Chelsea have had a major blow dealt to their Premier and Champions League hopes with the news that Nicolas Anelka has been ruled out for three weeks with a toe injury.

Anelka, who is the Premier League's top scorer this season with 15 goals, is expected to miss the games against Newcastle and Bolton, as well as the first leg of the club's quarter-final against Liverpool in Europe's premier club competition.

He is also in a race against time to recover for the second leg against Rafael Benitez's side at Stamford Bridge on 14 April and the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal four days later.

Anelka first sustained the problem against Wigan last month and missed the following games against Portsmouth and Coventry.

Manager Guus Hiddink has picked him for the last three matches, but the French international is still troubled by the injury and now faces a spell on the sidelines.

It is another setback to Chelsea's slim hopes of winning the Premier League, having lost 1-0 at Tottenham on Saturday.

The defeat was all the more disappointing because Fulham won 2-0 against leaders Manchester United to give their London neighbours a chance to close the four-point gap, while Liverpool replaced them in second spot following a 5-0 victory over Aston Villa.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson believes his side can continue to have a major say in the destination of the Premier League trophy, by beating both Liverpool and Chelsea.

After blowing the title race wide open with Fulham's first home League victory over Manchester United in 45 years, Hodgson is now looking forward to the visit of Liverpool to Craven Cottage on Saturday week and then making the short journey to Stamford Bridge on the first weekend in May.

He said: “We will be doing our very best to make certain that the performances we give against Liverpool and Chelsea are in no way inferior to the performance we gave against Manchester United. We will work very hard, we will do our very best, and we will try and get points off them.”

United's title charge came to a halt thanks to Danny Murphy's penalty and a goal produced out of a stunning piece of ball-juggling by substitute Zoltan Gera, but Hodgson was quick to warn Benitez and Hiddink that he now has their teams in his sights.

He said: “I hope they won't be thanking me when we play them, because there is no interest from my point of view in favouring any of the teams at the top. My only interest is Fulham Football Club, and trying to win matches for Fulham.

“I can assure all Manchester United fans, and certainly my friend Sir Alex Ferguson, that we'll be working every bit as hard, and trying every bit as hard, to beat Liverpool and Chelsea.”