steven Mouyokolo gave Hull a surprise lead in the 30th minute and, although Didier Drogba equalized 12 minutes later with his 20th goal of the season, Chelsea was unable to convert concerted pressure into more goals.

The draw left Chelsea on 55 points, three clear of defending champion Manchester United. Both teams have played 24 games, the same as third-place Arsenal, which was another four points back and at Chelsea on Sunday.

Chelsea had already missed a couple of chances when Mouyokolo got his first goal for Hull. The central defender outjumped a cluster of Chelsea defenders including John Terry to head in a 29th-minute corner by Stephen Hunt.

Terry was jeered throughout by Hull fans following last week's newspaper allegations that he had an affair with an England teammate's former partner.

But Chelsea continued to press and Drogba, playing his first Chelsea game in a month following his stint at the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast, scored direct from a free kick just outside the area.

Jozy Altidore missed with a headed chance for Hull and teammate Amr Zaki troubled the visiting defense, but Drogba missed at the other end as the home team held on for a valuable point in its fight against relegation.

Hull was still in the relegation zone but was level on 21 points with the three teams immediately above it.

Also on Tuesday, Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan were knocked out of the FA Cup after losing fourth-round replays to lower-league sides.

Crystal Palace defender Danny Butterfield scored a hat trick in seven second-half minutes to give the League Championship side a 3-1 win over Wolves, while Wigan was humiliated 2-0 by visiting Notts County of the fourth tier.