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Guardian:
Moore leveller ensures Villa Park hoodoo unhinges Chelsea again
Stuart James at Villa ParkThursday February 2, 2006The Guardian
Luke Moore, the first player to breach Chelsea's defence in the Premiership this season, plundered a goal of greater significance last night when his late equaliser extended the visitors' winless streak to three matches, reinforcing the belief that the champions are experiencing a dip in form. It is only the second time in Jose Mourinho's tenure that Chelsea have endured such an unproductive run and, though the Portuguese may not be gripped with fear about retaining the title, there can be little doubt that his side are no longer playing with the swagger that characterised their performances earlier in the season.
Arjen Robben's early goal ought to have provided a platform for victory but for the second league match in succession Chelsea surrendered a first-half lead. Mourinho admitted they were missing Didier Drogba, who is at the African Nations Cup, but the Chelsea manager must harbour worries about the form of other players, including Frank Lampard.The England midfielder was largely anonymous last night, though the same could not be said of Rob Styles. Mourinho was angered by the referee's failure to award a penalty when Robben tumbled to the floor under the challenge of Jlloyd Samuel late on. He did, however, concede that Villa should have had a penalty in the first half when John Terry handled after Gareth Barry deceived the captain with a neat turn. According to Mourinho, Styles was "compensating" for his refusal to give Villa a spot-kick when he waved away Chelsea's appeals. This is the second time the Chelsea manager has left Villa Park cursing the official; in the corresponding fixture last season Drogba was booked for diving after he appeared to be tripped inside the penalty area by Ulises De la Cruz. "I hope that next season there is no Mr Styles [at Villa Park]," said Mourinho.
Results elsewhere, however, meant that their rivals failed to take advantage of their slip. "People think the Premiership has lost its competitiveness but tonight was a perfect example of what the Premiership is," the Chelsea manager said. "Chelsea drew, Manchester United lost, Liverpool drew. It's a great situation because we made a mistake and everybody else did the same."
David O'Leary said Villa's defenders had also made a mistake when they allowed Robben to fire Chelsea into a 14th-minute lead, but he could have few complaints about his side's belligerent display. Kevin Phillips, starting for the first time in two months, buzzed with menace and Gareth Barry turned in the kind of performance that brought international recognition not so long ago.
Barry came close to a breakthrough in the 13th minute when Petr Cech's attempted punch clearance landed at his feet. However, from no more than 12 yards the Villa midfielder hammered over. It was a reprieve which Chelsea punished immediately, switching from defence to attack to craft Robben's opener.
William Gallas rampaged forward on the left beyond Aaron Hughes, creating the space for a cross, and, with Olof Mellberg and Mark Delaney stood watching, Joe Cole chested down for Robben to sweep a left-foot strike beyond Thomas Sorensen. It was the Dutchman's fifth Premiership goal of the season and another should have followed 14 minutes later. This time Eidur Gudjohnsen was the architect, sliding a ball beyond a static defence and into the path of the Chelsea forward. With Cole unmarked and the angle narrowing Robben ought to have squared but he opted to go alone, drawing a comfortable save from Sorensen.
Cole's frustration was manifest but at least he was on the pitch; Shaun Wright-Phillips did not even make the substitutes' bench. It was from the dug-out that Moore emerged to have the last word. With Gallas out of position, Delaney gambolled forward on the right and his near-post cross eluded Glen Johnson and Cech. Moore did not need a second invitation, bundling the ball into the unguarded goal. "It was the least we deserved," said O'Leary.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Independent:
Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 1: Moore finds belief to rein in misfiring champions By Phil Shaw Published: 02 February 2006 Chelsea's midwinter blip continues. Two defeats in 62 Premiership fixtures hardly constitutes a crisis, but Luke Moore's 77th-minute reply to Arjen Robben's first-half goal ensured a third successive draw for a team accustomed to victory as well as justice for Aston Villa.
Moore, who came on as a substitute only three minutes earlier, bundled the ball home after a fine run and cross by Mark Delaney. His opportunism leaves Chelsea without a win at Villa Park since 1999, though a 15-point lead may compensate for a below-par display.
Back in September, Villa were the first side to score against the champions. They paid for their audacity, losing 2-1, but after 13 minutes of ineffectual sparring last night they had a gilt-edged opportunity to repeat the feat.
The Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, who earlier in the day had agreed to extend his contract until 2010, swatted unconvincingly at James Milner's inswinging cross. The ball dropped to Gareth Barry - on the midfielder's favoured left foot - but from eight yards he ballooned it over the bar.
The midfielder's wastefulness was put into sharp relief as Chelsea seized the lead on the counter-attack. William Gallas made tracks along the left before crossing towards the near post, where Robben and Joe Cole converged. As the Villa defenders fatally stood off, the Dutchman lashed the ball into the roof of the net from six yards to bring up his club's half-century of League goals for the season.
Chelsea's greater fluidity ought to have seen them collect a second goal midway through the half. Robben surged through in the inside-left channel, but with only Thomas Sorensen to beat he poked his shot wide with the left foot when the situation cried out for him to use the right. Cole, who had made a supporting run, made plain his displeasure.
The fragility of the single-goal advantage was underlined twice in swift succession. A previously subdued crowd appealed noisily, but in vain, for a penalty as Barry's flick struck John Terry on the hand. They were still seething as Milner delivered to the diminutive Kevin Phillips, whose sharp downward header Cech did well to scramble behind.
Milner's supply line from the right continued to be the chief source of danger to Chelsea. Another inviting cross in the opening minute of the second half reached Cech without a Villa player attacking the ball, but as happened in the build-up to Robben's goal, the speed with which the visitors retaliated was an indication of Jose Mourinho's game plan.
The contest deteriorated into scrappiness after the break, with frequent stoppages for fouls. Chelsea appeared to harbour no great ambition to increase their lead, while Villa, for all the foraging of Steven Davis and Gavin McCann, seemed to lack the necessary belief.
The sight of Mourinho leaving his seat to pace the technical area may have been a measure of his dissatisfaction, at least with the attacking side of his side's game. Robben, for one, looked instantly galvanised, embarking on a mazy dribble, which included two sumptuous step-overs, only for his neat lay-off to Eidur Gudjohnsen to result in a shot that thudded into a Villa defender.
Villa, perhaps sensing that Chelsea were going through the motions, began to exert pressure as the game entered its final quarter. A free-kick from Barry landed around the six-yard box, where Phillips met it with a crisp shot. Cech saved with his trademark brilliance, but he was powerless to deny Moore.
Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Sorensen; Hughes, Delaney, Mellberg, Samuel; Milner, Davis, McCann, Barry; Phillips (Moore, 74); Baros (J Angel, 74). Substitutes not used: Taylor (gk), Hendrie, Ridgewell.
Chelsea (4-4-1-1): Cech; Johnson, Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Gallas; Gudjohnsen (Huth, 85), Makelele, Lampard, Robben; J Cole (D Duff, 69); Crespo (Maniche, 74). Substitutes not used: Pidgeley (gk), Del Horno.
Referee: R Styles (Hampshire). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Moore makes most of chance to peg back Chelsea By Mark Ogden
Aston Villa (0) 1 Chelsea (1) 1
If only Luke Moore could pass on the secret of scoring against Chelsea, the rest of the Premiership may yet discover a way to overcome Jose Mourinho's champions, who saw their winless streak extended to three games after the substitute's late equaliser.
Moore, who became the first Premiership player to score against Chelsea this season last September, struck two minutes after climbing off the bench to claim a deserved point for the home side against Mourinho's below-par team.
But for the failure of referee Rob Styles to spot a John Terry handball in the first-half, however, Villa may have emerged with three points.
Chelsea's pursuers have been clutching at straws for weeks in the hope that Mourinho's team will suffer a cataclysmic collapse between now and the end of the season, but while there is football still to be played, there remains hope for Messrs Ferguson and Benitez, no matter how faint.
Villa's impressive home record against Chelsea may just have been one of those straws being grasped by the chasing pack. Chelsea have not emerged with all three points from Villa Park since 1999, but Villa's pre-match boast of being unbeaten on home turf against the champions this century may have been over-egging the statistic a touch.
David O'Leary's men started brightly, though, and the confidence generated by a recent run of one defeat in eight games was evident as the home side chased an early breakthrough. While Villa lacked the experience and sheer class of Mourinho's all-stars, J lloyd Samuel, Gareth Barry and Steven Davis linked well to create a goalscoring chance for Barry on 13 minutes.
Davis's ball to Samuel resulted in a penetrating cross from the full-back that Petr Cech sloppily punched to the feet of Barry inside the penalty area. Barry had time to control the ball, but he rushed his effort and blazed a left-foot strike high over the crossbar. That was two near misses for Chelsea, enough to wake them from their slumber, and on their first foray forward, they opened the scoring through Robben.
William Gallas' pace took him beyond Aaron Hughes and his cross reached Robben on the edge of the six-yard box. With a flash of his left foot, the ball was in the back of the net.
Villa responded well and they were denied a clear penalty on 33 minutes when Davis turned into Terry, only to be halted by the Chelsea captain's arm blocking the path of the ball. Moments later, Cech produced a stunning save to keep out Kevin Phillips' header.
Chelsea's low-risk football may not win the hearts and minds of neutrals, but it has proved ruthlessly effective. While the great Manchester United and Arsenal teams of the Premiership era would have looked to build on their lead, Chelsea were content to strangle the life out of the encounter and keep Villa at arm's length like a boxer clinging on for a points decision.
As a result, the home side had to wait until the 67th minute before they threatened the Chelsea goal in the second half. It needed a free-kick into the penalty area to cause uncertainty in the defence, but the ball dropped to Phillips inside the six-yard box. The striker instinctively struck his volley towards goal, but Terry's block, a legitimate one this time, diverted the ball to safety and kept Chelsea's lead intact.
The breakthrough that Villa thoroughly deserved came ten minutes later. Mark Delaney's powerful run to the by-line went unchecked and his cross reached the near post, evaded Cech and fell to Moore, whose scuffed left foot effort bobbled over the line and into the back of the net.
Match detailsAston Villa (4-4-2): Sorensen; Hughes, Delaney, Mellberg, Samuel; Milner, McCann, Davis, Barry; Phillips (Moore 75), Baros (Angel 75). Subs: Taylor (g), Hendrie, Ridgewell. Booked: McCann Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Johnson, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele; J. Cole (Duff 69), Lampard, Gudjohnsen (Huth 86), Robben; Crespo (Maniche 75). Pidgeley (g), Del Horno. Goals: Robben (15). Booked: Crespo, Johnson, Gallas. Referee: R. Style (Hampshire)
Man of the match: Steven Davis (Aston Villa)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Times:Chelsea blips turn into a dipBy Matt Hughes
Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 1 VILLA PARK is more of a sandcastle than a fortress, but this proud old ground continues to confound José Mourinho; it is the only Barclays Premiership stadium in the country where he has yet to savour that winning feeling. An Aston Villa team who have won only three home matches all season grabbed a 78th-minute equaliser through Luke Moore, a substitute, condemning Chelsea to their third successive 1-1 draw and their longest winless run of the season. Having won £10,000 as the first man to score against the champions earlier in the season, the 19-year-old must wish that he could play them every week. Mourinho has developed a peculiar fascination with the word “blip” since arriving in England 18 months ago and, after three matches without a win, perhaps he is beginning to grasp its meaning. By the time he returns here next season, the Portuguese may also be familiar with the phrase “bogey ground” because Chelsea have not won in this part of Birmingham since 1999.
Mourinho had no problem with his team’s typically hard-working performance but was less impressed with Rob Styles, the referee, who failed to award a late penalty when Arjen Robben was bundled over by Jlloyd Samuel. The Hampshire referee has crossed Mourinho’s path before and the Chelsea manager proceeded to lecture him on how to blow his whistle.
“I’m not happy with the referee, of course,” Mourinho said. “There was also a penalty against us, but I would prefer that was given and we got a penalty at the end of the game. I would prefer that in the second half we had a normal referee.
“Somebody has to teach him that in football there is not a law of compensation. If you make a mistake you try not to make another mistake, not to correct it the other way. Last year here he missed a penalty on Drogba, at Highbury a penalty on Drogba and today a penalty on Robben.”
David O’Leary also thought that Styles missed two penalties, with Villa denied when John Terry handled a first-half shot from Gareth Barry, but the Villa manager preferred to concentrate on an encouraging performance from his threadbare squad. “It was the least we deserved out of the game and the only thing we did wrong was concede a poor goal,” he said. “I thought our penalty was blatant and Robben should have had a penalty as well. ”
A late winner would have been harsh on Villa, who battled back into the game after Chelsea had assumed their customary control. Having started slowly in recent weeks the visiting team were out of the traps like a greyhound on speed, taking the lead in the fourteenth minute as they broke with the lightning pace that characterises so many of their counter-attacks. William Gallas found Joe Cole in the penalty area after breaking down the left, with the England midfield player chesting the ball down for Robben to score his fifth goal of the season.
Roaming around at will, Robben was a threat all evening, but his finishing failed to match his pace and movement. The 22-year-old shot across the face of the goal after being released by Frank Lampard and had weak shots saved by Thomas Sorensen as Chelsea paid the price for his profligacy.
Villa refused to give up and pressed forward in search of an equaliser. Kevin Phillips had a shot blocked on the line by Gallas and it took a last-ditch tackle from Terry to dispossess Samuel with the goal at his mercy.
With time running out, O’Leary turned to that last refuge of the desperate manager, the double substitution, and was rewarded almost immediately. Mark Delaney carried the ball from his own half unchallenged and his cross from the right was similarly ignored, with Moore bundling over the line from close range, though it will take more than that for Chelsea to be washed away.
ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): T Sorensen — A Hughes, O Mellberg, M Delaney, J Samuel — S Davis, G McCann, G Barry, J Milner — K Phillips (sub: L Moore, 75min), M Baros (sub: J P Ángel, 75). Substitutes not used: S Taylor, L Hendrie, L Ridgewell. Booked: McCann.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): P Cech — G Johnson, R Carvalho, J Terry, W Gallas — C Makelele, E Gudjohnsen (sub: R Huth, 86), F Lampard — J Cole (sub: D Duff, 69), H Crespo (sub: Maniche, 75), A Robben. Substitutes not used: L Pidgeley, A Del Horno. Booked: Crespo, Johnson.
Referee: R Styles. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------