Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by neighbours Fulham to slip 12 points behind English Premier League football leaders Manchester United and it would have been worse but for a stoppage-time penalty save by Petr Cech.
Chelsea, beaten at home by Liverpool last time out, dominated possession and had more than 20 attempts on goal but few were clear chances and when they did find the target, goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer kept them at bay.
Fernando Torres looked out of sorts and Didier Drogba, who came off the bench to replace the 90 million dollar Spanish striker for the last 20 minutes, also failed to make any impact.
Fulham had a golden chance to win the match at the death when David Luiz tripped Clint Dempsey but Cech saved the American striker's weak spot kick.
The result left champions Chelsea on 45 points, two behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester United lead the way on 57 points, four ahead of Arsenal with Manchester City third on 49.
