Chelsea tied Arsenal 2-2 Sunday in a riveting meeting between two Premier League powerhouses.

Eidur Gudjohnsen scored 31 seconds into the second half for league-leading Chelsea, helping offset two first-half goals by Arsenal's Thierry Henry.

"This was a game, not just for England, but for the world," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. "Everybody who loves football was looking at this game."

Asked if the best two teams in England had just met, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "At the moment, yes. But this is December; there is a long way to go. Everton and Man United aren't far behind."

Chelsea leads with 40 points, followed by Everton (36) and defending champion Arsenal (35). Fourth-place Manchester United plays at Fulham on Monday.

With the score 2-2, Henry was left wide open in front of the net in the 77th minute, but his left-footed shot from 8 yards sailed over the crossbar, with Arsenal fans behind the net preparing to celebrate a victory — and his hat trick.

Only 73 seconds into the game, Henry volleyed home a shot from 16 yards. Chelsea then evened the score in the 17th on a header from John Terry off a corner kick.

Henry put Arsenal ahead in the 29th, again catching Chelsea by surprise. The Frenchman took a free kick as soon as the referee began to back away. He curled the sent the ball into the far corner, with Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech flat-footed.