Villa hold Chelsea as Henry strikes for Arsenal

LONDON, Jan 3 (Reuters) Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa that left them six points adrift of Manchester United,while Thierry Henry made a scoring return in Arsenal's 4-0 win over 10-man Charlton Athletic.

Chelsea's hopes of winning a third consecutive Premier League title have taken a knock with a third straight draw, and their first match this season without scoring.

United, who drew 2-2 at Newcastle United on Monday, are top of the table with 54 points from 22 games, Chelsea have 48 and Liverpool are a distant third on 40 points.

Arsenal moved up to fourth on 39 after Henry scored a 30th minute penalty following a red card for Charlton defender Osei Sankofa and set up defender Justin Hoyte for their second.

Robin van Persie converted another penalty in the 76th minute and the Dutch forward added their fourth at the very end.

Reuters DH VP0425