Tim Hobbs reporting

John Terry hammered the final nail in Arsenals title coffin as Chelsea battled back to share the disappointing derby spoils at Highbury.

The young defender capitalised on a David Seaman blunder to head his first league goal and earn Claudio Ranieris men a rare point from their annual venture north of the river.

It also left Arsenal a massive 13 points behind Manchester United and for once, outside the top two with Sunderland leading the clamour to cling on to the Champions coat-tails.

The day had begun so sweetly for Arsene Wengers men as they ghosted into an early lead thanks to a virtuoso effort from winger Robert Pires.

Freed by Thierry Henry wide on the left, Pires eased past the pitiful challenges of Dennis Wise and Sam Dalla Bona and as Chelsea stood and admired his footwork, bent a wonderful effort high into the far corner.

For a while it seemed that would be the first of many as only some unorthodox yet effective keeping from Carlo Cudicini kept out efforts from Henry and Freddie Ljunberg.

With Wise criminally wasted on the right flank, Chelsea were found wanting in central areas and it will come as no surprise that the skipper set up their best moment of the half, crossing for Gus Poyet to force an instinctive double stop from the returning Seaman.

The England keeper has missed the last two-and-a-half months with a shoulder injury and perhaps that was why he was found wanting as a half-time reshuffle hauled the visitors back into it.

With Wise in the middle and new boy Jesper Gronkjaer showing a welcome appetite out on the left, they pressed Arsenal back and won a corner just after the hour mark.

Wises kick should have been food and drink for Seaman, but he missed his punch and although Eidur Gudjohnsens header was scrambled off the line, Terry reacted to sharply nod the rebound in.

Seaman did better to deny Gronkjaer at his near post but was almost embarrassed again when a piledriver from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink squeezed through his dive at the near post, but was gathered just short of the line by the grateful keeper.

It summed up a day when Arsenals big guns were unable to fire on all cylinders in a derby that had plenty of passing and not enough passion from the various imports on display.

Ironic then that a mistake from the England keeper and a goal from an English defender should be the moment when Arsenal surely waved good-bye to the nations title of top dogs.

MAN OF THE MATCH: CUDICINI (CHELSEA)
Continental keeping at its most unorthodox, yet produced a string of saves that kept Chelsea in the hunt.

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Stepanovs, Keown, Silvinho, Pires, Vieira, Ljungberg (Vivas 87), Parlour, Wiltord, Henry.
Subs Not Used: Manninger, Malz, Cole, Pennant.
Booked: Dixon.
Chelsea: Cudicini, Leboeuf (Ferrer 46), Desailly, Harley, Terry, Poyet, Wise, Dalla Bona, Jokanovic (Gronkjaer 46), Hasselbaink, Gudjohnsen (Zola 77). Subs Not Used: de Goey, Le Saux.
Booked: Dalla Bona, Harley, Desailly.

Att: 38,071
Ref: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill)