A game of few chances was meandering toward a goalless draw until the Brazilian defender earned a free kick and glanced in Didier Drogba’s cross to cap another impressive all-round display.

Midfielder Ramires capped things off with a well-taken breakaway goal in stoppage time.

The win took Chelsea to 54 points, one point and one place above City with a game in hand. Arsenal are second on 58 points with Manchester United top on 63.

Earlier on Sunday, Liverpool maintained their chase for a Europa League slot as a fortunate Dirk Kuyt penalty and a great goal by Luis Suarez secured a comfortable 2-0 win at Sunderland, trimming the gap to fifth-place Tottenham to just four points.

Kuyt opened the scoring from the spot in the 34th minute even though the tackle by Sunderland defender John Mensah, who was later shown a straight red for a professional foul, brought down Jay Spearing outside the area.

Suarez wrapped up victory in the 77th, running along the byline and fooling goalkeeper Simon Mignolet with a clever shot that crept in at the near post from a sharp angle.

Any hope of the hosts recovering were dashed when Mensah was dismissed for wrestling Suarez to the ground as the Uruguay striker chased a clearance.

Tottenham, which has picked up just two points from its last three league games, has a game in hand over the Reds but Kenny Dalglish’s side has the better current form as it chases a spot in the Europa League for next season. League position is the only avenue into Europe for Liverpool following its elimination from the continent’s second-tier club competition at the hands of Portuguese team Braga on Thursday.

Sunderland, which is without a win since January, remained ninth but is now just six points off the relegation zone in a congested lower half of the table.

The crucial opening goal may have stemmed from fortunate circumstances, as Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher acknowledged, but Liverpool dominated much of the game.

“I thought it was a penalty but then I looked at halftime and I don’t think it was, was it? It was just outside,” Carragher said. “Everyone knows goals change games — up to then it had been pretty even and Sunderland had been putting a bit of pressure on.

“Every week you can look at different incidents and you can always say it changes the game. Maybe it has gone our way but thankfully we got the other to make sure, so you could say we would still have won 1-0.”