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Chelsea ended the year with just one win out of five, as Anwar El Ghazi’s controversial draw earned Aston Villa a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Olivier Giroud, so often the scourge of visitors, put Chelsea ahead with a good header off the short post from a Ben Chilwell center (34), meaning the forward has now scored on 10 goals in 10 games against Villa, and he’s eight on eight for Chelsea.
But El Ghazi’s far post shot through Edouard Mendy’s legs off a Matty Cash cross (50) enraged Chelsea, and the hosts wanted a foul on Jack Grealish’s Andreas Christensen in preparation and a hand from Matt Targett.
Both sides did their best to win it; John McGinn hit the crossbar with a brilliant long-distance effort, substitute Jacob Ramsey curled inches wide, while for Chelsea, Christian Pulisic was denied by Emi Martinez’s save and Chilwell launched a beautiful barely wide volley on the discount time.
The result means that Villa climbs to fifth place, six points behind leaders Liverpool with one game less, while Chelsea are sixth with the same points, but after having played two more games than Villa.
How Villa defended himself to earn a useful point
Following the 3-1 loss to Arsenal on Boxing Day, Frank Lampard chose a Chelsea XI that included just two of their six summer signings, and the hosts got back to basics with a tenacious first-half performance after three defeats in four.
Grealish, in general, was quiet, but managed to test Mendy from the edge of the box after he was shown off his right foot. Grealish himself then carelessly gave up the ball at the other end, only for Pulisic to hit wide after pouncing when he should have hit the mark.
Kourtney Hause then headed unmarked from a Grealish free kick, while Cash shot up after Mendy had missed a cross ball.
But it was Giroud, who else? – who scored the opener. After Chilwell was found in space on the left, his pitch went waist high for Giroud, but the Frenchman crouched brilliantly to launch a header near the post just beyond Emi Martinez’s reach.
Chelsea players celebrate with Olivier Giroud after opening the scoring against Aston Villa
He ended Villa’s streak of more than seven hours without conceding, while Giroud has also scored in seven straight games against Villa.
Chelsea could smell a second when Villa retired after the goal (Villa fought for Chelsea’s right hand when Chilwell routinely found time to cross), but Villa drew with controversial style when El Ghazi scored his fifth goal in five games having scored just four in his previous 37.
Anwar el Ghazi equals Villa at Stamford Bridge
Villa had initially played the lead when Christensen collided with Grealish, but Villa’s man rebounded before reaching out to Cash, who found El Ghazi unmarked at the first post to turn home from a few yards with Christensen still down.
Replays showed that Christensen was injured by his leg dangling from Grealish as he sought the foul, but the defender had also caught Grealish with his back foot. The VAR was unable to review as the starting ball in the area had been cleared and thus the game phase had been restarted, and Frank Lampard also claimed after the game that he thought Matt Targett had handled in preparation.
Chelsea players surround Stuart Attwell after Villa’s controversial leveler
The game was ready as both sides pressed for a winner; McGinn, tireless and determined throughout, hit the crossbar with a wonderful 30-yard effort, while Martinez overturned Pulisic’s long-distance effort.
Villa sub Ramsey’s first action was to curl inches from the far post from the edge of the area. Chelsea’s own substitute Werner made an effort over the bar as his quest for a goal reached nearly 700 minutes.
Villa’s hearts were in their mouths in injury time when Chilwell threw a volley for the first time from a very wide angle, but the tie was fair as Dean Smith’s team again showed how competitive they are, having lost just one of their last nine road games.
Chelsea, however, ends 2020 on a negative note, having entered the winter period with many promises, scoring only four points out of 15 possible since 12 December.
What the managers said
Aston Villa boss Dean smith: “I’m satisfied with the point, it’s a really good point. This is a difficult place, they have rotated what is a really strong team.
“There were spells from both teams in the game, we started better, they came into play, we had to weather the storm after they scored. We found a very good balance again between defending and attacking. My players’ energy levels were incredible already. we only played 48 hours ago. “
Opt for statistics
- Chelsea have lost just one of their last 14 Premier League home games (W10 D3), with that one loss coming against Liverpool earlier this season.
- Since losing at Liverpool in July, Aston Villa has suffered only one defeat in its last nine Premier League away games (five wins and three draws).
- Since his Premier League debut in August 2012, Olivier Giroud has scored more header goals than any other player in the competition (32).
- Ben Chilwell matched his season-best Premier League record of four assists, and the Chelsea defender had as many goals this season as 2019/20 (6-2 goals, 4 assists).
Whats Next?
Chelsea are scheduled to host Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, January 3 at 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports Premier League, before hosting Morecambe on Sunday, January 10, in the FA Cup third round at 1.30 pm
Villa will now go to Manchester United on New Years Day at 8pm, live on Sky Sports Premier League, before hosting Liverpool in the FA Cup third round on January 8 and 7:45 pm
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