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(CNN) -- A late Frank Lampard penalty handed Chelsea a vital 2-1 win over English Premier League leaders Manchester United to breath new life into the title race.
Alex Ferguson's side had taken the lead in the first half thanks to a thunderous strike from England forward Wayne Rooney but Brazil defender David Luiz drew Chelsea level.
Then Russia international Yuri Zhirkov drew a foul from Chris Smalling in the 79th minute and Lampard blasted his spot kick high into the net to hand the defending champions a crucial win.
United's misery was compounded in injury time as Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic was sent off after earning a second yellow card and will now miss the trip to Liverpool on Sunday.
The real victors were second-placed Arsenal who can close the gap on United at the top of the table to just one point if they win their game in hand. The Gunners still have to play United at home.
Chelsea's victory keeps alive their faint title hopes and moves them into the Champions League places in fourth but they still trail United by 12 points.
After the game Ferguson took aim at referee Martin Atkinson telling Sky Sports: "It was a bad one to concede the first goal but the penalty kick is so soft, deary me. We played well but we didn't deserve that. That's three years in a row referee's decisions have changed the game."