Very few supporters would have considered this clash to be a top of the table clash; however, poor performances by some giants have allowed Aston Villa to creep into the top four. After flying high initially, they were brought down to earth by Arsenal during the weekend. However, they remain third and take on the wily Jose Mourinho's Chelsea side, which, unsurprisingly leads the table with four wins and a draw to their name. Chelsea have satisfied their fans largely this season but their previous two performances were not the best by any stretch of the imagination.
Considering the Carling Cup is not the most important competition for Chelsea, the 2-1 win at Bolton can be taken aside. However, their performance against City was extremely passive. Chelsea rarely attempted to shoot. City were taking the game to Chelsea. A red card for City though allowed Mourinho to introduce the German World Cup winner, Andre Schürrle on to the pitch. Schürrle scored the goal which took Chelsea ahead. However, quite uncharacteristically, Chelsea surrendered a goal. Manuel Pellegrini, much like his counterpart, made a very smart decision on the sidelines, introducing the experienced Frank Lampard. Lampard, a Chelsea legend, scored the goal and refused to celebrate.
Before playing City, Chelsea, in red hot form, had taken on injury ravaged Schalke. Schalke had been performing poorly but managed to shock Chelsea. Chelsea overwhelmed them at the beginning of the match and went ahead through Cesc Fabregas. However, Schalke managed to get back into the game and eventually equalized through Klaas Jan Huntelaar. They held on for the point as Chelsea attacked with all their might in the final ten minutes. Considering the draw was at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea fans, players and management alike could not hide their disappointment.
Villa on the other hand, aside from an early chance, had little to show against Arsenal. They conceded three goals very quickly agains the Gunners, the third of which was an own goal. Playing Chelsea is definitely a tough ask after such a defeat. However, Chelsea is not in their best form currently either.
Will the Blues go back to winning ways in the Premier League after last weekend's draw against City?
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Chelsea vs Aston Villa team sheets
Chelsea's lineup: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c), Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Diego Costa
Chelsea's bench: Cech, Zouma, Filipe Luis, Mikel, Schurrle, Remy, Drogba
Aston Villa's lineup: Guzan, Hutton, Cissokho, Baker, Senderos, Westwood, Delph, Richardson, Cleverley, Weimann, Agbonlahor
Aston Villa's bench: Given, Clark, Bacuna, Sanchez, N’Zogbia, Grealish, Bent
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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