aston villa 1-2

Sunday Times
James Collins condemns Chelsea to second lossAston Villa 2 Chelsea 1
David Walsh, chief sports writer, at Villa Park

IF IT is the old-fashioned game you love, where passion counted for more than pace and heart was as important as technique, then you would have enjoyed Villa Park. The tackling was tough but honest, most of Aston Villa’s players ran themselves to a standstill, and then goaded themselves into another effort. All the while Chelsea tried to match their fervour and came close, but Villa deserved their victory.
There is much to admire about Martin O’Neill’s work-in-progress. In a game where it has become almost uncool to roll up your sleeves and fight, his team does just that. Through the last 35 minutes, when hanging on to a 2-1 lead, every Villa player saw himself as a defender and queued up to play a part. Ten, perhaps 15 minutes from the end, they had tackled Chelsea into submission.
You could pick from any one of a hundred challenges but one from James Milner defined the team’s essence. With 72 minutes on the clock, Nicolas Anelka had broken free on the right and, against Villa’s stretched defence there was the chance of an equalising goal. Anelka’s cross flew towards Florent Malouda but Milner, who had tracked back from halfway, got himself in front of the French international to head away. Villa immediately regrouped and attacked down the left, Gabriel Agbonlahor swept in a fine cross beyond the far post and there was Milner guiding a volleyed pass into John Carew’s path. Although the Norwegian failed to finish, you just marvelled at Milner’s enthusiasm. Of course he’s from Yorkshire, so the grit was probably licked from the side of the road.
When the game was perfectly balanced in the first half, Stiliyan Petrov played with that mixture of aggression and authority that forces the away team into thinking a draw wouldn’t be a bad result. If there was a Chelsea weakness, that was it: they would have taken a draw from an early stage in the match. Villa’s desire to win was so desperate that when James Collins headed them 2-1 up in the 52nd minute, they just wanted to dig in and give Chelsea nothing to shoot at. It was dangerous but they managed it.
O’Neill’s achievement isn’t just his ability to create a committed team. He has bought astutely. Needing to reinforce his defence this season, he brought in an Irish centre-back, a Welsh centre-back and an English full-back. Richard Dunne, Collins and Stephen Warnock all played terrifically and the centre-backs got the goals, both from corners. Warnock is a steady defender, old-style in the pride he takes in his performance and you can see why O’Neill wanted him.
Villa’s manager has never hidden his admiration for Chelsea and you wondered in the first period if his players were too respectful. They probed carefully but were mostly content to stay tight and tactically disciplined. That suited Chelsea, who wanted to ease themselves into the battle.
It was Petrov who threw down the gauntlet, making a fine run down the right and delivering an intelligent pass to Agbonlahor, who was readying himself to shoot when Jose Bosingwa’s clumsy challenge brought him down. It looked a penalty but referee Kevin Friend, the fourth official who was a late replacement for the ill Steve Bennett, didn’t give it. As the home crowd voiced their disapproval and Villa’s players nursed their sense of injustice, Chelsea went in front. Didier Drogba got the goal, turning away from Collins about 30 yards from goal and firing in a shot that Brad Friedel should have saved.
That came in the 15th minute and it was equalised in the 32nd when Frank Lampard rose to clear Ashley Young’s corner but miscued and Dunne reacted sharply to head his second goal for Villa.
The first half had been a fine contest, the second was even better. Chelsea weren’t playing badly and Friedel did well to keep out efforts from Deco, Malouda and Anelka. Coming seven minutes after the break, Villa’s winning goal was delivered by a thunderous header from Collins after Petr Cech misjudged the flight of Young’s corner.
Sometime before the end, Petrov, Milner and a few more Villa players were out on their feet. They didn’t give in but it made you wonder how many games they can play like this before a more long-term fatigue afflicts them and it raises the question of squad rotation which, up to now, O’Neill hasn’t done.
That is about to change. “This season we have more depth and I hope we can rotate the squad,” said O’Neill. “I’ve said this to the players, but for whatever reason, when Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal do it, it is called rotating players, when we do it, it’s called dropping players.” Sixth for the past two seasons, on yesterday’s form, it’s not unrealistic for Villa to believe they can climb higher this campaign.
Chelsea, meanwhile, must work on defending set-pieces, as both goals came from corners. Their manager, Carlo Ancelotti, said: “Chelsea played a good game and we don’t want to lose the game in that situation, only if the other team play better than us. Aston Villa were very able on the set plays. We want to do better for sure. We need more concentration.”
Star man: Stiliyan Petrov (Aston Villa)
Yellow cards: Aston Villa: Agbonlahor, Milner Chelsea: A Cole
Referee: K Friend
Attendance: 39,047
VILLA: Friedel 7, Cuellar 7, Dunne 7, Collins 7, Warnock 7, Milner 8, Sidwell 6, Petrov 9, Young 6, Agbonlahor 7, Carew 6 (Heskey 82min)
CHELSEA: Cech 5, Bosingwa 6 (Ivanovic 69min), Carvalho 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6, Deco 6, Essien 6, Lampard 7, Anelka 6, Drogba 6, Malouda 5 (J Cole 85min)
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Telegraph:
Aston Villa 2 Chelsea 1

By Jason Burt at Villa Park

Another mistake by Petr Cech led to Chelsea slipping to a second Premier League defeat of the season – and the second in a row away from Stamford Bridge – with Aston Villa coming from behind to claim victory through two headed goals.
Both came from their central defenders – Richard Dunne with the first and James Collins with the second – and both from set-pieces. While Frank Lampard inadvertently flicked on Ashley Young’s corner, directing it straight to Dunne who headed in from four yards, Cech flapped at another corner in the second-half to allow Collins to also head home. Cech had erred recently against Stoke City, again mis-judging a cross.
On both occasions the Villa goal-scorers had evaded their markers with Chelsea’s defence showing a worrying fraility – similar to the frailties that had afflicted them last season under Luiz Felipe Scolari.
It was at Villa Park that Guus Hiddink had re-focussed Chelsea last season but although they played the more attractive football, they deservedly slumped to a defeat that, although it leaves them still at the top of the table, means they could be overtaken by Manchester United later this afternoon. Villa, meanwhile, move up to fifth place.
For both sides the line-ups were unaltered from their last league matches before the international break – except for the return of Jose Bosingwa, fit again, to the Chelsea defence although he was later replaced by Branislav Ivanovic, hobbling off injured. The whole Chelsea team had featured in midweek internationals and did appear affected by fatigue.
They could have fallen behind when Bosingwa appeared to catch Gabriel Agbonlahor as he shaped to shoot but the appeals were waved away by referee Kevin Friend, a late replacement for Steve Bennett after the official had felt unwell prior to kick-off which meant the start of the game was delayed by five minutes.
Soon after the penalty appeal, Chelsea scored with Didier Drogba superbly turning Collins and striking a shot from 30 yards that kicked up horribly in front of Brad Friedel and spun into the net. It was Drogba’s seventh league goal of the season. Undoubtedly the goalkeeper was culpable although he also went on to make fine saves from Deco and Nicolas Anelka – denying both players in one-on-one opportunities – and beating out a powerful drive by Florent Malouda. Friedel also clawed out a wonderful chip by Deco, just as it had appeared to have looped over him as Villa held on for a landmark win.
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Independent:
Chelsea Dunne and dusted by pure hard work
Aston Villa 2 Chelsea 1: Ancelotti's midfield diamond not allowed to sparkle as Villa use their heads to exploit defensive lapses
By Steve Tongue at Villa Park

A fixture that Chelsea won in Guus Hiddink's first League game last February with an early goal seemed to be going precisely the same way when Brad Friedel allowed Didier Drogba to score from 30 yards. Eight months on, however, Aston Villa have more about them than the side that faded so badly after that defeat last season and by profiting from some unusually poor defensive work they scored twice from corners to achieve another victory over one of the acknowledged big four to follow success at Liverpool in August.
Friedel and James Collins, who had been too easily turned for Drogba's goal, recovered well, the goalkeeper bringing off a series of saves to preserve the lead. James Milner, having demonstrated his versatility for England by filling in at left-back on Wednesday, was excellent on more familiar ground wide on the right, where he worked prodigiously before moving back inside as Villa retreated into a 4-5-1 formation for the final quarter of an hour.
Emile Heskey, another England candidate in need of playing time, was given only 10 minutes as a substitute and cannot expect to displace John Carew in the big Norwegian's current form; Ashley Young, dropped by Fabio Capello, and Gabriel Agbonlahor, who replaced him in the squad, were fitfully impressive, two inswinging corners by the right- footed Young bringing the goals.
The visitors worked some neat triangles in midfield but were dependent as ever on the full-backs to supply their width and even when Joe Cole was introduced for his first League appearance of the season towards the end, he went into Deco's role behind the two strikers. Carlo Ancelotti might have been expected to send John Terry forward for the final fling; instead his team continued to try threading short balls through the needles of the Villa defence. It was a packed defence by then, and with Richard Dunne another lionheart alongside Collins, Drogba and Nicolas Anelka were continually crowded out.
Villa's manager Martin O'Neill said: "Maybe we've learnt some lessons from last year. When we played Chelsea in February we were third in the table, going strong but we surrendered fourth spot and finished sixth. I think we've made progress, we've got some good players and a decent squad and that's been really encouraging."
Having been brought down to earth in embarrassing and painful fashion on the touchline when Anelka crashed into him, O'Neill is now hoping that he and his players will keep their feet on the ground. "It's a setback for Chelsea and a great boost for us, but I wouldn't draw 15 conclusions from one game. I think Chelsea are a great side."
As in defeat at Wigan recently, they rarely looked like one yesterday. Pushed back while Villa started as brightly as the autumn sunshine, they must have surprised themselves in taking the lead after 15 minutes; all the more so since the vastly experienced Friedel was at fault on his 198th consecutive League appearance.
Frank Lampard played an ordinary pass forward for Drogba, who turned it into a threatening one with his sudden turn past Collins. The shot from almost 30 yards was routine until it bounced in front of the goalkeeper, who would have kept it out had he not gone to ground, watching in anguish as the ball reared up over his arm.
Before half-time there were further opportunities for Deco and Drogba, but Friedel redeemed himself with a superb save and Collins blocked bravely. In between times, critically, Villa had won an equaliser. Young whipped over a corner from the left, and Lampard merely nudged his header dangerously across goal, where Dunne was unmarked to head in for the second successive match.
Chelsea were rattled, Drogba running 20 yards to bawl out Ashley Cole, who was immediately booked for an unnecessary foul. Worse, they conceded another bad goal only six minutes into the second half. It was almost what Match of the Day used to call an action replay: Young's corner, dreadful marking with the goalkeeper Petr Cech nowhere and a firm header by an unattended centre-half – this time Dunne's partner Collins.
Ancelotti's initial reaction was that his team had played "a good match". Further analysis of the videotape before he concentrates on Atletico Madrid this week may offer conflicting evidence.
Ref watch
Steve Bennett having declared himself unfit – no jokes please, Sir Alex – the fourth official Kevin Friend took over for his third Premier League match of the season and handled it well.
Attendance: 39,047
Referee: Kevin Friend
Man of the match: Milner
Match rating: 8/10
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Observer:
Aston Villa's James Collins leaves Chelsea heading to second defeat
Aston Villa 2 Dunne 32, Collins 52 Chelsea 1 Drogba 15
Paul Wilson at Villa Park

Should Steve Bruce need any tips on how to pick a man of the match, he might like to contact the Aston Villa sponsors. They plumped for the solid and unspectacular James Collins, no messing about, and rarely can a call have been made more correctly.
For a start, Martin O'Neill's £5m deadline capture from West Ham scored the winning goal, his first for Villa and the first he has managed for four years. Collins also produced a magnificent block to deny Didier Drogba just before the interval and, had Chelsea turned around 2-1 in front, the second half might have been a very different story. Most of all, though, Collins is a capable defender – and this was a defenders' game.
All the Villa back line were superb: Richard Dunne scored the other goal, Stephen Warnock was a revelation at left-back and Brad Friedel proved, once again, that he has few peers as a shot-stopper, even if his mistake let Chelsea take the lead.
Steven Warnock's good work in the final third for Villa contrasted with the more passive role played by Chelsea's Ashley Cole
If Fabio Capello had been hoping to see more of Emile Heskey than a token eight minutes, he will have been disappointed and this was not a game in which Gabriel Agbonlahor or Ashley Young greatly enhanced their reputations, either. At least Young finished quite strongly, finding his passing range in the second half after being wasteful in the first, and Capello could only have been encouraged by another exemplary display from James Milner.
If Villa's defending was the reason for their win, Chelsea's defending was squarely to blame for their second defeat – a second successive away lapse. There were similarities with their unexpected collapse at Wigan and Carlo Ancelotti was not slow to point them out. "We played a good game on the pitch, but lost the match through set plays," he said, reflecting on the fact Chelsea allowed both opposing centre-halves to score with headers from corners. "Players in England are good with their head and we have to show more concentration in the box. We need more markers and to put more pressure on the ball. There are things we have to improve."
He can say that again. Chelsea looked vulnerable to crosses all afternoon and it was frustrating for the home crowd that Young, and others, failed to provide sufficient quality and quantity early on. Conceding twice from corners means that, of the eight league goals Chelsea have let in this season, six have come from set pieces. Alarming as that statistic must be for Ancelotti, Chelsea are far from alone among the top four clubs in taking their eyes off the dead ball. Five of Arsenal's 11 goals conceded have come from set pieces, while Liverpool are the worst of the lot, with 10 out of 13
"It's just a setback for Chelsea, one bad day, I wouldn't go reading too much into it," O'Neill said. "I have every admiration for John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, and Chelsea have won numerous things through goals from set plays. There's nothing wrong with that, it's part of the game, but we deserve a bit more credit for the rest of our play. We may have won through set pieces, but you still have to take into account the running of Milner, Young and Agbonlahor."
Fair comment, though Villa spent the first 15 minutes running up blind alleys and picked themselves up and dusted themselves down only once Drogba had put them behind with an opportunistic strike against the run of play.
Kevin Friend, hurriedly promoted from fourth official after Steve Bennett took ill just before kick-off, had a decision to make when Agbonlahor went to ground under José Bosingwa's challenge in the 10th minute. He decided it was not a penalty and was probably right, though the crowd let him know they didn't like it, and O'Neill later claimed it was an obvious offence.
"He probably didn't give it because he would have had to send the player off," the Villa manager said. "He couldn't have been expecting to be in charge, though, and, since we've won, I'll excuse him." Agbonlahor went to ground rather too easily and, although Bosingwa may have been holding his man, he did not appear to pull him over.
Villa were left to rue their attacking impotence when Chelsea went upfield and scored with almost insolent ease. Drogba received the ball in the centre circle, turned and advanced a few yards, then hit a dipping shot that looked optimistic. Yet, surprisingly, it went straight past Friedel. The ball came down quickly and bounced awkwardly in front of the goalkeeper, but one still does not expect to see him beaten from 30 yards out.
Villa turned the game around with two corners, though in each case Chelsea defending played a part. Frank Lampard attempted a clearing header, but succeeded only in flicking the ball to the far post, where Dunne crashed in an equaliser after half an hour Then, at the start of the second half – with Villa still in the game thanks to Collins snuffing out what looked like a certain second goal for Drogba – Petr Cech was impeded by his own players as he failed to prevent the ball reaching the Welsh centre-half. Collins did not need asking twice to open his Villa account in front of the Holte End.
Chelsea went close to levelling on several occasions. Ancelotti was not exaggerating when he said their play deserved something, he just reckoned without the reflexes of a 38-year-old goalkeeper. Friedel more than redeemed himself for his earlier mistake with terrific saves from Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka, though John Carew, with an uncharacteristic miss in front of goal, passed up the easiest chance of the day, after excellent approach work by Young and Milner.
"It was tough at times, but we saw it through," O'Neill said. "We beat a good team today. I think anyone finishing in front of Chelsea this season will win the title." That depends, of course, on how quickly Chelsea tighten up at the back.

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Mail:
Aston Villa 2 Chelsea 1:
Richard Dunne and James Collins strike to give Carlo Ancelotti the Blues

By Patrick Collins

Martin O'Neill frowned and grimaced and insisted that it was just one victory and that he wasn't about to draw any dramatic conclusions. But still he could not quite conceal the glow of satisfaction.As for Carlo Ancelotti, he did not even try to hide his feelings. Sucking a sombre cigarette before boarding the team bus last night, his eloquent face answered all the important questions. O'Neill was right, of course. These are early days, and when the Villa manager declares that any team finishing in front of Chelsea will probably win the title, he is simply stating the obvious.
Yet the suspicion remains something significant may have happened; that in the course of a crowded lunchtime in the West Midlands, the English season started to wear a different face. Ancelotti blamed the defeat on his side's abject defending of set-plays. It was difficult to argue, since both Villa goals came from central defenders infiltrating the six-yard box to punish permissive marking.Yet O'Neill was irked by the implication that his team had somehow won on a technicality. He thought that did Villa a disservice. And again he was right. They won because they worked harder, thought more clearly and seized the chances when they arose. They fell undeservedly behind to a goal so soft that goalkeeper Brad Friedel is still blushing but they reorganised, spilled their sweat and kept faith in their methods. Chelsea's inability to play with dangerous width or to cajole performances of real authority from their most important players was just as costly as their defence of set-pieces.Indeed, it might have been even easier for Villa had the referee, Kevin Friend, given them the penalty they deserved in the 11th minute, when Jose Bosingwa sliced down Gabriel Agbonlahor and the official decided the challenge was innocent. Friend had been recruited just 20 minutes before kick-off, when the original referee Steve Bennett fell sick.
That decision apart, he did a competent job despite the petulant barracking from O'Neill in the technical area. The manager was unforgiving after the game. Indeed, the best he could come up with for Mr Friend was: 'Since we've won, I'll excuse him.' It was a graceless remark and, on consideration, he may regret it. O'Neill is better than that, and so, on the day, was Friend.Yet Villa were still cursing their misfortune four minutes later when Didier Drogba - apparently on a whim - spun off James Collins some 30 yards out and attempted a wildly ambitious shot. The ball found more lift than the English pacemen managed all summer, Friedel went down clumsily, and Villa Park just boggled as the vastly experienced keeper helped it into the net. The fact that it was wholly against the run of play was of no concern to Chelsea.Four minutes on, Nicolas Anelka was bundled off the pitch and sent thudding into O'Neill. The manager fell, clutching his knee and seemed in intense pain. But he recovered swiftly to resume his rant at the ref. Meanwhile, his team were setting to work and solving their problems. And in the 32nd minute they received a generous reward. Ashley Young's left wing corner found Frank Lampard rising early and misjudging his header. Richard Dunne reacted instinctively, battering his own header into the net from a couple of yards as Villa celebrated equality.But Chelsea were coming on strongly, enjoying greater possession, while failing to put it to effective use. Going into the second half, they seemed ready to lift their game and kill off the challenge. In fact, their designs fell apart in the 51st minute.
Again, it was sheer simplicity. Villa won a left-wing corner and Stiliyan Petrov demanded a short pass from Young. The winger ignored the plea and waited for Collins to complete his long excursion from the back. The kick was swung long and high, and Collins - as unobtrusive as a 6ft 3in centre-half can ever be - devoured the header. John Terry screamed at the innocent ball, thudding it back into the net. He might have reserved his anger for more deserving candidates.Villa were now required to survive for more than 40 minutes, and they managed without too much discomfort. True, Friedel had to make fine, agile saves from Florent Malouda and Anelka, while there was a half-hearted, instantly rejected penalty appeal against Collins for handball.
But had Villa extended their lead, then none could have complained. Instead, they came through by the diligent excellence of players such as Stephen Warnock, James Milner and their wondrously dependable central defenders.Villa Park looked a picture in the autumn sunshine but the day carried a sharp edge, an ominous hint of things to come. As did the football.

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NOTW:
ASTON VILLA 2, CHELSEA 1

Tormented Terry is armed and dangerous

By Andy Dunn

IT WASN'T quite ripped from his bicep. Angrily yanked, more like. But one thing is for sure, this captain's armband will not be finding a home in John Terry's sprawling collection of memorabilia.
In fact, as he stamped into the privacy of the tunnel - offending item in hand, swearing and shouting to himself like a roaring drunk - I doubt it made it to the dressing-room.
Terry wears his heart, as well as that armband, on his sleeve.
But rarely has his rage been this pure.
Raging, perhaps, against the profligacy of Florent Malouda, Deco and Nicolas Anelka - or maybe their shyness in combat.
Furious, no doubt, with the lamentable and sudden vulnerability to set-pieces.
Angry, probably, that Frank Lampard has been transformed from the epitome of a modern, goalscoring midfielder into a tidy, but mundane, nudger and nurdler.
I wouldn't begin to second-guess Terry's opinion of progress under manager Carlo Ancelotti.
But Terry's torment and Lampard's torpor are significant for Ancelotti.
Chelsea is not unique in this phenomenon but, as Big Phil Scolari discovered en route to a P45, certain players have certain influence.
Comments from the coach afterwards - even allowing for his improving but far-from-footsure English - that he was 'not interested' in Lampard not scoring will need some training-ground explanation.
As will the startling issues surrounding dead-ball defending that allowed Richard Dunne and James Collins to render Brad Friedel's early gift to Didier Drogba irrelevant.
But there is a more general - but more crucial problem - surfacing gradually under Ancelotti.
The stomach for the fight away from Stamford Bridge, this was a second successive reverse, appears to be weakening.
Sure, the Chelsea manager was right to highlight the fact that two poor instances of defending cost them a second successive away defeat. But Martin O'Neill was also correct to point out that it would be doing a major disservice to the application, determination and doggedness of Aston Villa if this result was seen purely through that sort of lens. Villa looked just a smidgeon more committed.
And that, you suspect, is why Terry left the pitch in a prolonged fit of pique, shaking the hands only of people who got in his way. It's certain he would have meant no disrespect to Villa.
Their work ethic was a wonder. James Milner's effort was typified by a wonderfully-timed late block as Malouda cocked his left foot, while Gabby Agbonlahor pulled, pushed, shoved and stretched the Premier League's most experienced defensive unit.
He also pushed Anelka into O'Neill - with the result being that the Villa chief was sent up in the air and needed brief treatment from the team physio.
Stiliyan Petrov revelled in the unaccustomed situation of being allowed to operate unchecked by a Chelsea midfield that looked so unusually awkward, Steve Sidwell was as unfussy as he is unheralded.
Ashley Young was fitful in his contributions - Ashley Cole exposing the reasons why the Aston Villa winger has faded to the back of Fabio Capello's mind.
Yet he could still milk the applause for his significant role in both Villa goals.
His first corner for the equaliser deceived Lampard, whose attempt at a clearing header only produced a telling glance that diverted the ball into the path of a rampaging Dunne.
Nothing gets in the path of a rampaging Dunne and survives. Ball, buried.
Lampard was harsh on himself - but correctly so.
A flicked header was worse than no header at all.
At least it absolved Petr Cech of blame - but only until Collins nodded in the winner.
Wear a luminous jersey and your every move is luminous. Cech's mistake was day-glo.
Granted, Young does spin a mean corner. And sure, if you fail to notice a 6ft 4in ginger Welshman marauding with intent, then you might be in a spot of bother.
But Cech was as culpable as those who laid down the carpet for Collins. He should have been able to place himself in the path of the kick's trajectory but he wandered like a first-day tourist. Chelsea's defending from set-pieces was truly desperate.
And Villa - through a centre-half pairing who could have been named No and Nonsense - threatened to extend their lead.
But contrary to O'Neill's claims, it was Chelsea who created the clearer chances and played the slightly more incisive football.
Not that their lead-taking goal early in the proceedings had anything remotely incisive about it.
A wonderful turn that rooted Collins gave Drogba the shooting chance but even though his long-range effort reared off a length like an Andrew Flintoff special, Friedel should have done better than to be caught in a corridor of uncertainty.
But that turned to certainty and when facing the eye-whites of Malouda, Deco and Anelka, he didn't blink. The Chelsea trio did.
Good saves, yes. But he shouldn't have been offered the chance of redemption.
And what was more significant is that Friedel was at his most comfortable when fielding the efforts of Lampard - who has now gone 10 games without a goal, and that is a double-take statistic.
But you don't need Opta to recognise a dip in the form of such a relentlessly effective performer.
Physically and mentally, he simply didn't bond with Deco yesterday.
His role appears too withdrawn for the comfort of familiarity. Ancelotti needs to sort it out as matter of some urgency.
Of course, this is not a Chelsea crisis.
The loss at the DW Stadium was startling but this Villa team looks to have top-five credentials.
Indeed, they might have handed Chelsea a more damaging setback had rookie referee Keith Friend - a very late replacement for sickness-stricken Steve Bennett - not decided pre-goals that Jose Bosingwa's grappling of Gabby was as much Agbonlahor's fault as the Chelsea defender's.
On that occasion, Ancelotti certainly had a Friend.
He'll need plenty more pretty quickly at Stamford Bridge. Just ask Big Phil.