Dempsey seals draw with Chelsea

Associated Press Sports

updated 7:04 p.m. ET April 9, 2012

LONDON (AP) - Clint Dempsey scored yet again, lifting Fulham to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea that prevented the Blues from jumping into fourth place Monday in the Premier League.

Newcastle defeated Bolton 2-0 for its fifth straight victory and capitalized on Tottenham's 2-1 home loss to Norwich to boost its chances of qualifying for the Champions League.

Chelsea had been on course for a third successive league win after Frank Lampard got his 150th Premier League goal on a penalty kick just before halftime.

But the Texan Dempsey headed in his 22nd goal of the season in all competitions for Fulham in the 82nd minute, with Chelsea defender Gary Cahill's back helping the ball into the net. Dempsey has 16 Premier League goals and has surpassed Louis Saha's club record of 13 set in 2004.

The United States' attacking midfielder headed in Damien Duff's corner kick.

"When you've got Clint in the team you know you've got a chance," Fulham captain Danny Murphy said. "He's been on an unbelievable run of form. He keeps bailing us out. When the ball goes in the box he's usually the first on the end of it, and he got us out of trouble again."

Dempsey scored twice on Saturday against Bolton.

"Maybe just lucky, one of them things - to just go on a little bit of a run," Dempsey said. "The first 15 minutes of each half I thought they were the better side, but then the game started to open up.

"We looked dangerous and towards the end of the game we played some really good football and created chances."

If Chelsea doesn't finish in the top four it will be relying on winning the Champions League for the first time to qualify for the lucrative competition next season. The Blues face Barcelona in the semifinals on April 18; they also have an FA Cup semifinal against Tottenham on Sunday.

For Newcastle, Hatem Ben Arfa opened the scoring in the 73rd minute and Papiss Cisse added a goal in the 83rd, his 10th in nine appearances since joining the club.

Newcastle is in fifth place and trails fourth-place Tottenham on goal difference.

"To have this points total and not make Europe would be tough to take," Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said. "So we have got to keep our eye on the ball, and we aren't giving up on anything - apart from winning it."

Anthony Pilkington and Elliott Bennett scored for Norwich, which rose to ninth place.

"It is going to be close, but there are still five games to go. It is the team who wants it most," Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said. "We would settle for finishing fourth; Champions League football is the key. It would be lovely to finish above Arsenal, but that is going to be tough now."

Host Everton strengthened its hold on seventh place with a 4-0 victory over Sunderland thanks to second-half goals from Magaye Gueye, Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman and Victor Anichebe.

Stoke defender Robert Huth scored for the second time in three days to earn his team a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa, heading in a 71st-minute equalizer. Andreas Weimann had curled a 20-yard shot into the top corner of the net in the 32nd for Villa, which is only seven points from the relegation zone. Stoke is seven points higher in 12th place.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Dempsey seals draw with Chelsea

Euro roundup:?Clint Dempsey scored yet again, lifting Fulham to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea that prevented the Blues from jumping into fourth place Monday in the Premier League.

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