Aston Villa 2-1

Independent:
Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 2
Frank Lampard's winner the stuff of legend
Bobby Tambling’s record finally tumbles to Chelsea’s highly-acclaimed midfielder whose 203rd club goal ensured qualification into next season’s Champions’ League
Simon Hart  

He was the last player off the pitch, staying behind to soak up the adulation of the away supporters in the Doug Ellis Stand and, frankly, who could blame him? With his two goals yesterday Frank Lampard did not just secure another Champions’ League campaign for Chelsea, but wrote his name in the Stamford Bridge history books as the club’s top scorer.

Lampard had begun the day a goal shy of Bobby Tambling’s record but ended it with goals 202 and 203 of a brilliant 12-year Chelsea career. They were goals that summed up his continued importance to the club that has still not offered him a new contract as he cancelled out Christian Benteke’s first-half strike on the hour, and then appeared in the six-yard box at the perfect time to bury Eden Hazard’s low cross late on.
Chelsea fans spilled on to the touchline as Lampard was lost in a celebratory huddle of players and supporters, and the London club had the three points that effectively guaranteed a top-four finish.
Lampard said it was an “amazing day” and dedicated his record strike to his late mother. “I did get a bit emotional there. I always dedicate my goals to my mum, I lost her a couple of years ago.” As for his unresolved future, he added: “I’m hoping that I’ll be here and at the end of the season we’ll get a decision on that.”
There was so much else to commend a pulsating contest rich in drama and controversy. There were red cards for Ramires and Benteke, a Demba Ba ‘phantom goal’ and injuries to John Terry and Hazard that make them unlikely to appear in Wednesday’s Europa League final against Benfica.
Terry’s injury to his left ankle followed an awkward fall. He had lengthy treatment before leaving on a stretcher amid a chorus of abuse from the Villa fans. “We are waiting for a scan,” said Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez of Terry, who looks certain to miss a second successive European final. Hazard pulled up with a hamstring problem in added time and is “extremely doubtful” for Wednesday according to Benitez.
Villa took the lead with Benteke’s 19th League goal of the season. After collecting a pass from Yacouba Sylla, he strode down the inside-left channel, taking the ball past Gary Cahill rather too easily and then beating the wrong-footed Petr Cech with a cool near-post finish. The noise levels rose higher in the 19th minute with a period of applause from both sets of fans for Stiliyan Petrov, Villa’s club captain who announced his retirement this week as he continues his fight against leukaemia.
Although Brad Guzan then saved at Ba’s feet and turned a Lampard free-kick on to a post, Villa were more than holding their own, with Fabian Delph a dynamic presence in midfield and Gabriel Agbonlahor and Andi Weimann troubling Chelsea’s defence with their pace.
Paul Lambert, the home manager, felt referee Lee Mason should have sent off Terry for bringing down Sylla 30 yards from goal – “Sylla was through” – but Mason did dismiss another Chelsea man before the break, when Ramires, already cautioned for a foul on Benteke, caught Agbonlahor with a high foot.
Yet Villa’s advantage was short-lived as, 13 minutes after the restart, Benteke raised his boot as he jumped with Terry, catching the Chelsea captain in the chest. Lambert insisted there was “no malice” yet it was a foolish challenge given he had been lucky to escape with a yellow for a first-half elbow in the face of Cesar Azpilicueta. Moreover, it means he will miss Villa’s last game at Wigan next Sunday, a match they will need something from if Wigan upset Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday.
Within three minutes Chelsea were level as Lampard picked up Hazard’s square pass and curled a superb shot into the far corner. Chelsea should have had a second when Ashley Westwood blocked a Cahill shot on the line and Ba appeared to touch the loose ball over the line before Sylla cleared. Instead it was left to Lampard to secure Chelsea’s victory. Benitez was lavish in his praise of the 34-year-old. “He’s a great professional, very intelligent in his understanding of the game,” he said. “I think he can play for a very good team for a while (longer), how long you never know. It’s not my decision.”
The Spaniard had his own cause for satisfaction, having achieved the Champions’ League qualification he was tasked with securing when handed the Chelsea job. But it was Lampard feeling the love.

Tambling's record tumbles
Frank Lampard (203 goals): Position: Midfield Years it took: 12 (2001-2013)
Appearances: 606 Goals per game: 0.33 League goals for the club: 165
Bobby Tambling (202 goals): Position: Striker Years it took: 11 (1959-1970)
Appearances: 370 Goals per game: 0.55 League goals for the club: 164

Aston Villa (4-5-1): Guzan; Lichaj, Vlaar, Baker, Bennett; Agbonlahor, Sylla, Westwood, Delph, Weimann; Benteke.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry (Ivanovic, 75), Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Moses (Luiz, h-t), Mata, Hazard; Ba (Torres, 88).
Referee: Lee Mason

Man of the match: Lampard (Chelsea)

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Observer:
Frank Lampard sets Chelsea scoring record to keep Aston Villa in murk
Stuart James at Villa Park

On an afternoon of extraordinary drama in the Midlands, Frank Lampard etched his name into Chelsea history when he struck twice in the second half to surpass Bobby Tambling's club record of 202 goals and give Chelsea the three points that secures Champions League football next season.
Victory, however, came at a huge cost for Chelsea, who lost John Terry and Eden Hazard to injury and finished a pulsating game with nine men. Terry departed on a stretcher, with his left leg in a brace after he collided with Nathan Baker, while Hazard pulled up with a hamstring strain in injury-time, the Belgian's pained expression shared by those on the Chelsea bench who reacted with despair.
While Terry, who was jeered by the Aston Villa supporters as he left the field, was unlikely to start against Benfica in the Europa League final on Wednesday, Hazard would be nailed on to be among Rafael Benítez's first-choice XI. The Chelsea manager conceded that the 22-year-old's involvement in Amsterdam now looks highly unlikely. Terry, meanwhile, is undergoing a scan on his ankle.
By the time Hazard signalled that he was unable to continue, Benítez had used all three substitutes and Ramires had been dismissed after picking up two yellow cards. It was one of a number of controversial decisions that Lee Mason, the referee, made on a day when Villa also finished without their full quota of players.
Christian Benteke, who had put Villa ahead with his 19th league goal of the season, was sent off in the 58th minute for a second bookable offence, his raised studs catching Terry in the ribs and bringing an automatic one-match suspension that means he will miss the game at Wigan on the final day.
Villa, who remain five points clear of the relegation zone and will be safe if Wigan fail to win at Arsenal on Tuesday, could count themselves fortunate that Benteke failed to receive his marching orders earlier.
Challenging for a high ball in the 38th minute, the centre forward swung an elbow that caught César Azpilicueta, the Chelsea right-back, in the face.
If Mason saw the incident, it had to be a straight red card, yet the referee chose to only book the striker. "If he has elbowed him in the face, I'll have to see it," said Paul Lambert, the Villa manager, who felt Benteke's second booking was harsh.
Lambert was also angry with a contentious moment towards the end of the first half, when Terry cynically brought down Yacouba Sylla in full flight.
Mason seemed to judge that Ashley Cole was in a position to get across and cover, although Lambert argued that the Villa midfielder was denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. "When John Terry takes Sylla down, the full-back was not getting around in time. The referee has got to see that," Lambert said.
Villa were already a goal up at that point and it was no surprise that the scorer was Benteke. The Belgium international, who was unplayable at times in the first half, challenged with Gary Cahill to knock down Brad Guzan's punt upfield and then broke into the left channel to run onto Sylla's first-time pass. He made the rest look ridiculously easy, ghosting past Cahill before beating Petr Cech with a low shot at the near post.
The sense that this was going to be Villa's day was reinforced when Ramires, who had picked up an early booking for a foul on Benteke, received a second yellow card after clumsily colliding with Gabriel Agbonlahor. His boot was high but even Lambert conceded that the decision was soft. "I thought the whole game the referee was poor," the Villa manager said.
Benteke's dismissal felt like the turning point in the game. Chelsea drew level three minutes later, when Hazard teed up Lampard to thrash a left-footed shot past Guzan, and started to look much more dangerous against a Villa side whose counter-attacking threat had been nullified following the loss of Benteke.
Chelsea should have had a second in the 72nd minute, although it was impossible to criticise the officials for failing to notice that Demba Ba had prodded the ball over the line, after Sylla blocked Cahill's shot. It took numerous television replays to prove that it was a goal, which is a debate that will be redundant next season, when goalline technology is introduced.
Not that Chelsea were moaning about that moment come the end. With two minutes remaining Hazard played a neat one-two with Cole and picked out Lampard to slot home his landmark goal. He was applauded off the pitch at the end by the home fans, who moments later paid an emotional tribute to Stilian Petrov, the former Villa captain who announced his retirement on Thursday after a 15-month battle with acute leukaemia. A remarkable day, all in all.

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Telegraph:

Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 2
By Gerry Cox, at Villa Park

Football purists may consider it sacrilege to play league matches on FA Cup final day, but Aston Villa and Chelsea served up a lunchtime feast packed with incident, significance and controversy.
Chelsea came from behind to effectively seal at least a place in the Champions League qualifying round thanks to two goals from Frank Lampard, who equalled and then surpassed Bobby Tambling’s 43-year-old club goalscoring record of 202.
Lampard’s first, just past the hour mark, came moments after a red card for Christian Benteke, who had opened the scoring with his 23rd goal of the season.
The Villa striker suffered the same fate as Ramires, who was sent off for two yellow cards on the stroke of half-time, and there could have been even more red cards.
Benteke was only cautioned for an elbow into the face of Cesar Azpilicueta, before being given a second yellow in the 57th minute for a high boot on John Terry, who was earlier lucky to escape a red card but went off on a stretcher with an ankle injury that looks like keeping him out of Wednesday’s Europa League final.
Eden Hazard’s place is also in doubt after the Belgian midfielder went off in the closing minutes with a hamstring strain, leaving Chelsea to see out the final stages with nine men, having used all three substitutes.
But Chelsea did hang on for three points that mean fifth-placed Tottenham, who have a much worse goal difference, can no longer overtake their points total.
But Villa must hope Wigan do not beat Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday, otherwise their trip to the DW Stadium next Sunday could determine which side is relegated.
It was breathtaking stuff from start to finish. So often lunchtime kick-offs are dull affairs but this was the opposite. Benteke gave Villa a deserved lead in the 15th minute with a superb goal to demonstrate why his value has trebled since being signed from Genk for £8 million last summer.
Taking a pass from Yacouba Sylla on the left wing, Benteke ran from almost the halfway line, accelerated past Gary Cahill and fired the ball with contemptuous ease past Petr Cech at the goalkeeper’s near post.
His immediate reward was to be hacked down by Ramires for the Chelsea man’s first booking. The Brazilian saw red just before half-time for raising his boot waist high as he challenged Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Moments earlier Terry was fortunate to receive only a yellow card from the referee Lee Mason after tripping Sylla cynically as the Villa midfielder ran in on goal.
Terry was also lucky to escape censure after pushing his hand into Andreas Weimann’s face, but the Chelsea captain’s luck ran out when he was injured in the 73rd minute, requiring extensive treatment on his ankle before going off on a stretcher to the derision of home supporters.
The controversy did not end there. Cahill’s 72nd-minute shot on Villa’s goal prompted the sort of debate about whether it crossed the line.
Mason and his assistants decided the ball had not gone in, television replays were less clear. The introduction of goal-line technology next season cannot come quickly enough.
Villa were good in the opening period, although Lampard almost scored with a free-kick that went through the defensive wall and squirmed out of Brad Guzan’s grasp before hitting the post.
But the Chelsea midfielder made up for it when he thumped the ball home with his left foot from the edge of the area to get his side back in the game and equal Tambling’s record tally.
With time running out, Lampard was on hand to stab the ball over the line from close range after great work on the left by Hazard.
Chelsea’s fans celebrated wildly with Lampard, threatening to spill on to the pitch before being restrained by stewards.
And even in the ensuing seven minutes of stoppage time there were chances for both sides, but Cech and Guzan made important saves at opposite ends of the pitch.
Ultimately Chelsea survived, and Lampard was given a standing ovation from the supporters of both teams as he left the pitch.
Paul Lambert led his Villa players on a lap of honour at the end of their final home game, with the hope that Arsenal can do them a favour against Wigan on Tuesday. He said: “I’ll watch the game, no problem.”
He was more concerned about some of Mason’s decisions.
“I thought for the whole game, the referee was poor. He should have a look at his own performance. Terry should have been sent off, and I don’t think Benteke deserved a red card. Up to that point we were in control but it gave Chelsea a lift and had a huge impact.”
Rafael Benítez confirmed that Terry and Hazard will have scans but look likely to miss the Europa League final against Benfica on Wednesday.
“It looks bad,” he said. Benítez was delighted to have taken Chelsea to the brink of Champions League qualification, having taken over from Roberto Di Matteo when the club were struggling last November.
“It was so important for us to qualify, and we are nearly there.”

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Sunday Times;

Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 2: Record for Lampard

 

 Paul Rowan 

FRANK LAMPARD broke the Chelsea goalscoring record, held for decades by Bobby Tambling, with two goals that guaranteed Chelsea a Champions League place, but that tells only a small part of this extraordinary afternoon in the West Midlands. Villa fans left the stadium fretful that their great run of late, brought to an end by this defeat, has still not guaranteed them safety. Chelsea supporters, meanwhile, must wonder whether to laugh or cry. They celebrated wildly Lampard’s towering achievement — his two goals must rank among the most important he has scored for Chelsea — but John Terry and Eden Hazard, who appeared to pull a hamstring, are both almost certain to miss Wednesday’s Europa League final in Amsterdam, where they face Benfica.
Terry was mercilessly jeered by the Villa fans when he was taken away on a stretcher with his left ankle in a cast late in the game — a piece of bad taste that was condemned later by Paul Lambert. 
The Villa manager went on to make the point that Terry should not have been on the pitch at that point anyway, because referee Lee Mason might have sent him off for a cynical foul on Yacouba Sylla in the first half as the midfielder was through on goal, instead of giving him only a yellow card.
For good measure Mason did send off two players, Ramires of Chelsea in the first half and Christian Benteke in the second, when Villa were a goal up thanks to their prolific Belgian striker.
Chelsea exploited the dismissal of the centre-forward ruthlessly by plundering two goals through Lampard and departing with the spoils.
Benteke had been almost unplayable up to the point of his dismissal and gave Villa the lead in the 15th minute with the first dangerous move on goal by either team. He controlled a long punt by Brad Guzan on his chest and played the ball neatly to Sylla.
The midfielder provided the perfect return ball, which sent Benteke into the penalty area with Gary Cahill to beat. He did so all too easily for supporters of Chelsea or England and in the process spotted a gap at Petr Cech’s near post that he exploited with a low left-footed shot.
Chelsea — who thrashed Villa 8-0 in the league back in December at Stamford Bridge — knew they were in a game this time, but Ramires was guilty of a bad case of over exuberance as he was punished by two yellow cards in the space of half an hour which led to him being sent off on the stroke of half time. First he scythed down Benteke and then he went in with his studs raised on Gabby Agbonlahor. Though he made little contact, Mason deemed it reckless enough for a second yellow.
Mason also brandished a yellow card at Benteke which probably should have been a red as replays showed the Belgian had shoved his elbow into Cesar Azpilicueta’s face. It was a compelling first half, but after the interval the game exploded into a series of dramatic incidents. One goal and one man up, Villa looked as if they were going to capitalise on their advantage, but Agbonlahor could not beat Cech despite being given a couple of clear openings wide on the left.
Then came the decisive swing in the game. On 58 minutes, Benteke contested a clearance with Terry and stuck his studs into the Chelsea captain’s chest in the process, rightly earning a second yellow card. He had hardly trudged off when Hazard cut in from the right and played a short ball square to Lampard. The midfielder allowed the ball to run onto his left foot and curled a wonderful strike around Nathan Baker and high into the net.
Chelsea began to dominate and appeared to have taken the lead when Ba looked to have forced the ball over the line after Sylla had stopped Gary Cahill’s effort, but the incident happened so quickly that Ashley Westwood’s clearance meant the referee played on.
Chelsea and Lampard would not be denied and two minutes from time Hazard again created havoc after receiving a neat pass from Lampard. Cutting in from the deadball line, he found that Lampard had arrived right on cue into the six yard box and the rest, as they say, is history

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Mail:

Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 2: Lampard makes history and fires Blues back into the Champions League
By Mark Ryan

In all the ugliness and confusion, ‘Super’ Frank Lampard provided the class, purity and timing to take Chelsea back into the Champions League.
Bobby Tambling’s Chelsea scoring record of 202 goals went tumbling and the Villa fans who had taunted the injured John Terry with disturbing venom suddenly fell silent.
Perhaps it was dawning on them that Paul Lambert’s team will suddenly find themselves back in big relegation trouble if Wigan beat Arsenal on Tuesday. And they will have their hero to blame.
Yes, strange as it may seem since Christian Benteke netted his 19th goal, the Belgium striker cost his side victory.
First there was the dangerous elbow he launched into the face of Chelsea right-back Cesar Azpilicueta after 36 minutes. Azpilicueta could have been seriously hurt and Benteke should have been sent off there and then. ‘If he elbowed him in the face... I’ll have to see it,’ Villa manager Lambert said cautiously.
You might think that Benteke would keep himself out of trouble from that point on but instead his studs flew into the chest of John Terry, who fell to the floor.
Lambert likened the offence to Nani’s sending-off for Manchester United against Real Madrid: ‘He was keeping his eye on the ball.’ But unlike Nani, Benteke was walking a tightrope and he fell off because of his own stupidity.

It was all so unnecessary because his power and grace after collecting Yacouba Sylla’s pass in the 14th minute had put his side in control. Benteke glided past the flat-footed Gary Cahill, then fooled Petr Cech by depositing his finish inside the Chelsea keeper’s near post.
On the day the crowds had gathered to pay tribute to club captain Stiliyan Petrov, who has been battling acute leukaemia, all seemed to be well in Villa’s world at that point.
And it was Chelsea’s discipline which seemed in disarray after Ramires picked up two yellow cards — one for fouling Benteke and another for high though unintentional studs on Gabriel Agbonlahor.
When referee Lee Mason flourished his first red card just before half-time, Ramires gestured to the crowd, apparently rubbing together the tips of his fingers and then giving his tormentors a ‘thumbs down’. What did he mean? That he had more money than the average Villa fan, so he did not care what they thought?
And as Chelsea went off at half-time, Eden Hazard made a different gesture to the crowd, possibly of a kind that defies clean explanation.
Chelsea were a man down, less hungry than Villa and less able to control their emotions. It looked as though the Benitez reign could end without the consolation of Champions League qualification after all.But Benteke’s dismissal just before the hour made it 10 against 10 and allowed the adventurous Lampard to change everything within  minutes.
He collected the ball from the laterally moving Hazard on the edge of the area, caressed it a couple of times and then unleashed such a sweet left-foot shot through a crowd of players that Villa keeper Brad Guzan had no chance.
In the 72nd minute, the Chelsea fans thought they had scored again — and strictly speaking they had, though the goal was not given. Cahill’s shot was blocked on the line by Sylla but Demba Ba’s lunge nudged the ball over the line. Ashley Westwood cleared quick as a flash and the officials decided they had not seen what the rest of us had seen even before replays confirmed it.
Villa fans were simmering with injustice, too, when John Terry pulled down Sylla when the ex-England captain appeared to have been the last man. ‘Sylla was through,’ said Lambert, insinuating that Terry should have been sent off.

Ashley Cole was racing to the rescue, though Lambert insisted he would have been too late. ‘He could only get round when Sylla was down,’ the Scotsman said.
What followed was some of the worst abuse seen in a Premier League stadium — and Chelsea are understood to be furious. Villa fans chanted ‘racist, racist’ at Terry, as well as the heavily loaded ‘You know what you are’.
There were cruel cheers when Terry was carried off with a badly twisted ankle.
Someone had to redeem this ugly scene and it was Lampard. After Hazard received a return pass from Cole, he reached the byline to square a simple pass for the midfielder.
His 203rd goal was only a tap-in but it was just reward for his reading of the surge and his own exquisite timing. Champions League football had been secured by a manager who will not be there next season and a player who may not be given the chance either.
Worryingly for Chelsea in the build-up to their Europa League final against Benfica, they lost Hazard to a hamstring injury in addition to Terry’s ankle agony.


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Mirror:
Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea:
Steve Stammers

Lampard brace breaks Bobby Tambling's scoring record and secures Blues top-four spot
The midfielder scored goals 202 and 203 of a glittering Chelsea career to claim the three points, but defeat leaves Villa in a relegation scrap

Frank Lampard’s flawless timing – a hallmark of his career – yesterday secured Chelsea’s Champions League place and his own club landmark.
On a day of drama and ­controversy at Villa Park, Lampard led a Chelsea revival that means only two freak ­results can rob them of ­competition against Europe’s elite next season.
Lampard brought his total of strikes for Chelsea to 203 just when it seemed a first-half goal from Christian Benteke had given Villa a vital edge.
It will need two remarkable wins by Tottenham – by an ­extraordinary margin – to shift Chelsea from the top four.
And yet, unbelievably, ­Lampard is still uncertain ­if he will be able to add to his ­Chelsea tally next ­season.
The club will open talks with him in the next week over a possible new deal. But if they fail, on yesterday’s evidence, one club will benefit from one of the most high-profile free transfers in recent years.
Certainly, Villa were made aware that there is still ample mileage left in the legs of a midfield player who will be 35 next month. But while the win was cause for Chelsea ­celebration, Villa are left sweating on their own Premier League future.
They will be casting anxious glances torwads North ­London on Tuesday night when a Wigan win at Arsenal would mean a last-day showdown at the DW Stadium in seven days. Victory yesterday would have made them safe and that looked a possible scenario after the first half when Villa were sharper and brighter.
And they took the lead in the 14th minute through one of the league’s hottest properties, Benteke.
The Belgium international gathered a pass from Yacouba Sylla and ghosted past Gary Cahill as if the central ­defender didn’t exist. He then beat Petr Cech at the near post.
Cause for celebration.
Then came the start of the controversies that were to ­become the post-match talking points.
As Fabien Delph and Sylla took a grip on midfield, ­Chelsea’s Brazilian Ramires grew increasingly frustrated.
He was booked by referee Lee Mason for a foul on ­Benteke and, on the stroke of half-time, showed quite ­incredible naivety when he went in high on Gabriel ­Agbonlahor. Out came yellow for the second time.
Chelsea were down to 10 – but manager Rafa Benitez believed both teams should have been a man short.
Ten minutes earlier, Benteke took exception to the close ­attentions of Cesar Azpilicueta and swung an elbow. Mr Mason decided it was a ­caution. “It could easily have been a sending off,” said ­Benitez. But Benteke was ­destined not to finish the game and again he showed Ramires-like intelligence when he went in high on John Terry in the 58th minute. Now, it was 10-a-side and Villa manager Paul Lambert said: “That was a massive turning point.”
True. Because, within two minutes, Chelsea were level.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. And that man was Lampard, who drove home from the edge of the area.
Soon, the need for Hawk-Eye was apparent during a ­goalmouth scramble in the 72nd minute, when ­Cahill shot and a combination of Sylla and Ashley Westwood scambled the ball away.
But, two minutes from time, the most gifted player on the field set up the winner for the best professional on the field.
Eden Hazard rode a challenge and crossed low for Lampard to score from close range.
By then, Terry had been ­carried off on a stretcher with an ankle injury. Hazard also limped out of the action later, with a ­hamstring pull. Both look sure to miss Wednesday’s Europa League final against Benfica in Amsterdam.
Mind you, Lambert felt Terry could have seen red in the first half when he brought down Sylla, but was only booked.
“The referee could have been harder,” said Lambert. In other words, sent him off.
The injuries are a major blow, but Benitez could claim: “My time here has been a ­success – 100 per cent.”
The same can be said of Frank Lampard’s 11 years at Chelsea.

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Sun:
Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 2
By MARK IRWIN

FOOTBALL, bloody hell. How do you even begin trying to describe a match which had absolutely everything and a bit more besides?
How about Frank Lampard’s record-breaking double for starters?
Or maybe John Terry going off on a stretcher and likely missing another European final, two red cards, Chelsea clinching Champions League qualification, Stiliyan Petrov’s heart-breakingly emotional send-off and a hugely controversial goalline clearance?
And that is before we even get around to the prospect of Eden Hazard also missing Wednesday’s Europa League final and Christian Benteke being banned for Villa’s crucial final-day trip to Wigan.
No wonder the managers looked exhausted at the end of a pulsating, nerve-shredding 90 minutes containing more drama than a Hollywood blockbuster.
Villa boss Paul Lambert was convinced his side had been robbed of Premier League security by Christian Benteke’s 58th-minute red card.
Blues gaffer Rafa Benitez reckoned he should have gone for an earlier elbow on Cesar Azpilicueta.
But at least they both agreed on the astonishing contribution of Lamps, who turned this match on its head with two second-half goals to break Bobby Tambling’s Chelsea scoring record.
Goal No 202 came three minutes after Benteke’s exit, curled left-footed into the top corner from Hazard’s pass.
His 203rd arrived two minutes from time when he showed greater desire than Villa’s defence to burst into the six-yard box to force in Hazard’s low cross.
Cue mayhem among travelling Chelsea fans as they tried to get on the pitch to celebrate the occasion with their idol. But just as important as Lamps’ new club record, were the three points which guarantee a top-four finish and qualification for next season’s Champions League.
But it was a result that had looked anything but likely after the opening 45 minutes.
The visitors had been totally dominated by Villa’s hungry young lions, with Benteke virtually unplayable.
He took the game to a Chelsea team who looked reluctant to put a foot in and risk their place in next week’s Amsterdam final.
And Chelsea centre-back Gary Cahill certainly had no answer to the Belgian powerhouse, who raced on to Yacouba Sylla’s 14th-minute ball to beat Petr Cech inside the near post. That was Benteke’s 19th goal of an impressive first season in England.
Yet he was fortunate to escape with only a booking when he caught Azpilicueta flush on the jaw with a wild elbow as they jumped for a 36th-minute header.
So when he caught Terry in the ribs with another high challenge 13 minutes after the break, ref Lee Mason did not really have too many options but to issue a second yellow.
Villa were furious Terry was still on the pitch by then, arguing he should have got a straight red when he denied clean-through Sylla with a cynical 42nd-minute trip from behind.
But Blues were already down to 10 by then after reckless Ramires was booked for a tackle on Benteke then pushed Mason’s patience beyond the limit with a high challenge on Gabriel Agbonlahor.
And Terry still did not make the final whistle after he injured an ankle in a clash with Nathan Baker and had to be carried off.
Chelsea will know for certain whether Terry will be out of the Europa League final when they get the results of a scan tomorrow.
But the signs do not look good and Benitez’s injury problems were compounded when Hazard pulled up with a hamstring strain to leave the Blues to finish this game with just nine men.
Yet no one can question the resilience of a Chelsea team, who have now dragged themselves through 67 games this season and still never seem to know when they are beaten.
They thought they had secured victory when Cahill’s 72nd- minute shot was blocked by Sylla and Demba Ba appeared to force the ball over the line before Ashley Westwood cleared.
But there were so many bodies in the way that only the super-slow-mo TV cameras could give any definitive answer to that one.
To Chelsea’s eternal credit, they simply shrugged off that injustice and kept ploughing forward.
And Lampard ended all the arguments with the winner two minutes from time. And despite all Villa’s desperate efforts in nine minutes of stoppage time, they were unable to salvage anything from a match they dominated for the first hour.
If Wigan should upset the odds and win at Arsenal on Tuesday, Villa will go to the DW Stadium next Sunday still needing a result to stay up.
And they will be without the services of suspended Benteke.
Yet the absence of the £25m-rated striker does not begin to compare with the loss of Bulgarian midfielder Petrov, who confirmed his retirement last Thursday as he continues his leukaemia fight The Villa Park idol was given a fittingly emotional send-off as he led his old team-mates on a lap of honour at the final whistle.
Sometimes even a football match as absorbing as this one must take a back seat to the survival battle being fought by a man as brave Petrov.

Aston Villa: Guzan, Lichaj, Vlaar, Baker, Bennett, Westwood, Delph, Sylla, Weimann, Benteke, Agbonlahor. Subs Not Used: Given, Bent, N'Zogbia, Holman, Bowery, Williams, Gardner. Sent Off: Benteke (58). Booked: Baker, Benteke.
Goals: Benteke 14.
Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry (Ivanovic 75), Cole, Ramires, Lampard, Moses (Luiz 46), Mata, Hazard, Ba (Torres 88).
Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Oscar, Benayoun, Ake. Sent Off: Ramires (45). Booked: Ramires, Terry, Lampard.
Goals: Lampard 61, 88.
Att: 42,084
Ref: Lee Mason (Lancashire).

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Express:
Aston Villa 1 - Chelsea 2: Super Frank Lampard breaks club goal record
IF Frank Lampard is leaving Chelsea, he is not going quietly.
By: Mike Whalley

With two clinical finishes, he ensured himself a place in Stamford Bridge history and all but secured his club a Champions League place.
The midfielder’s future is anything but certain. His contract expires in the summer, with no new offer on the table. But at 34 he is still making the difference week after week.
No one has scored more Premier League goals for Chelsea this season. After a double at Villa Park, no one has ever scored more for the club.
On Saturday morning, Lampard was one goal short of Bobby Tambling’s all-time record of 202 goals. Thanks to a stunning left-foot shot from 20 yards and a tidy finish to Eden Hazard’s low cross, he ended the day one goal ahead. For Lampard, 203 is the magic number.
Whether he will still be around for Jose Mourinho’s expected return this summer is open to question. But Rafa Benitez, the interim manager set to make way for The Special One, has no doubts Lampard can do a job in the Premier League for someone. “He’s a great professional,” Benitez said. “He can play in a very good team for a while. How long? I don’t know.”
Thanks to Lampard, Benitez has accomplished his mission. When the former Liverpool manager arrived in November, he was told his priority was to get Chelsea into next season’s Champions League.
Victory at Villa Park has, barring some bizarre results, secured a top-four finish. Benitez added: “It was very clear when I arrived that the fact I had been Liverpool manager was not ideal for some of the fans. But I have a lot of fans telling me we are doing a good job.”
The job was done at Villa Park, but at a high price – John Terry left on a stretcher after going over on his ankle in the second half, while Hazard departed late on with a hamstring injury. Neither is likely to play in the Europa League Final against Benfica in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
Villa are still not safe after a gripping match in which both sides had a man sent off. Ramires went for Chelsea right on half-time for a second bookable offence, going in high on Gabriel Agbonlahor after chopping down Christian Benteke.
Juan Mata, Frank lampard, ChelseaLampard wheels away with Juan Mata after breaking the record
Thanks to Lampard, Benitez has accomplished his mission.
Belgium striker Benteke, who had given Villa a first-half lead, walked 12 minutes after the break for his second yellow card, for a high challenge on Terry. Benteke might have gone before half-time but collected only a booking for a stray elbow on Chelsea right-back Cesar Azpilicueta.
But in Villa manager Paul Lambert’s eyes, Terry should have been dismissed three minutes before the break for bringing down Yacouba Sylla as he charged towards goal.
Lambert said: “I thought for the whole game the referee was poor. John Terry brought Sylla down. He was the last man.”
Villa paid an emotional tribute to club captain Stiliyan Petrov, who is retiring to fight leukaemia, with stadium-wide applause in the 19th minute – a reference to his squad number.
Five minutes earlier, Benteke had put Villa in front when he collected Sylla’s return pass, evaded Gary Cahill and beat a wrongfooted Petr Cech at his near post.
Lampard’s free-kick was fumbled on to the post by Brad Guzan and Chelsea got on top after the red cards, though Ashley Cole sliced against his own crossbar.
After the equaliser, Cahill controlled a Mata corner and his shot was blocked on the line by Sylla, though the ball may just have crossed it. Lampard had the final say. It’s just unlikely he will have the final say on his Chelsea future.Ref: L Mason Att: 42,084VILLA: Guzan; Lichaj, Vlaar, Baker, Bennett; Sylla, Westwood, Delph; Weimann, Agbonlahor; Benteke.

CHELSEA: Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry (Ivanovic 75th), Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Moses (David Luiz 46th), Mata, Hazard; Ba (Torres 87th).MAN of the MATCH: FRANK LAMPARD – The midfielder made the difference when Chelsea needed someone to convert their superiority into goals. If he does leave Stamford Bridge, he will be missed.

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Star:

ASTON VILLA 1-CHELSEA 2: FRANK LAMPARD TO THE RESCUE
 
By Harry Pratt

CHRISTIAN BENTEKE's moment of madness was the spark for Frank Lampard’s moment of greatness.
Until the Aston Villa hitman’s needless second yellow for a 57th-minute high boot on John Terry, Paul Lambert’s hosts were cruising to victory against ten-man Chelsea – thanks to Benteke’s early strike – and safety.
But without their bruising Belgian battering ram, who should have been shown a straight red for a first-half elbow into Cesar Azpilicueta’s face, Villa were suddenly on the back foot.
And that was the only invitation Lamps needed to step up and ink his name at the top of Chelsea’s all-time scoring charts.
Within three minutes of Benteke’s exit, the England ace was rifling in an equaliser.
It was his 202nd Blues strike and put him level with the club’s living legend, Bobby Tambling.
Yet the man who cost £10million from West Ham 11 years ago was far from finished.
In the 88th minute of a pulsating contest, super Frank arrived to blast in Eden Hazard’s low cross and seal fourth place – at worst – for Rafa Benitez’s side.
He looked to the heavens before sliding on his knees in the far corner, where Chelsea fans rose to acclaim his achievement.
Afterwards, Lamps said: “It means everything to me. The support I’ve had from team-mates and fans is amazing.
“Bobby Tambling is a great man. He hasn’t been well recently and I didn’t want to overcook the celebrations out of respect.
“This result is huge. ”
On a day when Villa star Stilian Petrov waved farewell to the fans after announcing his retirement following a cancer battle, It was not all smiles at the final whistle for Chelsea.
They have almost ­certainly have lost injury ­victims John Terry and Eden Hazard for Wednesday’s Europa League showdown with Benfica.
Benitez admits it is a huge double blow but the interim boss was beaming at the Londoners being certain of Champions League qualification.
He even claimed to be winning over the Chelsea faithful.
Well, some of them.
Rafa, who leaves after next Sunday’s match with Everton, said: “A lot of the fans are coming up to me and telling me I’m doing a good job.
“You can’t convince everyone but ­hopefully they’ll be pleased because we are in the Champions League.
“We now have a final in Europe to win. The season has been a 100 per cent ­success.”
When Benteke raced away from Gary Cahill in the 14th minute to fire Villa ahead, it appeared Chelsea’s long ­season might have caught up with them.
Even more so when Ramires was dismissed for a second yellow card just before the break. Yet Villa’s control disappeared when Benteke did.
Lampard’s left-footed curler was a beauty and then Demba Ba was denied a goal, despite appearing to stab the ball over the line ­before Ashley Westwood cleared.
Chelsea were aggrieved but felt justice was done as Lampard converted Hazard’s cross.
But Villa boss Lambert, whose side are five points clear of danger, said: “We deserved to win. The ref needs to take a look at his performance.
“He should see what 40,000 saw when Terry brought down Sylla. He should have been sent off.
“Benteke’s red card was a massive turning point. He’ll be a big miss at Wigan next Sunday.”

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Sunday Mercury:

Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 2
Gregg Evans

FA Cup Final Day turned into Frank Lampard Day at Villa Park.
The Chelsea midfielder bagged an unstoppable brace to give the visitors the win and also make him the club’s greatest ever goalscorer.
Villa had gone ahead through Christian Benteke but Lampard’s important double sank the hosts and etched his name into Chelsea folklore.
There was a time when the final of England’s most prestigious competition was the only mentioned event of the day.
That era ended long before Lampard became the talk of the town.
In yesterday’s only Premier League game it was rather fitting that the England man completed his incredible achievement.
His goals helped Chelsea secure a Champions League spot and while it did nothing for Villa’s survival chances, anything other than a win from Wigan on Tuesday means their Premier League status is secure.
Despite Lampard’s joys it was referee Lee Mason who almost took the limelight.
A host of controversial decisions marred an exciting game of football.
Mason failed to send Benteke off in the first half for a flying elbow before eventually giving him his marching orders after the break for two bookings.
By this time Ramires had already been dismissed for two cautions, one of which was debatable, and John Terry had escaped a red-card.
In the second half he also cost Chelsea a valid goal as Demba Ba’s effort crossed the line but was missed by the officials.
Villa had raced into an early lead after just 14 minutes.
The goal came in such simple fashion. A long kick from Brad Guzan found Benteke who cushioned the ball down to Yacouba Sylla.
The striker span off towards goal and Sylla spotted his run with a first-time pass.
Benteke then twisted ex-Villa man Gary Cahill inside out and beat Petr Cech at his inside post.
It was excellent work by the giant Belgian but sloppy from Chelsea.
First of all Cahill was rounded too easy - he dropped his head in shame as the ball hit the back of the net and rightly so.
Secondly Cech should never have allowed the ball to squeeze past him at his near post.
Basic errors that were easily avoidable.
Fabian Delph nearly added a second minutes later.
Collecting the ball near the half-way line he charged forward and unleashed a rasping drive that flew just inches over the crossbar.
Inevitably a Chelsea fightback followed but Guzan was in no mood for favours.
The man-of-the-match from the 8-0 thumping earlier in the season saved well from Demba Ba then prevented Lampard’s free-kick from nestling in the bottom corner with a fine dive to tip it onto the post.
On 36 minutes Benteke was lucky to escape a sending-off after elbowing Cesar Azpilicueta in the face.
Mason deemed the offence only worthy of a booking, and then dished out the same treatment to Terry when he chopped down Yacouba Sylla as he darted towards goal.
Ashley Cole’s position appeared to cover Terry, ruling out claims that he was the last man, but Paul Lambert disagreed.
Just three minutes later Chelsea were reduced to ten-men though.
Ramires, who had already been booked for a foul on Benteke early in the first half, received his second caution for a high-kick on Agbonlahor.
That gave Villa the ascendency and both Sylla and Gabby Agbonlahor went close after the break.
Joe Bennett and Fabian Delph missed the target soon after but the game took a turn when Benteke received his marching orders for a second yellow card.
Like Ramires’ second caution, Lee Mason deemed Benteke’s high kick on Terry a bookable offence.
Justice was done as Villa’s top-scorer shouldn’t have been on the pitch at that stage anyway due to the previous incident.
Two minutes after his sending off Lampard levelled the scores in style.
His fierce strike from just outside the penalty area flew past Guzan.
Cole nearly diverted into his own net from an Eric Lichaj cross before more controversy followed at the other end.
First Cahill’s deflected effort was stopped literally on the line by Sylla.
But then as Ba challenged with Ashley Westwood for the rebound, the ball crossed the line.
Chelsea had the last laugh when Lampard fired in the winner on 88 minutes.
Eden Hazard played a neat one-two with Cole and crossed for the No.8 who burst into the box to side-foot into an empty net. It will probably be one of the easiest goals he ever has to score but surely the most satisfying of his career.
Teams:
Villa (4-3-3) Guzan, Lichaj, Vlaar, Baker, Bennett, Sylla, Delph, Westwood, Weimann, Benteke, Agbonlahor.
Subs: Given, Bent, N’Zogbia, Holman, Bowery, Williams, Gardner.
Chelsea (4-5-1) Cech, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, (Ivanovic, 77) Cole, Lampard, Ramires, Mata, Hazard, Moses, (Luiz, 46) Ba (Torres,87)
Subs: Turnbull, Luiz, Oscar, Benayoun, Ake.
STAR MAN: FABIAN DELPH


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