aston villa 0-0

Independent:

Houllier stops Chelsea in their tracks

Villa come out all guns blazing but both managers settle for a point after champions fight back

By Steve Tongue at Villa Park

Offered the opportunity to move seven points clear at the head of the Premier League before Manchester City's visit to Blackpool today, Chelsea started too slowly yesterday evening and had to be content with a draw on a ground where they were beaten by two headed goals last season. The defence was more solid this time after surviving an early burst from the home side, who needed to score in that impressive period and then found themselves pushed back in the second half.
The champions, unstoppable at the start of the season but badly missing Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard here, have now failed to find the net twice in three games and are fortunate that Manchester United seem incapable of taking advantage. City, who beat them earlier this month, and Arsenal may yet more prove durable challengers. Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea's manager, seemed happy enough, suggesting a draw was a fair result. "We didn't start so well and conceded two chances but in the second half we played very well," he said. Villa's Gérard Houllier pointed out he had lost Emile Heskey, Marc Albrighton and Luke Young in the 24 hours before the game and was therefore equally satisfied with then outcome.
Despite winning three League titles and the same number of FA Cups since Houllier last encountered them, Chelsea have rarely enjoyed visiting Villa Park, achieving only one win in their last 12 visits. Yesterday it took until half-time for their ambition to extend beyond preventing that poor record worsening. Ancelotti wanted John Terry present even at 90 per cent fitness to combat the set-pieces with which Villa won this fixture last season, yet it was with neat passing and movement on the floor that the visitors were regularly opened up early in the game.
In the third minute, Stewart Downing played Stephen Ireland through in the inside-right position and he ought to have improved on a shot that veered wide of the far post. Three more minutes and John Carew forced Petr Cech into a smart, low save. Before half-time, the home captain Stiliyan Petrov had a fierce shot deflected over the bar and set up Ireland for a drive, bravely blocked by Branislav Ivanovic. The one setback for Villa was losing Richard Dunne with an ankle injury.
Despite increased possession, it took the visitors almost 35 minutes to manage a shot on target – Brad Friedel holding Michael Essien's routine effort – so it was not entirelysurprising that at the intervalAncelotti should replace Gaël Kakutawith the more combative Yuri Zhirkov. The territorial gains they had begun were maintained after the resumption with Zhirkov prominent on the left as Florent Malouda switched flanks. Friedel had to save from the hitherto subdued Nicolas Anelka and Dunne's replacement Ciaran Clark survived a shout for handball in the penalty area.
Villa's midfielders were now required to devote more time to helping a hard-pressed defence and Ashley Young was slowed by a heavy tackle for which Terry was booked. A trio of substitutes arrived, Villa bringing on Nathan Delfouneso for Carew and Chelsea introducing the teenager Josh McEachran and Jose Bosingwa, who was appearing for the first time since an injury at Villa Park exactly a year ago.
There was a flurry of excitement as each side struck a post in the space of three minutes, then wasted a chance apiece right at the death. Chelsea went close to scoring with 14 minutes to play, when Ivanovic headed Malouda's corner against the near post. At the other end, Young curled over a low free-kick that Clark flicked against the frame of the goal. In the final minute Anelka headed Ashley Cole's cross down into the ground, from where it bounced up on to the bar. There was still time for Nigel Reo-Coker, in the clear, to clip the ball over the advancing Cech but wide of a post. Justice, overall, was done.

Bookings: Aston Villa: Warnock, Clark, Young, Ireland. Chelsea: Terry, Essien, McEachran
Attendance: 40,122
Referee: Lee Mason
Man of the match: Essien

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Observer:

Aston Villa hold on for draw as Anelka fails to land killer blow for Chelsea
Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 0

Paul Wilson at Villa Park

This was a better result than the one Chelsea achieved in this fixture last season, when they lost 2-1, and, given Manchester United's slip-up at home, they will have been happy enough to escape with a point. Had Didier Drogba been available they would probably have gone home with all three, for, while Aston Villa shaded the first half, the league leaders completely bossed the second, yet found Nicolas Anelka never quite capable of delivering a killer blow.
Incredibly, Villa could have stolen a victory in stoppage time, when a mistake by the otherwise promising Josh McEachran allowed Nigel Reo-Coker to run free on Petr Cech, but no one at Villa Park was greatly surprised to see the midfielder shoot tamely.
"The only thing the game was missing was a goal," Gérard Houllier said. "Maybe we had better chances in the first half but we were under the cosh in the second. I must admit I was impressed by Chelsea's power and movement; we did well to live with them."
When Houllier said beforehand that Emile Heskey reminded him of Drogba, he thought he might have his striker to back up his argument. The only similarity here was that neither was fit enough to take part. Drogba has a fever and Heskey hurt his back in training. That left John Carew to lead the Villa attack, with Ashley Young returned to the flank and Stephen Ireland playing in the hole, a switch that may have disappointed the England player but one that almost brought a goal inside three minutes.
Ireland appeared to have done all the hard work when he smoothly accelerated on to Stewart Downing's cross from the right to shoot early past Cech, yet even as the crowd rose in celebration, the ball drifted the wrong side of the post. Carew had another good chance moments later when he had more time and space to beat Cech than he possibly wanted. He tried to place a shot but the goalkeeper got a hand to it.
Chelsea came more into the game once Richard Dunne had been forced off with a gashed ankle after 13 minutes, though the half-hour mark arrived without Brad Friedel being extended, and in what looked as though it might be the visitors' first serious attempt on his goal Michael Essien's shot threatened the corner flag instead.
Five minutes from the interval, Ireland was unlucky again at the opposite end of the pitch, when a terrific block from Branislav Ivanovic foiled his goal-bound shot. Ireland appealed half-heartedly for handball, though the defender had not only flung his body in the way of the shot, he had turned his back as well. By half-time, Villa had missed enough clear chances to wonder whether they might regret their profligacy later, though at least no one was pretending it would have been a different story with Heskey on the pitch.
Chelsea stepped up the pace impressively from the start of the second half, with Florent Malouda in particular more involved. Villa were pinned in their own half, and Friedel had to come to the rescue when Anelka ran on to a 50-yard pass from Mikel John Obi. Even in his capacity as emergency forward, Yuri Zhirkov was having little trouble skipping past James Collins and Habib Beye, and from one of his invitations Anelka should have given Chelsea the lead on the hour, but found himself with his back to goal.
Both teams hit the posts before the end, Ivanovic with a header and Young with a free-kick to which Ciaran Clark may have applied the faintest of touches, before Anelka found the crossbar when scoring looked easier.
While a draw was just about fair, one side knows it can finish better. "It was a good result for us," said Carlo Ancelotti. "In the second half we deserved to win but Villa played a good game too. We lost here last season so I am happy. Five points above Manchester United is not a bad place to be at this stage of the season."

THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

MARK RUTTER, Observer reader

After five minutes Villa were well on top but that proved short-lived. In the second half we were hanging on and very much on the defensive. But in terms of clearcut chances, in the end we were unlucky not to win, though shooting isn't Reo-Coker's strong point – I don't think even he thought he was going to score. We've got a noticeably different style already with the new manager so we're going to have to get used to it, as are the players. It's definitely more defensive than the gung-ho approach of the previous regime. "Careful football" would perhaps be the best description.

The fan's player ratings

Friedel 6; Beye 6, Collins 7, Dunne n/a (Clark 13 7), Warnock 7; Downing 6, Reo-Coker 7, Petrov 8, Young 7; Ireland 6 (Sidwell 84 n/a), Carew 7 (Delfouneso 74 6)

TRIZIA FIORELLINO, ChelseaSupportersGroup.net

It's two points dropped – it would've been nice to be seven points clear so it's a bit of a missed opportunity. I know we don't usually do well at Villa but there was no get-up-and-go in the team, none of the attacking in waves that I know we can do. Admittedly we were missing some key first-team players but Villa really weren't that great. They came out hard and fast initially but that only lasted about 10 minutes and it settled back into a game of chess. Both teams were determined not to lose, which made for a pretty dull game. Both teams ultimately cancelled each other out.

The fan's player ratings

Cech 8; Ferreira 8 (Bosingwa 75 6), Ivanovic 7, Terry 7, Cole 7; Ramires 7 (McEachran 75 8), Mikel 7, Essien 6; Kakuta 6 (Zhirkov ht 8), Anelka 7, Malouda 7

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Mail:

Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 0:

Nigel Reo-Choker! Blues let off the hook by glaring miss
By Patrick Collins

As a compelling match entered its final seconds, Nigel Reo-Coker squeezed one more run from his aching legs. His control was adequate, his angle promising, but his chip was woefully struck. And as the chance bounced wastefully wide, Villa’s chance of securing the win they marginally deserved drifted away on the evening air.
So Chelsea retreated from the West Midlands with mixed emotions. They had the consolation of taking a point from a ground where reward is historically hard to find. Yet they had sqaundered the chance to take a potentially stifling hold on this Premier League season following Manchester United’s expensive misadventure at Old Trafford.Carlo Ancelotti said the things that managers say. He spoke of a difficult game, of chances missed and chances survived. And he concluded, a shade unconvincingly: ‘It was a good result for us at this stage of the season.’
To his credit, he declined to complain about Chelsea’s injuries, the important absence of Didier Drogba, Alex, Salomon Kalou and Frank Lampard.He also made no mention of the form of his captain, and that was interesting.
John Terry missed the England game in midweek with a back injury, and yesterday he played like a man who senses that his body might be about to betray him.His movement seemed painfully restricted. His pace, never his most impressive asset, was more pedestrian than ever. His experience enabled him to avoid embarrassment for most of the match, but on the one occasion when Ashley Young was about to leave him for dead, Terry was reduced to a cynical trip, for which he was properly booked.
Yet Terry’s accumulated expertise helped Chelsea survive the pressures of a desperately anxious first half. Villa announced their intentions within two minutes, as Stewart Downing made enormous strides down the right before releasing a cross collected by Stephen Ireland.Ireland kept his head, drew Petr Cech, chipped precisely and saw his effort drift beyond the far post.
Typically, Chelsea allow few such favours — yet they permitted a similar chance inside a further two minutes as John Carew picked up a ball and ran at a square defence. Moving into the box, he attempted to conjure his shot beyond Cech’s left hand. He, too, beat the far post.Then, as if Villa had not exhausted their quota of misfortune, Richard Dunne, their inspirational central defender, sank to the ground clutching his ankle in the eighth minute. He went to the dressing room for stitches but on 13 minutes was replaced by Ciaran Clark.Slowly, uncertainly, Chelsea were discovering their game. True, their movement was less instinctive, less fluid than usual. But their work ethic is sound, their organisation secure and the knowledge of United’s mishap should have done much for their confidence. A match which had always been absorbing suddenly became something more within moments of the second half starting. Chelsea lifted their tempo and the half-time replacement of Gael Kakuta by Yuri Zhirkov clearly enhanced their cause.Villa Park, which had been roaring with optimism, now fell anxiously silent as the dangers developed.But Villa are not short of resilience.
They did their midfield work, kept faith with their football and weathered the storm. Once or twice they induced a measure of panic in the Chelsea ranks and as the contest grew more fraught, the game hung in the balance.Villa played their last card after 75 minutes, taking off Carew and sending on Nathan Delfouneso. Chelsea responded inside a minute, bringing on Jose Bosingwa and Josh McEachran for Ramires and Paulo Ferreira. Immediately, they won the corner which might have won the match. Florent Malouda flung it high to the near post, Ivanovic met it truly with his head and battered the ball against the post in a frenzy of frustration.The miss seemed likely to prove even more expensive a minute later, when Young struck a finely flooated free-kick, James Collins, Terry and Clark converged, and the ball appeared to glance Clark’s shoulder and bounce off the inside of Chelsea’s far post. ‘The match had everything except goals,’ observed Gerard Houllier. Carlo Ancelotti was not complaining.

MATCH FACTS

ASTON VILLA (4-5-1): Friedel; Beye, Collins, Dunne (Clark 13min), Warnock; Downing, Ireland (Sidwell 84), Reo-Coker, Petrov, Young; Carew (Delfouneso 74). Subs (not used): Guzan, Cuellar, Bannan, Lichaj. Booked: Warnock, Ireland, Clark, A Young.

CHELSEA (4-3-2-1): Cech; Ferreira (Bosingwa 75), Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Essien, Mikel, Ramires (McEachran 76); Kakuta (Zhirkov 46), Malouda; Anelka. Subs (not used): Turnbull, Bruma, Borini, Mellis. Booked: Essien, Terry, McEachran.

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Telegraph:

Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 0

By Sandy Macaskill

Sir Alex Ferguson can let out a sigh of relief. Chelsea, who could have gone seven points clear at the top of the table and taken the Premier League by the scruff of the neck, were held to a meagre point by Aston Villa, which would have been considered a decent return by their travelling fans bearing in mind their injuries had Branislav Ivanovic not hit the post and Nicolas Anelka the bar with just minutes to go.
Nevertheless, despite the missed chances, Carlo Ancelotti can take comfort in his side maintaining a five-point advantage over Manchester United. It could have been just four points had Ciaran Clark converted his late header - but that, too, found the woodwork.
Ancelotti will be grateful to Stephen Ireland and John Carew had both missed absolute gimmes in the first six minutes and to Nigel Reo-Coker, who missed with a minute to go. Where is Emile Heskey when you need him?
In truth, this constitutes a reasonable result for both sides mainly because of their respective injury problems. Chelsea, without Didier Drogba, struck down with a fever, and also Frank Lampard, Alex, Salomon Kalou, Daniel Sturridge and Yossi Benayoun were forced to ask John Terry, who suffered bruising to his lower back after landing heavily in training with England, manfully to play through the pain.
Villa have their own injury problems though, the butcher’s bill including Gabby Agbonlahor, recovering from groin surgery, Luke Young, out with a hamstring problem, and Marc Albrighton, who is laid low with a virus. The most significant absentee however was Heskey, who strained his back in training on Friday - a let off for Terry, who has confessed in the past that he does not like playing against the striker.
Villa have not been known to have the strongest squad, but they had more than enough left to worry Chelsea, and Ancelotti was reduced to nervously chewing his gum as Paulo Ferreira was treated like a jobbing part-timer by Ashley Young, back out on the left wing because of Villa’s injury problems. He and his team-mates whipped Villa Park into a tumult, the clamour pouring down around the Chelsea manager like molten tar.
Stiliyan Petrov would benefit from synchromesh - crashing through the gears as he does - but his pass which sent Stewart Downing loose down the right was weighted perfectly. Downing saw Ireland escaping from John Obi Mikel and slipped him in with Petr Cech to beat, but glory flashed up in front of Ireland’s eyes - a goal against Chelsea after just three minutes! It obscured his vision, and the midfielder curled his shot the wrong side of the post.
Villa were given a second chance when, just minutes later, Stephen Warnock launched himself at Kakuta, the ball ricocheting through for Carew, who had managed to keep himself onside. The Norwegian is not one to rush things, though, and he allowed himself time to attempt a nonchalant curl around Cech, which would have been hailed as uber-cool had it worked but looked lazy when Cech tipped the ball around his left post.
Ancelotti’s jaws were now going like pistons, but he was able to relax when Richard Dunne injured his right foot and disappeared down the tunnel after 10 minutes. Reo-Coker was moved to right-back allowing Chelsea to batten down the hatches while Houllier waited to hear if the Irishman could carry on. He could not, so Clark was summoned and Villa’s normal formation restored. But by then the storm had passed.
The first half disappeared amid a haze of mediocrity - clumsy back heel from Anelka here, charged-down shot by Ireland there - and both managers gratefully disappeared down the tunnel at the break to have a rethink. With little to choose from on the bench - three full-backs, a sprinkling of midfielders and one striker - Ancelotti resorted to removing Gaël Kakuta, too lightweight to cause problems against this defence, for Yuri Zhirkov.
Zhirkov could have proved decisive, skipping over Habib Beye in the right channel and delivering a low cross which Clark allowed to skid under his studs. Anelka, taken by surprise at such woeful defending, was unable to profit and the ball was hastily cleared.
Houllier made his own change, deploying Nathan Delfouneso for Carew, but soon Ivanovic was rising to head Florent Malouda’s corner against the post. Seconds later it was Clark, a sly header also finding the upright. Finally, Anelka was free with a header, a bare minute to go. It hit the post. It just wasn’t to be.


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Star:

ASTON VILLA V CHELSEA
By Harry Pratt
Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 0

Carlo Ancelotti was relishing getting a glimpse of Chelsea’s future, with Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard missing yesterday.
But on the evidence of this Villa Park stalemate the times ahead don’t look too bright for the Blues boss.
With the Drog sick – and Lamps still crocked – this was the chance for the Stamford Bridge nippers to prove they can hack the cut and thrust of the Premier League.
But the likes of French teenager Gael Kakuta and Brazilian summer signing Ramires failed miserably.
It left Ancelotti fuming and Chelsea counting the cost of more dropped points on the road.
Although a goalless draw extended their lead at the top to five points, Manchester City can slash that to two if they beat Blackpool today.
Villa, by contrast, will be thrilled to remain unbeaten at home this season – and can even feel unlucky not to have snatched victory.
Chelsea had slammed seven past Villa in their last league meeting at Stamford Bridge but the Blues have an appalling record at Villa Park – with just one win in 12 attempts.
And although Chelsea were seriously depleted, Villa were nowhere near full-strength either, with striker Emile Heskey, winger Marc Albrighton and defender Luke Young all missing.
And it got worse for the home side when Richard Dunne hobbled off in the 12th minute and was replaced by fellow Irishman Ciaran Clark.
By that time Villa should have been two goals up.
A storming 40-yard run from Stewart Downing after three minutes carved the Blues wide open and when he slipped Stephen Ireland in he seemed certain to score, only for his chip to fly inches wide.
Less than a minute later Villa went even closer. This time John Carew did the work, winning possession then curling a beauty towards the bottom corner, only for Petr Cech to produce a superb finger-tip save.
Chelsea were a shadow of the side that had smashed 23 goals in their first seven league games and had just two shots before the break.
One flew miles high from Kakuta, the other was a tame effort from a strangely quiet Michael Essien.
After no doubt getting a rocket from the boss the visitors were a different proposition after the break.
But apart from Florent Malouda’s stinging 47th minute effort, the Blues struggled to create anything of note until the 75th minute, when the game exploded into life.
Branislav Ivanovic started the drama by thumping a header against a post.
Then the home side hit the woodwork themselves Ashley Young’s free-kick evading everybody in the box and bouncing back off a post.
Chelsea hitman Nicolas Anelka then somehow failed to find the back of the net from just three yards out, before
Nigel Reo-Coker went clean through but scuffed his effort off-target right at the death.
Afterwards Ancelloti was in defiant mood. The Italian said: “We kept our advantage over Manchester United in the table, this is a good result at this stage of the season.
“I am not going to complain that we were missing some very important players because everybody who played tried their hardest.
“We will continue to use our younger players wherever possible and we must try to keep belief in them.
“We may feel we should have won it in the second half but Villa also had good chances so it was a fair result.”
Villa boss Houllier was full of praise for his team: “There was only one thing missing from our game today and thaywas goals,” he said.
“We had the better openings in the first half but Chelsea came back strongly and we were under the cosh a bit in the second. “Our attitude was first class.”

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