Michael Ballack scored an 86th-minute penalty kick Saturday to give Chelsea a 2-1 win over Manchester United that leaves the teams tied on points at the top of the Premier League. Ballack's second goal of the game, which came following a handball by Michael Carrick, lifted the Blues to 81 points – trailing United only on goal difference with two games remaining. “We needed to win,” Chelsea captain John Terry said. “All season long we've had to put up with, ‘Chelsea can't play as well as Manchester United and Arsenal,' but we showed today we can play as well as anyone.” Liverpool's slim chances of overhauling Arsenal to finish third were hit by a 2-2 draw at Birmingham, a result that also had ramifications at the other end of the standings. Birmingham stayed in the three-team relegation zone and its failure to win boosted Fulham's faint chances of avoiding demotion. Fulham's hopes are still alive after it scored three goals in the last 20 minutes to rally from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Manchester City. Chelsea ground staff and Manchester United players were involved in a bizarre fracas on the pitch in an almost deserted Stamford Bridge stadium after Saturday's match. None of the United players who played in the match were involved but players Patrice Evra, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Gerard Pique and John O'Shea were all warming down when an argument began with the ground staff tending the pitch. But United manager Alex Ferguson rested leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo to keep him fresh for Tuesday's Champions League semifinal against FC Barcelona and Chelsea dominated the first half Ballack put Chelsea ahead in the 45th with a diving header from Didier Drogba's cross, but Blues defender Ricardo Carvalho gave the ball away to Wayne Rooney with a short back pass in the 57th and the England striker raced clear to score. Rooney then followed teammate Nemanja Vidic off the field injured and Chelsea won a penalty when Carrick charged down a cross by Michael Essien. Ballack calmly scored past goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. The teams are both seven points clear of third-place Arsenal, which is at Derby on Monday. Despite the win, Fulham remained deep in trouble on 30 points, two fewer than Birmingham. Reading is just a point further ahead after a 0-0 draw at Wigan, and Bolton stayed above Reading only on goal difference after a 1-1 draw at Tottenham. Middlesbrough could still go down after it lost 3-2 at local rival Sunderland, which is now certain to stay in the top division next season. Stoke, Hull and West Brom are all still fighting for the two automatic promotion spots in the second-tier League Championship. Hull scored late for a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace to go second and prevent leader Stoke from clinching a place in the Premier League even though it won 1-0 at Colchester.Caen holds Lyon In Paris, Karim Benzema scored twice Saturday to help Lyon salvage a 2-2 draw against Caen and stay four points ahead of Bordeaux in the French league. One point could prove crucial in Lyon's bid for a seventh straight title after Bordeaux was held 0-0 by visiting Nice. Lyon has 72 points from 35 rounds, and Bordeaux has 68 with only three rounds remaining. Nancy is in third place with 56 points and Marseille is fourth with 55. In Saturday's other matches, it was: Paris Saint-Germain 3, Auxerre 1; Le Mans 3, Lens 2; Lille 3, Toulouse 2; Metz 0, Saint Etienne 1; Rennes 3, Strasbourg 0; and Sochaux 1, Lorient 1.Bremen keeps race alive In Berlin, Boubacar Sanogo scored in the 86th minute to give Werder Bremen a 3-3 draw against Karlsruher SC and keep the Bundesliga title race alive. If Bremen had lost, Bayern Munich could have clinched the title with a win Sunday against VfB Stuttgart. Schalke beat Hamburger SV 1-0 to move level on points with Bremen in second place. Both teams are six points ahead of Hamburg, and closed in on the two Champions League spots behind the one already guaranteed Bayern. Energie Cottbus, the league's smallest club, beat Hansa Rostock 2-1 with 10 men. In other games, it was: Hannover 96 2, Berlin 2; Nuremberg 2, Bielefeld 2; and Bochum 1, Duisburg 1. On Friday, Frankfurt and Dortmund drew 1
