RESCUE’S A Gallagher steps up to revive CON JOB Blues after thrashing
CONOR GALLAGHER capped a superb display with an exquisite equaliser to deny Villa clear claret and blue water between themselves and Tottenham in the battle for a Champions League spot.
The Chelsea midfielder curled in a magnificent goal to make it 2-2 eight minutes from time.
And Axel Disasi thought he’d won it in added time only to see his headed goal ruled out for a push by Benoit Badiashile in the build-up.
Cole Palmer had a chance to win it two minutes earlier, but was denied by a fine save from Villa’s substitute keeper Robin
Olsen. Unai Emery’s men were far from their best, but a third successive Premier League victory would have given them a huge nine-point gap between themselves and Spurs.
Their rivals do have three games in hand, but the last time Spurs won three on the bounce was back in December.
An early own goal by Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella, who deflected in a John Mcginn shot, had appeared to send Villa on their way. Morgan Rogers struck a cool finish to make it 2-0 before the break, but Chelsea had the resolve missing of late and were much improved on their 5-0 drubbing in midweek at Arsenal.
Nicolas Jackson had a goal chalked off by VAR and also struck a post before the break.
Chelsea dominated after the interval and Noni Madueke pounced on an error to make it 2-1 to set up a rousing finish.
The smell of sulphur from the pre-game pyrotechnics was still hanging in the air when Chelsea were burnt by Villa’s first meaningful attack. Lucas Digne was worked in behind Chelsea’s defence and his low cross was swept towards goal by Mcginn, before deflecting off Cucurella for the opener. Chelsea showed patience in possession, though, and thought they had levelled when they sprang Jackson beyond the Villa defence and the Senegalese striker held
off a defender to lob the ball neatly over Emiliano Martinez.
Jackson’s joy was shortlived, however, as a VAR check showed his foot was just ahead of the line.
Having soaked up everything Chelsea could throw at them, Villa promptly made it 2-0 and looked to be heading for victory.
The Blues’ defence was too static as Matty Cash found Rogers and the former Middlesbrough youngster easily wrong-footed Trevoh Chalobah – uncomfortable at right-back all night – to fire in a low shot from the edge of the box.
Trailing 2-0 at the break, Chelsea needed to summon something to spark them.
And that came when Gallagher forced Douglas Luiz into an error and Madueke made amends for an earlier miss by striking low and true past Olsen, who replaced Martinez at halftime, to make it 2-1.
England hopeful Gallagher kept Chelsea pushing and earned his reward when he clipped a glorious shot past Olsen from 20 yards.