United's 4-0 win at Bolton Wanderers came just two hours after Chelsea slaughtered Aston Villa 7-1 and left Alex Ferguson's side just a point in front with six games to go.
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For starters, Chelsea have the luxury of a full week to prepare for next weekend's seismic clash with United at Old Trafford - the one positive they gleaned from losing to Inter Milan in the Champions League.
"It's still a three-horse race," United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told the club's website.
"It was bad for Arsenal conceding to drop points so late in the game. They are now four points behind us but I think everyone will drop points. The name of the game is dropping less than the rest," he added.
Arsenal's run-in looks easier than that of Chelsea and United but, whereas their rivals are packed with players who know how to hold it together down the stretch, Arsene Wenger's side are still novices when it comes to winning silverware.
Wenger looked flattened when Kevin Phillips equalised with a freakish goal on Saturday to wipe out Samir Nasri's beautiful strike and the Frenchman admitted the 1-1 draw could have damaging consequences for his side's hopes of winning the title for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
"It is a big blow for our title hopes, of course," Wenger said. "We were in a position where we had to win all our games and not to win today is a big blow to our chances."
"Wayne's got a
