BLUES NEED TO FIND MOJO ...AND FAST
KEEP going,’ roared Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn as this game entered the final five minutes. But that’s easier said than done when you are playing for the second time in two days.
It is a credit to the conditioning of both teams that they emerged physically unscathed f rom a match that should not have been scheduled for last night.
Furious about the prospect of playing twice in 48 hours, Frank Lampard stayed true to his word by making six changes from the team that lost 3-1 at Arsenal on Saturday.
And his team suffered as a result. This was a far cry from the sort of performances Chelsea were producing during the early part of this season. They lacked verve and a cutting edge.
And while Olivier Giroud’s goal raised hopes of a confidenceboosting victory, Anwar El Ghazi’s deserved equaliser means Chelsea have won just once in their last five matches.
Lampard will be satisfied with his team’s application — a marked improvement on their powderpuff display at the Emirates.
But a Premier League season that appeared to promise so much is now in danger of slipping away. Lampard knows he needs his team to rediscover their early- season form. And quickly.
Villa boss Dean Smith, whose team also played on Saturday, took an entirely different approach to team selection. He made one enforced change, with Ezri Konsa replacing the suspended Tyrone Mings at centre back.
Following two successive 3-0 wins, Smith’s reluctance to tinker was understandable. In the end it was justified as they gave Chelsea a hell of a scare. Inevitably it was Jack Grealish who was at the centre of it all. First he stung Edouard Mendy’s hands with a vicious effort that was curling inside the far post, then he put the resulting corner on a plate for El Ghazi, only for the Dutchman to squander the chance.
The Villa skipper breathed a sigh of relief in the 12th minute when Christian Pulisic latched on to his wayward backpass only to fire into the side-netting when he should have hit the target. Undeterred,
Grealish continued to pull the strings, his inch-perfect free-kick in the 25th minute being headed over by Kortney Hause.
Chelsea looked apprehensive and nervous. This was not the reaction Lampard expected after the defeat by Arsenal.
Matty Cash was next to waste a Villa opportunity, firing over in a congested penalty area after Mendy had failed to deal with
El Ghazi’s cross. But Chelsea sl owly i mposed t hemselves. Pulisic should have fired them ahead just after the half-hour, somehow contriving to blaze his overhead kick over from virtually under the bar.
Giroud was not so wasteful in the 34th minute — the Frenchman nodding home from close range after Pulisic and Ben Chilwell had combined down the left. Relief etched on his f ace, Lampard puffed out his cheeks.
The Chelsea boss would have been hard-pushed to justify his team’s lead. Not that he would have cared much. Mason Mount threatened to double the advantage soon after, firing over following a direct run into the box.
But that would have been harsh on Villa, who were unlucky to be behind at the break. So when they levelled five minutes after the restart, it came as little surprise.
There was controversy in the lead-up as Andreas Christensen was left requiring treatment after a tangle with Grealish.
Villa showed no sympathy for their opponents’ short- term numerical disadvantage as Cash — who collected Grealish’s pass — swung in an inviting cross that El Ghazi finished through Mendy’s
legs at the back post. It was no more than the visitors deserved — further evidence that their encouraging first half of the season is no flash in the pan.
Pulisic had the ball in the net in the 65th minute, but his closerange effort was rightly ruled offside, before McGinn — who was excellent — rattled the bar with a thunderous long-range effort that had Mendy beaten.
With victory hopes dwindling, Lampard sent on the cavalry, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, for the last 18 minutes.
But it was Villa substitute Jacob Ramsey who came closest in the closing stages, firing just wide with his first touch.
Chelsea had chances, too. Pulisic’s powerful, 20-yard effort was tipped over by Emiliano Martinez before Werner continued to misfire in front of goal as he blasted over from 12 yards.
Chilwell went close to snatching victory for the Blues in stoppage time with a brilliantly executed volley that flew agonisingly wide as the game ended all square.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Mendy 6; Azpilicueta 6.5, Christensen 6, Rudiger 6.5, Chilwell 7; Jorginho 6 (Havertz 72min, 6.5), Kante 6.5, Mount 6.5; Pulisic 6.5, Giroud 7 (Werner 72, 6.5), Hudson-Odoi 6.5. Subs not used: Arrizabalaga, Silva, Tomori, Emerson, Kovacic, Gilmour, Abraham. Scorer: Giroud 34. Booked: Azpilicueta, Giroud, Kante.
Manager: Frank Lampard 6. ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Martinez 6.5; Cash 7, Hause 7, Ngoyo 6.5, Targett 6.5; Luiz 7, McGINN 7.5; Traore 6.5 (Davis 87), Grealish 7, El Ghazi 7 (Ramsey 81); Watkins 6.5. Subs not used: Heaton, Elmohamady, Guilbert, Engels, Taylor, Hourihane, Nakamba. Scorer: El Ghazi 50. Booked: El Ghazi.
Manager: Dean Smith 6.5. Referee: Stuart Attwell 6.