MATCH REPORT: ASTON VILLA 0 CHELSEA 0

Chelsea failed to score for the second away league game running but did hit the woodwork twice in the second half.

Branislav Ivanovic and Nicolas Anelka were the players denied, the Frenchman in the 88th minute, however the home side also struck the post as the second-half warmed up following a stagnant opening 45 minutes at a chilly Villa Park.

Chelsea often cope admirably without Didier Drogba but in the first half today clearly missed the Ivorian who was recovering from illness.

Villa Park is the ground that has given Chelsea the fewest average points per game in the Abramovich era and the home side began this game well.

However Chelsea improved greatly in the second half, Carlo Ancelotti making changes from a bench which had an average age of 21 years. The big chances for the away team came late on although Villa missed a sitter in stoppage time, as they had in the opening two minutes.

The manager sprung no late surprises with his team selection. The side was the one he named on Friday so Gael Kakuta made his first league start and the 19-year-old made a confident couple of early touches.

However but for a glaring miss by Stephen Ireland, Chelsea would have been behind within two minutes of the start.


Opened up by a counter-attack down our left, the Blues defence failed to pick up the run of the Republic of Ireland international who took Downing's pass but with only Cech to beat, chipped his shot wide.

Ireland was playing behind Carew in a changed Villa attack which was missing injured Heskey. Gerard Houllier for his first Premier League home game in charge of Villa moved Ashley Young back out onto the left wing.



The Villa fans screamed their displeasure at the early waste of a chance and they were howling again before five minutes were up when Cech hit the floor and tipped wide a Carew shot. Kakuta losing the ball in his own half was the source of the danger on this occasion.


It was a strong start by the home side but they went down to 10 men when Dunne went off for treatment and the centre-half was replaced by Clark after only 12 minutes.

There was a sign that pressure on referees following the ongoing dangerous-tackle debate is clouding judgment when Essien was booked for a very ordinary foul on Petrov.


The Drogba-less Chelsea were finding it hard to keep the ball down the Villa end although we were winning our fair share of corners.

At the other end of the pitch, Cech survived when the ball slipped from his grasp in a physical contest with Carew, grabbing it again on the floor.

Essien sliced a 29th minute shot wide, as Kakuta had done earlier on. On 33 minutes Essien was found by Mikel during one of Chelsea's better attacking spells but didn't find the power to beat Friedel. That was the Blues' first shot on target.

Seven minutes from the break, Ivanovic brilliantly charged and blocked Ireland's goalbound shot after Ramires had only cleared to a Villa shirt in the area. The Serbian had been the pick of the Chelsea players in his central defensive role, enjoying some tussles with the like of Reo-Coker and Carew and not coming off second best.

Ramires has blocked an earlier shot, his major contribution to an opening half that had left no-one in doubt this was another difficult day at Villa Park. Looking for positives at half-time, the home side's early pressure had at least slackened off.



Ancelotti swapped Zhirkov for Kakuta at the break, Malouda switching over to the right. The two of them almost created a goal within two minutes of the restart, Collins not too far away from putting through his own net after Malouda had crossed hard and low.

There was far more purpose to Chelsea in these opening stages of the second half. The ball was being moved quicker and some link-up play was working smoothly. On 53 minutes Friedel saved with his legs from Anelka after the centre-forward was found by a lovely Mikel long pass.

Zhirkov had the legs on the right side of the Villa defence and slipped past Beye to nearly set up Anelka in the six-yard box.

Terry became the game's second booking for a foul on Ashley Young in the centre-circle. Warnock soon became Villa's first cautioned player for chopping Anelka in a promising position, but a stretching Zhirkov couldn't direct Malouda's free-kick on target.

On 67 minutes Anelka should have done better than fire over after a lightning fast break from deep in our half. Malouda did superbly to take the ball past three opponents (Ireland booked for his failed attempt to stop the Frenchman) and Zhirkov burnt his lungs to support and draw defenders but cutting inside, Anelka's attempt didn't do justice to the move.

With 15 minutes remaining Chelsea made two subs. Bosingwa made his first appearance since his injury on this ground a year ago, and McEachran came on for Ramires.


Ivanovic saw off Carew who limped off to be replaced by Delfouneso.

Chelsea won a 77th minute corner, drilled near post to Ivanovic who was denied the goal his performance warranted when his header struck the upright.


Within two minutes Villa levelled the woodwork count. A disputed free-kick was fired across by Young and looked to have flicked off Downing before beating the diving Cech but bouncing back off the far post.

The bookings were coming fast now - Young for dissent and McEachran for a foul on fellow sub Delfouneso.

It was all Chelsea in the final five minutes. Cole and McEachran both wormed away in the Villa area without delivering the killer blow before the true chance to win it came.




With two minutes left on the clock the ball was delivered in from Cole where a stretched Villa defence couldn't prevent an Anelka header but he directed it too far down and it bounced up onto the crossbar with Friedel for once beaten. Where Ivanovic had been unfortunate, Anelka had been wasteful. Ancelotti looked frustrated on the touchline.

He was feeling relieved however in stoppage time when Reo-Coker missed the target after chipping over Cech when given a clear run at the goal. McEachran had been caught in possession.

So the Blues drop points for the second away game running, although do improve on the result here last season.