The win left Chelsea in 11th position, a point and one place behind Newcastle but with a game in hand.
Arsenal will need no reminder of the pitfalls in store for them at Wembley Stadium on Saturday where they will be favourites to beat Hull City in the FA Cup final and claim their first silverware for nine years.
Manchester United provided some blessed relief to under-fire manager Louis van Gaal by powering into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 romp at League One (third-tier) Shrewsbury Town.
The Premier League's two best teams and two most prolific strikers go head to head in the FA Cup on Saturday when Manchester United take on Arsenal in a huge fifth-round tie at Old Trafford (1715 GMT).
The 64-year-old has been at Real Madrid since 2021, having previously managed the club from 2013 to 2015.
Two goals for Roman Pavlyuchenko and two own goals helped Tottenham Hotspur advance to an FA Cup quarter-final meeting with Fulham after a 4-0 home win over Bolton Wanderers in their fifth-round replay on Wednesday.
Manchester City were sensationally knocked out of the FA Cup on Monday by third-tier Wigan Athletic who beat the 10-man Premier League leaders 1-0 in a stunning fifth round upset with a late goal by their talisman Will Grigg.
Premier League leaders Arsenal showed their class as they comfortably beat north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to book a place in the FA Cup fourth round in an electric atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Fulham's abject season reached a new low as third-tier Sheffield United snatched a last-gasp winner in extra time to dump the Premier League side out of the FA Cup 1-0 in a fourth round replay on Tuesday.
Philippe Coutinho thumped home a second-half winner as Liverpool broke the resistance of Championship Blackburn Rovers to reach the FA Cup semi-finals with a gritty 1-0 replay victory on Wednesday.
Van Dijk was sent off for fouling Alexander Isak during the first half and appeared to remonstrate with referee John Brooks before walking off the pitch.
Polish FA chief Grzegorz Lato has played down Spain's complaints about the pitch after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Italy at Euro 2012, denying the grass was too long and saying the Italians refused to let it be watered.
Roberto Mancini, the King of the Italian Cup, took his first step towards Wembley when his Manchester City side earned a 1-0 third-round FA Cup win at Championship side Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Holders Arsenal kept up their bid for a hat-trick of FA Cup trophies, marching into the quarter-finals as Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott netted twice in a 4-0 replay win at second-tier Hull City on Tuesday.
Manchester United fought back to overpower West Ham United 3-1 and reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The FA is to investigate an alleged anti-Semitic gesture made by West Bromwich Albion striker Nicolas Anelka during Saturday's 3-3 Premier League draw at West Ham United.
National flags should not be "messed with", British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday, after Nike's decision to use an altered design of the St George's Cross on England's soccer shirts angered some fans.
Daniel Sturridge headed in the equaliser as Chelsea drew 1-1 with Birmingham City on Saturday to force a replay of their FA Cup fifth-round encounter after a performance that did nothing to alleviate the pressure on manager Andre Villas-Boas.
His contract was due to expire in 2024, and this extension ends speculation that Ancelotti would take over as manager of Brazil.
Holders Chelsea eased into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 4-1 home victory over Championship (second division) side Cardiff City on Saturday while Portsmouth won by the same score at local rivals Southampton. After a season of shocks, the upsets dried up in the fifth round as Birmingham City came from behind to win 2-1 at Championship side Derby County with a last-minute goal by Liam Ridgewell while Manchester City and Stoke City drew 1-1.
Liverpool beat West Ham United 3-1 on penalties after the teams were level at 3-3 after extra time in the FA Cup final.
Angelo Ogbonna leapt high to power home a header in the dying seconds of extra time to claim a timely first goal for the club as West Ham United sank Liverpool 2-1 on Tuesday to reach the last 16 of the FA Cup.
Arsenal sent Liverpool crashing out of the FA Cup, avenging last weekend's rout at Anfield, when they beat Brendan Rodgers's high-flyers 2-1 in a full-bloodied fifth round tie at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The FA Cup final will return to Wembley on May 19 after the new stadium was granted its safety certificate on Tuesday.
Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet produced a spectacular double save in stoppage time to earn his side a 1-1 draw at Everton after a pulsating end-to-end FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
Euro 2028 will be the largest major sporting event the UK and Ireland have jointly staged. It will be held in 10 stadia, including Wembley in London, the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff, Hampden Park in Glasgow and Dublin's Aviva Stadium.
Nicolas Anelka rescued Chelsea's FA Cup hopes on Saturday, scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 victory at Watford to avoid a shock fifth-round exit. In their first game since Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked and with replacement manager Guus Hiddink watching in the stands, Chelsea fell behind to the Championship (second division) strugglers when Tamas Priskin netted with 21 minutes remaining.
They were charged following crowd trouble during their League Cup tie at Stamford Bridge.
This season's FA Cup favourites Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 0-0 draw at third tier Stevenage Sunday but Liverpool laid their claim to be the real frontrunners with a 6-1 fifth-round thrashing of Brighton & Hove Albion.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
A hat-trick by Jermain Defoe sent Tottenham Hotspur into the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday as the Premier League side beat League One Leeds 3-1 away in a pulsating fourth-round replay. Leeds, going well in the third tier of English football, had knocked out Manchester United at Old Trafford in the previous round and snatched a 2-2 White Hart Lane draw in the original game.
Manchester United beat Everton 2-0 to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals, while 10-man Arsenal were held 1-1 by Sheffield United
Brighton & Hove Albion's match against Crystal Palace on Saturday will also remain postponed.
Didier Drogba struck late to clinch a 2-1 victory for Chelsea over Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday. The Ivory Coast striker pounced on Frank Lampard's lofted pass with six minutes remaining to give Chelsea their first FA Cup success over Arsenal since 1947.
Arsene Wenger was hoping to get a better idea from a scan which Henry was having on a groin injury.
The Arsenal manager is not sure whether the injured striker will be fit for next month's FA Cup final against Manchester United.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has defended Dimitri Payet after the influential midfielder was accused of diving by Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal during Sunday's 1-1 FA Cup draw.
Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham will be favourites to reach the FA Cup fifth round via home replays on Saturday.
The French striker will be absent from the Arsenal first team lineup for the first time this season on Sunday.
