villa 1-3

Independent:

Ireland pulls strings as Chelsea flounder againChelsea 1 Aston Villa 3:

Villas-Boas left with nothing but excuses as Villa's pace quickens decline

STEVE TONGUE STAMFORD BRIDGE

Yet another transitional year in Chelsea's modern history ended in the sort of turmoil hardly unfamiliar to this most dysfunctional of clubs. The early promise of Andre Villas-Boas's tenure having faded some time ago, a recent run of 1-1 draws had provided consistency of only the soggy sort and ended any hope of a serious challenge to regain the Premier League title; and yesterday even a fourth successive stalemate proved beyond them.
The lead provided by Didier Drogba's penalty midway through the first half lasted no more than six minutes and Aston Villa broke out to score twice more and collect their first victory in this ground since Claudio Ranieri's day. Much water and several managers have flown under the Bridge since 2002, yet Chelsea are currently swimming against the tide. An afternoon that began with jeering celebrations at news of Manchester United's defeat ended with one of their own and ejection from the top four places by Arsenal. However much patience may or may not be extended towards the latest manager, a failure to qualify for the Champions' League will hardly be tolerated.
Yesterday the defence again looked horribly vulnerable to the pace that Gabriel Agbonlahor provides, making an agreement on wages with Bolton's Gary Cahill all the more urgent. One of the year's successes, Daniel Sturridge, had possibly his worst game since establishing himself in the side and in consequence Villas-Boas was in the unhappy position of having to look to Fernando Torres for redemption. With Sturridge hauled off, Torres and Drogba spent the last half-hour in their usual uncomfortable tandem, the £50m man hitting the bar with his first touch but unable to improve on a record that reads three League goals in 11 months for Chelsea after scoring four last January before his move from Liverpool.
Meanwhile Villa, with a manager in Alex McLeish whose popularity rating has been well below that of Villas-Boas, is slowly winning friends. It was, he said, his most satisfying game since joining from Birmingham, and with good reason: "A fantastic result going into the new year." His tactics were spot on in sitting back and counter-attacking with the speed of Agbonlahor, who more than compensated for the initial absence of Darren Bent.
James Collins and Richard Dunne headed most things away and Stephen Ireland, such a disappointment since joining the club, was a revelation in between the midfield and Agbonlahor.
Once more, Villas-Boas dwelt on chances missed, although yesterday there were fewer of them than usual. Chelsea had barely created a single one before, to their good fortune, the referee Mark Halsey allowed play to continue as Collins fouled Ramires. The ball ran kindly for Drogba, who was clearly tripped by Dunne.
Drogba was a little lucky with the penalty that brought his 150th Chelsea goal, Brad Guzan almost reaching it before the Ivorian performed the sort of celebration in front of the Shed end that some might have been considered valedictory. But Villas-Boas insists he will not be sold and nor will Salomon Kalou or Florent Malouda.
The home crowd had little time to enjoy the lead. Villa broke out of their shell with a smart move down the left that ended in Charles N'Zogbia cutting a pass back for Ireland. John Terry blocked his first shot, probably with his hand, and could therefore have been sent off had Ireland not knocked the rebound into the net.
The visitors should have gone ahead early in the second half, when N'Zogbia and Marc Albrighton broke with a man spare to send Agbonlahor clear of the defence, only for Petr Cech to save. For 20 minutes as a clutch of substitutes arrived, Chelsea threatened again, with Torres striking the bar and Jose Bosingwa forcing Guzan to turn his drive for a corner. But in the last 10 minutes Ciaran Clark put Stiliyan Petrov through to beat Cech and as the crowd began to stream away, Frank Lampard, initially welcomed as a substitute, lost possession with a careless square pass allowing Ireland to play Bent in for a third goal.
Villas-Boas, who takes his squad to Wolves tomorrow, was left to bemoan having to play two games in 48 hours when others did not. He warned of "career-threatening injuries" that could result, but as Wolves played yesterday as well, it all smacked a little of getting excuses in early. He may need more of them before the season is over.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ferreira (Bosingwa, 75), Luiz, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Romeu (Lampard, 57), Meireles; Sturridge (Torres, 62) , Drogba, Mata.

Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Guzan; Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Warnock; Albrighton (Gardner, 78), Clark, Petrov (Bannan, 84), N'Zogbia (Bent, 78); Ireland; Agbonlahor.

Referee Mark Halsey.
Man of the match Ireland (Aston Villa).
Match rating 6/10.

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Observer:

Stephen Ireland goal sets up Aston Villa for comeback win at Chelsea
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea's season continues to unravel around them. André Villas-Boas and his players limp into the new year with the scrutiny intensifying on a young manager and an imbalanced squad with every stumble.
The boos that greeted the final whistle here were an indication the locals have yet to spy much evidence of progress under the new regime. Chelsea already loitered on the fringes of the title race, but now they have even been cast from the top four.
That was not how Villas-Boas was supposed to break new ground. The manager has consistently reminded all-comers that his primary task is to wintrophies for this club.
The minimum requirement, he reiterated last night, remains "first place". Yet, from fifth, such objectives are dots on the horizon. This has become a transitional season while the manager attempts to make this team his own, and with that adjustment will inevitably come performances as painfully slack as this.
There was too much vulnerability at the back, and too much stodginess clogging up their attacking intent, with a desperation to haul themselves back into the contest provoking the same failings that had wrecked their challenges against Arsenal and Liverpool this term. A third home league defeat of the season was played out with panic gripping the home ranks. Aston Villa, who had not won in this arena since 2002, dazzled on the break in comparison. Their victory may have been secured late, but it felt as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.
There was an effervescence to the visitors' play on the counterattack that Chelsea could not match, the hosts' desire to heave themselves ahead as the contest lurched into its latter stages leaving them prone. Distance gaped between David Luiz and John Terry, through which Ciaran Clark slid Stilian Petrov to thrust the visitors ahead seven minutes from time. There was more sloppiness to come when Frank Lampard's cross-field pass was intercepted by Stephen Ireland, with Darren Bent eventually converting Villa's third.
Chelsea had been sliced open, the visitors' eager and fleet-footed attackers pouring into the void, but it is damning that the complete lack of defensive surety no longer felt uncharacteristic. They have been undermined too often this season by such failings. This was a fourth game in succession without a win since Manchester City were beaten. December was supposed to be an opportunity, a chance to claw back into the title race. It has proved decisive, though not in the way Villas-Boas had hoped it might.
Villa feel more upwardly mobile. This was an eye-catching success inspired by a player who had been plastered across Twitter earlier in the week smoking a Shisha pipe. Ireland had been rebuked by his manager, Alex McLeish, once the haze had cleared for such ill-judgment. Villa had been waiting for a performance to justify any celebratory behaviour at all since the Irishman's £8m transfer from Manchester City, but this was finally a display to cherish. He had already illuminated the contest by the time Chelsea plucked the lead against the run of play, albeit courtesy of Villa's generosity. Richard Dunne's lunge on Didier Drogba was unnecessary, the Ivorian squeezing the resultant penalty under the diving Bradley Guzan to register his 150th goal for the club. The bow mustered for the Shed in celebration was not, apparently, a farewell with contract negotiations still at an impasse, though this could yet prove to have been a last home appearance until after the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ireland, though, was not to be denied. When the visitors might have been expected to wilt, the midfielder promptly linked up with Charles N'Zogbia, with the Frenchman darting to the byline and cutting back. Ireland's first attempt was blocked by Terry on the goalline, perhaps with an arm, but he kept his composure to slide the rebound through the defender's legs.
Gabriel Agbonlahor might have added a second before Chelsea found some belated urgency – Fernando Torres belting against the bar from distance in his first involvement – only for the hosts to be undone on the break at the death. "This is my most satisfying day at the club so far," McLeish said. For Villas-Boas, the frustration merely intensifies.


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Telegraph:

Chelsea 1 Aston Villa 3: match report
By Jonathan Liew, Stamford Bridge

This time last year, Andre Villas-Boas could do no wrong. His Porto side were cruising to the Portuguese title and he was being feted as the finest young manager in Europe.
Now he stands on the verge of ridicule. His Premier League title ambitions are gone, his team are the third best in London and were booed off the pitch by their own supporters. For the first time in his short career, this prodigious talent is meeting with the prospect of disaster.
Stamford Bridge used to be a fortress. Now it lays out the welcome mat. It was Chelsea’s fifth league defeat of the season, but their most humiliating by far. They had their moments going forward, but the ease with which struggling, limited, Aston Villa picked them apart and claimed their first win at this ground since 2002 was truly breathtaking.
The players upon which Villas-Boas has staked both his future and Chelsea’s were nowhere to be seen. Where was Daniel Sturridge? Where was Oriel Romeu?
Where were Ramires and David Luiz? Only Juan Mata and Ashley Cole could be said to have justified their blue shirts on Saturday afternoon. The rest deserved nothing but red faces.
Still Villas-Boas clung steadfastly to his dogma. “I don’t see that performance being only related to defensive problems,” he said. “The opponents were extremely brave in the way they created problems in counter attacks. Their tactics were fantastic.”
Until Chelsea relearn the art of mastering an opposition, they will remain a top-four side on reputation alone. Until their defensive issues are addressed — and the imminent signing of Gary Cahill will not address the team’s structural flaws — the game’s big prizes will continue to elude them.
After this, their fourth straight game without a win, they have slipped to fifth in the Premier League. The club’s objectives this season have been irrevocably realigned. “I think the minimum for a club like this is first place,” Villas-Boas said. “But that is fantasy. Our reality at the moment is a fourth-place finish. We have to pursue a more humble finish for the dimensions of this club. There is no running away or excuses. We have lost massive opportunities. We will have to face our challenges in 2012 in a different way.” Villa taught Chelsea a harsh lesson in how to adapt to the situation of a game.
Their strategy at the outset — organising themselves into tight, disciplined lines behind the ball, lasted just 22 minutes, as first the deft feet and then the stout boot of Didier Drogba put Chelsea ahead.
In probably his last home game before leaving for the African Cup of Nations, Drogba jogged the ball into the penalty area, showed just enough of it to Richard Dunne to commit the defender to the challenge and then nudged it delicately beyond him. Dunne’s challenge was grotesquely mistimed, an obvious penalty. Drogba grabbed the ball and found the net with a low finish to Brad Guzan’s left.
Villa ventured forward, getting the ball with more regularity to their forward trio of Gabriel Agbonlahor, Charles N’Zogbia and Stephen Ireland.
They were behind for just five minutes. N’Zogbia produced a sharp burst of pace on the left, sashaying past Paulo Ferreira on the left and cutting the ball back for Ireland. Ireland’s goal-bound shot was blocked by the hand of John Terry on the line, but the rebound was safely converted from close range.
Having left Fernando Torres and Frank Lampard on the bench, Villas-Boas now swallowed his pride in the second half and introduced both. Torres’s first shot, a speculative effort from 20 yards, crashed against the crossbar. For the next few minutes, Chelsea laid siege. Drogba dragged a shot wide. Jose Bosingwa, Chelsea’s final substitute, forced a fingertip save from Guzan.
The force was with the home side. So how did it all go so wrong? It was inattentiveness at the back, that familiar Chelsea failing, that cost them.
A lack of concentration and resolve allowed substitute Darren Bent to hold up a long ball in the area and turn with ease.
Bent was brought down in the area, but as Mark Halsey waved away the penalty appeal, Ciaran Clark slipped the ball to Stiliyan Petrov, who slotted calmly past Cech.
A shocking error from Lampard — reminiscent of Terry’s slip against Arsenal earlier in the season — put the game beyond any doubt. A sideways pass in his own half was intercepted by Ireland, who put Bent in for 3-1.
Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish even claimed that his side had not been at their best. “I think we can play even better than that,” he said. “I did feel that if Chelsea were a couple of per cent off, perhaps there was an opportunity for us. Sometimes you need to get the elite teams slightly off the boil.”
Chastened, abashed, and booed at the final whistle: how swiftly Chelsea’s golden calf is moving towards the abattoir. Villas-Boas brushed off the boos as nonchalantly as he dismissed the speculation over his position.
“This is the most valuable criticism we get,” he said. “Booing is acceptable and we take it on board. The fans have a right to show their disappointment. In Porto it was the same.”
Perhaps, but on this evidence, the similarities between his tenures at Porto and Chelsea end there.


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Mail:

Chelsea 1 Aston Villa 3: Night on the boos gives Villas-Boas a headache

By MALCOLM FOLLEY

Andre Villas-Boas is running out of support — and perhaps time — after his Chelsea team were booed off at Stamford Bridge following their fourth successive Premier League game without a win.
For the first time in a decade, Chelsea enter the New Year outside the League’s top four following an unlikely home defeat by Aston Villa, and Villas-Boas accepted the paying customers were perfectly entitled to express their frustration as a season rich in promise disintegrates in front of his eyes.
‘Booing is the most valuable criticism we get,’ he said. ‘The minimum requirement for this club is to finish in first place but we also have to understand that winning the title for us is now a fantasy.’
For Chelsea, Monday’s match at Wolves has acquire an unnerving importance. Once Stamford Bridge was a fortress, now it resembles a castle on shifting sands after Chelsea’s third home defeat of the season.
Villa outwitted them by playing intelligently on the counter attack, causing disruption tooeasily in Chelsea’s defence.
From four matches in 14 days, Chelsea have taken a paltry three points. Villas-Boas has to hope Abramovich’s closest advisers identify someone has to deal with dismantling a team who have grown old.
Yet Villas-Boas is a man whose confidence borders on arrogance. Before Christmas he had former striker Tommy Langley fired from his role as a pundit on Chelsea TV for making the mildest criticism.
Langley’s loyalty to Chelsea is easily identified as he has four season tickets at the club. A friend of his said last night: ‘Villas-Boas appears to be a paranoid man
Changes are inevitable. Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Paulo Ferreira, Salomon Kalou and captain John Terry are all vulnerable.
Drogba gave a good impression of a man bidding farewell to the club. His 150th goal for Chelsea, placing him in the same exalted company as Roy Bentley and the late Peter Osgood, was struck from the penalty spot after he had been scythed down in the 23rd minute by Richard Dunne.
He was mobbed by his team-mates, but when they ran clear, the big man stood with his arms aloft in front of the crowd behind the Shed End goal.
Drogba has earned the fans’ adulation through his goals that decorated the good years but he will soon be summoned to join the Ivory Coast team at the Africa Cup of Nations, and the odds on him staying at Chelsea appear to have lengthened.
Was that Drogba’s last game, the manager was asked? Unconvincingly, he replied: ‘I don’t think so.’
Lampard’s reduction to giving another cameo performance as a substitute was notable only for the way he gave the ball away for Villa’s third goal four minutes from the end.
In spite of Lampard’s claim he wants to stay at Chelsea, the decision is more likely to be taken from him in the summer.
Terry’s position is no longer assured either, surely. Villas-Boas is still hopeful Chelsea can sign Gary Cahill, even though the Bolton defender is holding out for a bigger salary than the £70,000 a week Chelsea are thought to have offered him. Cahill’s agents obviously know a central defender is imperative for Chelsea.
Then there is the Fernando Torres conundrum. Eleven months after he was signed for £50m from Liverpool, he has scored five goals for the club.
On Saturday, he hit the bar shortly after arriving as a 62nd-minute substitute; but compassion for him is in scant supply around the Bridge.
Torres traipsed from the pitch, alone, wondering when his penury might end. His wealth, estimated at£14million and rising, cannot shelter him from the weekly ridicule.
He was bought on an Abramovich whim, but a goal-shy centre-forward is a luxury that will becomeunaffordable even for a Russian oligarch.
The game slid away from Chelsea shortly after Drogba had given them the lead. Within six minutes,Villa were level through Stephen Ireland’s first goal for the club to crown an outstanding performance.
Villa claimed victory with goals from Stiliyan Petrov in the 83rd minute and substitute Darren Bentin the 86th minute.
‘No doubt this is my most satisfying day as Villa manager,’ said Alex McLeish, who enjoyed a modestHogmanay with his wife as Villas-Boas dealt with an epic hangover.
Latest on AVB revolution: Worst Chelsea in 10 years!
Chelsea’s home defeat by Aston Villa saw them slip to fifth — the first time they have been so lowon New Year’s Eve for 10 years (they were in sixth in 2001).
Chelsea had only lost a combined total of five games at home in seven seasons before Villas-Boastook charge and their defence at home looks weaker than it has ever been in the Premier League years.
Villas-Boas’s side have suffered three home losses already. Chelsea have not fared so badly at Stamford Bridge in an entire campaign since the first season of the Abramovich era, in2003-04.
Chelsea have already conceded 16 goals at Stamford Bridge in the league this term and it is a decade since they let in that many in a full season. They have only kept one clean sheet so far — the fewest they have had in any season since 1992-93 is five.


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