Source: Daily_Mail
Chelsea v Aston Villa live
Follow Sportsmail's live coverage of the Barclays Premier League as Chelsea play host to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. The Champions will look to continue their revival against a Villa side who are on a woeful run of form going into the game. Email me all your thoughts on the action at dan.ripley@dailymail.co.uk[LNB] Chelsea 3-3 Aston Villa (1.30pm)Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira (Bosingwa 57), Bruma, Terry,Cole, Ramires (Kalou 73), Essien, Lampard, Anelka (Sturridge 79), Drogba, Malouda.Subs:Turnbull, Van Aanholt, McEachran, Mellis.[LNB]Goals: Lampard (pen) 23, Drogba 84, Terry 89.[LNB]AstonVilla: Friedel, Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Clark, Ashley Young, Petrov,Reo-Coker, Downing, Heskey, Agbonlahor (Albrighton 85).Subs: Marshall, Pires,Delfouneso, Bannan, Lichaj, Herd.[LNB]Goals: Young (pen) 41, Heskey 47, Clark 90+1.[LNB]Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire) [LNB]15.30: That just about wraps things up here, It's turned out to be a good afternoon for the title contenders, with the result meaning Chelsea stay fifth. But they no longer have a game in hand with Spurs who are above them by a point.[LNB]For Villa, it could prove to be a crucial point come May as they move up to 15th, but still only two points above the relegation zone.[LNB]Sporstmail's coverage does not end there, click here to follow Wigan v Newcastle but from here that's all from me. Thank you for following.[LNB]15.27: You will struggle to find a better game all season. Chelsea had the game won but to Villa's credit despite suffering a second-half onslaught, never let their heads drop. They could have even snatched victory from the draws of defeat within injury time.[LNB]Full-time: Chelsea 3-3 Aston Villa[LNB]90+5min: And now Villa nearly snatch a winner! Albrighton's volley at the back-post is goal bound with Cech in no-mans land but Terry is on hand to once again get a crucial block.[LNB]90+3min: So close from Drogba!, Kalou sends a ball to the near post but Drogba's bullet header is just wide.[LNB]90+1min: GOAL! Chelsea 3-3 ASTON VILLA[LNB]Well I just can't believe what I'm seeing! In their next attack, Albrighton dummies a cross before sending a ball to the back-post for Ciaran Clark to header in unmarked. The youngsters combine to devastating effect! What a game![LNB]90min: Five minutes of injury time for Chelsea to hand on.[LNB]89min: GOAL! CHELSEA 3-2 Aston Villa[LNB]The stuff that makes champions. Friedel does superb to stop a Lampard header by diving to his right but once again it is a Chelsea player who is on to the rebound with John Terry surely winning the game for Ancelotti's side.[LNB]89min: The fans have really woken up, and it is just wave after wave of Chelsea attack, how long can Villa survive this?[LNB]86min: Agbonlahor is indeed substituted, with Marc Albrighton on in his place.[LNB]84min: GOAL! CHELSEA 2-2 Aston Villa[LNB]Friedel just could not keep performing the heroics. He is out his goal to fumble Kalou but the rebound falls for Didier Drogba whose shot takes a deflection off two Villa players before nestling into the back of the net. Heartbreak for Villa, Chelsea piling foward now.[LNB]83min: More bad news for Villa, Agbonlahor seems to have cramp, always seems to happen to teams with a goal lead at this stage of the game.[LNB]81min: Moments after Young's shot is well blocked by Terry, the Villa winger seems to have pulled a muscle and he is limping pretty badly around the pitch.[LNB]Villa looking far from comfortable at the back, nearly every ball in the box is pin-balling about and it seems only a matter of time before it will eventually fall for a Chelsea attacker.[LNB]79min: Final sub from Chelsea, Anelka is taken off for Daniel Sturridge.[LNB]77min: Terry joins the list of bookings which is going to read like a bank statement after a late sliding challenge on Young.[LNB]76min: That is brilliant defending, Kalou shows quick feet in the penalty box but Dunne shows tremendous composure to wait and wait before perfectly lunging in to cleanly win the ball and ease the pressure for the visitors. The Irishman has been magnificent.[LNB]75min: The pressure is off the Villa defence for a moment as they make a rare break forward, with Downing's left-foot shot comfortably caught by Cech. Worth a go that.[LNB]73min: Change number two from Ancelotti, with Ramires replaced by Salomon Kalou.[LNB]72min: This is starting to turn into a cup-tie It's constant Chelsea attacks with every Villa clearance coming back like a boomerang. With another 20 minutes to go this is a long time to hold out with those tactics.[LNB]Veteran: Emile Heskey (right) celebrates with Ashley Young after heading Villa in front[LNB]69min: Chelsea may be dominating the game but their play is simply not quick enough, Villa are finding it easy enough so far to deal with the attacks.[LNB]66min: It's one way traffic now. Lampard threads another ball through ball into the box for Malouda who is met by an on-rushing Friedel with the keeper preventing the Frenchman from getting a clean shot away. Crucial stop but Villa starting to hang on.[LNB]63min: Nearly ate my words as soon as I did that last update! Lampard smashes a powerful volley in the box from Malouda's delicate lay-off, that Friedel does brilliantly to turn over the bar.[LNB]62min: Are Chelsea just that bad or this quite a comeback from Villa? They have bodies behind the ball but Chelsea are still not making Friedel work.[LNB]60min: Seeing as I have had a cheap pop at Heskey and we have already mentioned Lampard's goalscoring feats, here's one for Emile from InfoStradaLive:[LNB]Emile Heskey has now scored 7 PL goals v Chelsea, the most he has scored against any opponents, equal with Blackburn & West Ham.[LNB]59min: With half-hour still left in this game Villa are dropping deeper and deeper, it's like watching a 2004-spec England all over again except that Heskey has actually scored.[LNB]57min: And the Portugese full-back is on with Ferreira the man replaced.[LNB]56min: Now the champions are going up the gears. Anelka's blind through ball finds Ramires on the right side inside the box but his low shot across goal flies just wide of the post. Jose Bosingwa is warming up.[LNB]55min: Some keep-ball from the home side who are trying to settle into this game, villa look happy enough to let them play but for how long?[LNB]52min: Frustration from the home fans, they are not exactly laying siege to the visitors who are putting in a polished performance...bookings aside.[LNB]50min: Booking number seven for the Villa team with Heskey cautioned for a clumsy tackle on Essien.[LNB]47min: GOAL! Chelsea 1-2 ASTON VILLA [LNB]That answers my half-time question! Villa have come flying out the blocks. A free-kick is pinged out to Stewart Downing on the right, whose cross is headed in by Emile Heskey from six yards out. The former England international showed great strength to shrug off Bruma there and Chelsea's defensive woes continue.[LNB]Second-half: Drogba and Anelka restart proceedings...[LNB] Familiar sight: Lee Mason books Agbonlahor (left) with Villa picking up six first-half bookings [LNB]14.32: Villa's booking spree seems to have over-shadowed the fact that Chelsea have looked toothless in attack. Never mind an assault on the title, Chelsea may end up having to battle for a Champions League place.[LNB]14.29: Houllier may have to re-think his pre-match team talk of 'get stuck in'. Villa are in danger of getting one or two (Maybe even three) sent off.[LNB]Should be interesting to see if a more cautious approach will harm them in any way.[LNB]14.26: Time to clear something up, the Malouda penalty is dividing opinion.[LNB]The Frenchman goes down far too easily under Collins challenge, but the Villa centre-back was initially climbing all over the winger which in itself was a blatant foul.[LNB]14.23: A curious game of football, Villa are good value for the 1-1 scoreline. The penalty aside Freidel has been relatively untroubled.[LNB]Half-time: Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa[LNB]45+4min: Last chance of the half for Villa after Essien brings down Young on the right side of the box.[LNB]The initial free-kick is wasted but Downing recovers to send a ball to the back-post where Collins' header across goal is well plucked out by Cech.[LNB]45min+1min: Three minutes added on at the end of this half, presumably for the time Lee Mason has spent writing down player's names in his notebook.[LNB] Spot on: Ashley Young equalised for Villa through his penalty kick[LNB]45min: Guess what? Yes, ANOTHER Villa booking after Ciaran Clark sliding challenge is nowhere near the ball when he brings down Essien.[LNB]43min: Yet another booking with Agbonlahor bundling over Ramires, this isn't nit-picking from lee mason, these are all genuine bookings.[LNB]41min: GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 ASTON VILLA[LNB]Another certain penalty, Essien clatters into Nigel Reo-Coker and Ashley Young takes a page out of Lampard's book by blasting the ball high in the centre with Cech diving to his right.[LNB]On the balance of play, Villa deserve that.[LNB]41min: PENALTY (Aston Villa)[LNB]40min: Chelsea join the list of bookings with Ramires cautioned for a foul on Petrov.[LNB] Setting the tone: Petrov slides in on Malouda in a half littered with late challenges[LNB]37min: Oh what a chance to equalise! A corner is not properly cleared by Chelsea, with the ball falling to an unmarked Dunne six yards out. [LNB]The ball was at an awkward height and it was a typical centre-backs volley as he spoons it over the bar, brilliant chance.[LNB]34min: Storming tackle from Dunne, Malouda latches onto a tremendous through ball from Lampard, with the Irishman timing his sliding challenge to perfection.[LNB]33min: Very quiet atmosphere inside the ground, Villa still continue to edge the general play but they just cannot muster a decent attempt on goal.[LNB]30min: Corner for Villa after Stiliyan Petrov's shot from a a short Young free-kick across the box is deflected out for a corner. In truth Chelsea have not looked like scoring and it's only Villa's discipline that's letting them down.[LNB]28min: Yet another silly booking for Villa, with Nigel Reo-Coker going into the book for a needless trip on Drogba.[LNB]26min: Villa in danger of losing their heads a little here, Heskey and Young both have both been a little late in their challenges following the goal.[LNB] Perfect 10: Frank Lamaprd scores his tenth career goal against Aston Villa to give Chelsea the lead[LNB]23min: GOAL! CHELSEA 1-0 Aston Villa[LNB]When in doubt give it a clout, and that's exactly what Frank Lampard does as he buries the penalty down the centre of the goal with Friedel diving to his right.[LNB]Villa's protests continue after the goal with Collins also booked for dissent.[LNB]22min: James Collins was leaning all over Malouda in the box and the Frenchman needs no invitation to go down. Definite penalty that sees Friedel booked for dissent.[LNB]21min: PENALTY (CHELSEA)[LNB] Foot loose: Nicolas Anelka (left) evades the challenge from Ciaran Clark[LNB]20min: Reckless from Petrov, he slides in very late on Malouda and has few complaints as he is booked by Lee Mason.[LNB]18min: Better from the home side, Nicolas Anelka loops over a ball to the far-post where Malouda jumps to meet it with a header that lacks power as it loops just wide. Chelsea needed Didier Drogba on the end of that cross.[LNB]17min: More good play from Villa, they build an attack down the right that ends with Downing firing a shot from just outside the box that Cech comfortably takes.[LNB]A few groans from the Chelsea crowd, they know who's on top.[LNB]14min: That was too close fro comfort. Ashley Young has looked lively and after turning this way and that he attempts a cross that turns into a shot, with Cech frantically back-pedaling to tip it over the bar.[LNB]12min: Plenty of the play is in Chelsea's half, The home side haven't really settled into this but such is the confidence of both sides lately, goals (and chances) seem a long way off.[LNB] Rare start: Bruma was impressive enough in the opening exchanges[LNB]9min: Houllier will be impressed with the opening to this game, his team are holding their own in the middle if not quite pushing many people in attack.[LNB]7min: Hmmm Villa lining up slightly different in attack. Young now looks to be playing off Heskey, with Downing on the right and Agbonalhor on the left. Not too much to speak of in terms of action.[LNB]5min: Good reactions from Friedel, Florent Malouda's volley from a ridiculously acute angle looks on target, with the American doing well to get low to his near post and block the attempt out for a corner, which Villa clear.[LNB]4min: Speaking of which a long punt from Freidel is headed on by Heskey, with Agbonlahor firing a snap shot wide from the edge of the box, good attempt.[LNB]3min: As both sides feel each other out in the early stages, time to say Villa are not playing with three in attack.[LNB]Young and Heskey will lead the offence with Gabriel Agbonlahor lined up on the right of midfield.[LNB]Kick-off: Emile Heskey and Ashley Young get the ball rolling...[LNB]13.29: Looking at Villa's bench there actually seems to be a few handy options there. I admit it has not quite happened for Robert Pires but he has not had that much game time.[LNB]13.27: Some early handshakes in the tunnel from John Terry to the opposition, with both teams then making their way out to a near full Stamford Bridge.[LNB]13.24: This is an ideal fixture for Lampard to get back up to speed. He has scored nine goals against Villa, no side have suffered more to the midfielder over the years.[LNB]13.22: Houllier in his pre-match interview has mentioned that his inclusion of Dunne is based on the centre-backs improvement in training this week.[LNB]Again for Villa's sake I'm glad he has put any possible personal disagreements aside to give the Irishman a recall, his experience will be crucial.[LNB]13.19: Houllier has copped plenty of stick recently but I do back him on his team selection this afternoon. The Frenchman has opted for the experienced lads and I can see the two banks of four with the support of the team bus defending Friedel's goal.[LNB]13.16: If there is one thing on the visitors side, then they surely cannot leave the Bridge with a worse result than last season.[LNB]Back when Chelsea were scoring goals for fun, the Blues won the fixture last year 7-1 after a rampant performance that seems a million miles away at the moment.[LNB]13.13: If only that was Villa's problems right now. Gerrard Houllier's side are bottom of the form guide over the last six games, with just one win to speak of.[LNB]The potential seems to be there in Villa's youngsters but in recent week they have been rabbits in the headlights and as a side in general look shot of any confidence.[LNB]13.10: And how thin does this squad look now. Ricardo Carvalho has proven to be a big loss for the champions. When either Alex or John Terry are out there seems to be a crisis in who starts either centre-back or right-back. [LNB]The inclusion of Jeffrey Bruma instead of the experienced Bosingwa highlights this.[LNB]13.08: A couple of stats from OptaJoe and InfoStradaLive regarding just how bad Chelsea's recent run has been:[LNB]34 - This is Chelsea's lowest points tally after 19 Premier League games since 2001/02 (30 points). Struggle.Chelsea are in their lowest position at the beginning of a calendar year since starting 2002 in sixth position. [LNB]13.05: Jeffrey Bruma is handed his full Barclays Premier League debut as Chelsea make two changes for today's visit of Aston Villa.[LNB]Teenage defender Bruma is preferred to Paulo Ferreira as replacement for the suspended Branislav Ivanovic, although Ferreira is recalled at right-back for Jose Bosingwa.[LNB]Villa ring the changes for the trip to Stamford Bridge, drafting in the fit-again Ashley Young and Emile Heskey, as well as awarding Richard Dunne and Ciaran Clark their first appearances for four weeks.[LNB]13.02: Team news from Stamford Bridge:[LNB]Chelsea v Aston VillaChelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Bruma, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba, Malouda. Subs: Turnbull, Bosingwa, Kalou, Sturridge, Van Aanholt, McEachran, Mellis.Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Clark, Ashley Young, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Downing, Heskey, Agbonlahor. Subs: Marshall, Pires, Albrighton, Delfouneso, Bannan, Lichaj, Herd.Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)[LNB]13.00: A conundrum for you, is this a good or a bad time to play Chelsea? In the first three months of the season Chelsea steamrolled everyone in their way.[LNB]But since then the champions have been woeful and almost every team that plays them scents a wounded animal.[LNB]The win against Bolton was laboured but was the result a fluke or a start of a revival from Carlo Ancelotti's side? Crisis ridden Aston Villa should provide the answer. Team news on the way.[LNB] Back on track: Frank Lampard is getting back to his best after returning from injury[LNB] Chelsea weigh up joining Birmingham and West Ham in race for Bothroyd Kenny Dalglish: Villa's players should look in the mirror for someone to blameALL CHELSEA FC
