Premier League – Aston Villa draws with Chelsea

Chelsea’s disappointing December continued as Aston Villa drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge thanks to Anwar El Ghazi’s second half draw.

Olivier Giroud’s ninth career goal against Villa had given Chelsea a lead that deserved its display in the first half, but Villa tied it in slightly controversial circumstances when Andreas Christensen lay face down on the ground after an earlier incident in the move.

And despite the opportunities at each end in a final half hour open, neither side could pick a winner.

Frank Lampard made six changes from the team that started the loss to Arsenal on Boxing Day, and the rotation seemed to work, with the hosts playing with a verve and vigor from the start that had been clearly absent at the Emirates two days earlier. .

Giroud’s first goal was almost a signature goal for the Frenchman, with his ingenious movement in preparation to find Chilwell, and his header under a Chilwell cross that took the bottom corner at the near post.

And Chelsea could have had more in the first half, with Pulisic missing two decent chances and Mount shooting from close range shortly before the break.

Villa sporadically threatened himself in the first half, and all the positive moments came through Jack Grealish, most notably when Villa’s captain jumped to the baseline and pulled a dangerous ball through a crowd of bodies in the area.

And Grealish was once again heavily involved for El Ghazi’s draw, helping to work the ball to the right and drawing in defenders to leave the scorer unmarked at the back post to volley between Mendy’s legs from close range.

Chelsea was left complaining about a Grealish foul on Andreas Christensen early in the play, with the defender still on the ground as the ball went in, but the referee judged the foul was from the Chelsea player and shook the game and there. There was no VAR intervention to change the decision.

The result puts Villa ahead of Chelsea on the table on goal difference and means that Lampard’s side have won just four points from the last five league games.

Frank Lampard mixed things up with his selection for this game, making six changes from the team that lost to Arsenal on Boxing Day and suggesting in his pre-game interview that the changes were solely due to physical condition and rotation. However, following his strong condemnation of his team’s performance at Emirates, it is not inconceivable to suggest that the Chelsea manager was sending a message to some of his great additions, with Kai Havertz and Timo Werner among the players left out of the game. starting eleven. .

The new Chelsea had plenty of them, with Pulisic and Hudson Odoi looking spirited on either side of the ever-involved Giroud, and Jorginho’s presence at the base of midfield freeing Kante and Mount to get much more involved with the ball in midfield. But again he didn’t look quite right in the second half, and Christensen’s attempt to commit a tactical foul on Grealish failed badly and left him stranded on the ground and searching in vain for the referee’s decision as the goal came from the same area as him. He would have been ordering if he had got back on his feet.

There will be cues at this performance to cheer on Lampard, including the spirited performances of his young English players Hudson-Odoi and Mount. But Lampard will also know that a big part of their job this season is turning the mega-investment of the summer into success on the court, and the signs weren’t good for either Kai Havertz or Timo Werner when they entered the second half. Both seemed short of confidence and quite shod in a lineup that lost cohesion after their presentation.

Scottish midfielder McGinn faced some serious quality in the midfield battle, with Chelsea choosing Kante, Mount and Jorginho in the center-three. But it was Villa’s man who ran the game, interrupting Chelsea’s moves over and over again while engaging in Villa’s moves very well. His ripsnorter from a shot from range that slammed into the bar deserved better.

Chelsea: Mendy 6, Azpilicueta 6, Christensen 5, Rudiger 6, Chilwell 8, Kante 8, Jorginho 5, Mount 7, Pulisic 6, Giroud 7, Hudson-Odoi 8 Subs: Werner 6, Havertz 5.

Aston Villa: Martinez 7, Cash 6, Hause 7, Konsa 7, Targett 6, Douglas Luiz 6, McGinn 8, Traore 6, Grealish 8, El Ghazi 7, Watkins 7. Subs: Davis 6, Ramsey 7

eleven ‘- Grealish is involved again, but this time he almost gave Chelsea a goal, playing a blind pass from the back that knocks Pulisic out into space. The American is forced a little wide, but should still score with his effort that breaks into the side net.

34 & # 39; GOAL! – Chelsea is leading and it is Giroud who has it. It will come as no surprise to anyone to hear that it is a run through the defender and a header at the near post, Giroud’s signature shot. There is a VAR control for a possible offside against Chilwell, but everything is fine (almost, very close). Chelsea 1-0.

39 ‘- Chelsea looks good now and works Mount on the space inside the box at an angle. The midfielder should score, but he looks to lift his shot towards the top corner and stays a bit below him, only finding the empty stands behind the goal.

50 & # 39; GOAL! – Aston Villa is level and it is El Ghazi who has it. Chelsea are furious that Christensen went down after a clash with Grealish throughout the play, but they still needed to do better than leaving El Ghazi completely unmarked to land a volley to Mendy’s legs. Christensen is receiving treatment and it is okay to continue and the VAR does not disagree with the referee’s decision to play ahead (suggesting he thought the foul was actually by the Chelsea defender).

68 ‘- How successful is that! McGinn lets fly from range with an absolute piledriver that hits the crossbar. That would have been a scream but Chelsea survives.

93 ‘- Chilwell throws an absolute volley from a long cross hovering right in the face of the goal. It would have been a goal to win any game … but it slid agonizingly away from the Chelsea side.

Ben Chilwell has matched his season-best four assists record of the season, and already has as many goal contributions (2 goals and 4 assists) as in the entire past season.

Since his Premier League debut in 2012, Olivier Giroud has scored more header goals (32) than any other player.

Giroud has scored in each of his last seven Premier League games against Villa and his nine career goals against Villa in the Premier League are more than he has scored against any other team.

El Ghazi’s goal was the fifth in five appearances and he is the first Villa player to score in three or more consecutive Premier League games since Tom Cleverley in 2015.