Zola makes successful return to halt Chelsea

(CNN) -- West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola returned to Stamford Bridge and saw his struggling side snatch a vital point in a 1-1 draw which kept Chelsea off the top of the English Premier League table.

West Ham had stunned Chelsea with a 33rd-minute opener from Craig Bellamy but Nicolas Anelka rescued the home side with his 16th goal of the season five minutes after the break.

It was Chelsea's fourth domestic home game without a win and their failure to take all three points cost them the chance to overtake Liverpool at the top of the table -- remaining one point adrift of Rafael Benitez's side.

It also meant that the top four sides had all failed to win for the second time this season.

Chelsea fans had given former heroes Zola, and his assistant Steve Clarke, a rapturous welcome as they emerged from the tunnel to take their places in the visiting dugout.

But West Ham soon found themselves under pressure from a home side determined to build on their midweek Champions League victory over Cluj.

In the sixth minute a superb combination between former West Ham players Joe Cole and Frank Lampard almost provided them with an opener. Cole looked set to score when Lampard's precise pass found him bearing down on the edge of the six-yard box, but his effort was deflected to safety by Scott Parker.

Chelsea's woeful home record took a turn for the worse in the 33rd minute when West Ham went ahead in controversial circumstances.

Mark Noble looked to have used his arm before crossing the ball for Bellamy to fire the visitors in front from 12 yards.

Chelsea were booed off at half-time and TV replays showed that Noble had used his shoulder to control the ball instead of his arm in the build-up to West Ham's goal.

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari replaced Michael Ballack with Didier Drogba for the second-half and within five minutes, the Blues were level.

For once Chelsea's neat approach play paid off with John Obi Mikel and Drogba combining before Lampard chipped the ball neatly into the path of Anelka, who coolly slotted the ball underneath the advancing Robert Green for his 16th goal of the season.

Chelsea were now on top and when Matthew Upson failed to clear a cross, Lampard sent the rebound into Green's midriff from the edge of the penalty area.

Then Green pulled off a magnificent save to deny Drogba after he had volleyed Lampard's corner towards the near post.

There was further drama when referee Mike Riley failed to award Chelsea a penalty when Lampard was tripped by Lucas Neill but it needed a superb save from Petr Cech at the other end to deny Carlton Cole an injury-time winner.

In the day's other match, England striker Michael Owen celebrated his 29th birthday with the opening goal as Newcastle won 3-0 at Portsmouth to secure their first away victory of the season.

Obafemi Martins added a second goal 13 minutes from time before Danny Guthrie made it 3-0 from long-range in the 89th minute.

The result lifted Newcastle out of the relegation zone and into 14th place in the table, but just a point above north-east rivals Sunderland who drop into the bottom three despite their 4-0 weekend victory over bottom club West Bromich Albion.