Chelsea continued their 100% start to the new Premier League season with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa this evening.
An own goal from Antonio Luna gave the home side an early lead, but Christian Benteke was able to level the scores just before the break.
Branislav Ivanovic scored what proved to be the winner in the second half, but Villa were denied a penalty in stoppage time.
Sports Mole takes a closer look at this evening's action.
Match Statistics:
Chelsea:
Shots 12
On target 3
Possession 69%
Corners 1
Fouls 13
Aston Villa:
Shots 7
On target 3
Possession 31%
Corners 2
Fouls 16
Was the result fair?
Aston Villa will claim otherwise, but Chelsea were the deserving winners this evening. The visitors may have had a good case for a penalty in stoppage time, but the home side had more chances, were more attacking and generally played the better football throughout. The visitors should have had a second, but Chelsea should have scored more too.
Chelsea's performance
Jose Mourinho's men started aggressively and rarely took their feet off the gas throughout. The home side were camped inside Villa's half for much of the first half, with pace from Oscar, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard stretching Villa at the back throughout. Chelsea's defenders were tested as Villa created some good chances, but Gary Cahill and John Terry made a number of vital clearances, while Petr Cech always looked composed between the posts.
Aston Villa's performance
It was a slow start the visitors, who struggled to contain Chelsea after the home side took an early lead. A moment of brilliance from Christian Benteke kept them in the match at half time, before a more positive side matched the hosts for much of the second half. Villa let their discipline slip towards the end of the game, with some clumsy challenges gifting the home side several free kicks, including the one that led to Branislav Ivanovic's winner. There were strong spells from the team, but they could not sustain them for long enough to really challenge their opponents.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Oscar: In truth, there was little to chose between Oscar, Mata and Hazard. However, Oscar was able to cause problems in front of goal, while also creating several chances for his teammates. His pace on the ball carved holes in the Villa defence throughout the game, and he was unlucky to slip while attempting a half-volley strike in the first half.
Biggest gaffe
Tonight, this goes to Demba Ba. Not for one big gaffe, but for several small ones which were a big problem throughout. The striker was caught offside four times before being substituted early in the second half.
Referee's performance
Kevin Friend had a good game for 80 minutes. However, his determination to let the game flow resulted in some scrappy play for the final 10 minutes, with fouls flying in all over the place, but his biggest error was missing what could have been a penalty for Villa in stoppage time. The ball appearing bounce off Terry's head onto his arm. Unfortunately, Friend let himself down late on.
What next?
Chelsea: Chelsea will look to continue their 100% start to the Premier League season when they play Manchester United at Old Trafford next Monday.
Aston Villa: Aston Villa will play their first home game of the season against Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime.
Sian Cowper
