Chelsea Were Denied A Late Victory In A Thrilling Encounter Against Aston Villa, As The Match Ended In A Pulsating Four-Goal Draw
Chelsea’s hopes of a late victory were dashed when a potential winning goal was disallowed, but they managed to stage an impressive comeback to secure a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Initially, it seemed like Mauricio Pochettino’s side was heading for another disappointing away result after an early own goal from Marc Cucurella and a superb strike from Morgan Rogers put Villa in the lead.
However, Chelsea fought back unexpectedly with two well-taken goals from Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher, drawing the match level. In added time, it appeared they had secured the win with a goal from Axel Disasi and Robin Olsen, but VAR intervened, ruling out the goal due to a foul on Diego Carlos, much to Chelsea’s frustration.
The Chelsea players protested vehemently to referee Craig Pawson at the final whistle, but they had to settle for a point, leaving them in ninth place in the standings. Meanwhile, Villa, who remain in fourth place, are no longer in control of their Champions League qualification fate.
With a seven-point lead over Tottenham Hotspur, albeit having played three more games, Villa now turn their attention to the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final against Olympiacos. Chelsea, on the other hand, will face Tottenham Hotspur in a London derby on the same day.
The match began in a similar fashion to Chelsea’s previous game, with a fourth-minute goal conceded, this time from a move down the left flank, echoing the events of their recent defeat to Arsenal.
Pau Torres advanced forward without any challenge, then passed to Lucas Digne, whose cross was met by John McGinn’s first-time strike. McGinn’s shot appeared to be off target but unfortunately deflected off Cucurella’s shin and into the net.
McGinn was fortunate that his scuffed shot ended up as an own goal by the Spanish left-back. However, Chelsea briefly thought they had equalized in the 17th minute when Nicolas Jackson scored, but his goal was disallowed after a VAR review showed he was offside.
Despite dominating possession, Chelsea struggled to create clear-cut chances. Their hopes received a boost when Youri Tielemans went off injured after 27 minutes, with Diaby replacing him as McGinn moved into a deeper role.
Chelsea increased the pressure, but Jackson missed a golden opportunity in the 34th minute, heading Cucurella’s cross onto the post from close range.
Villa capitalized on their chances, doubling their lead in the 42nd minute with a fine strike from Morgan Rogers, who found the gap between Trevoh Chalobah’s legs and beat Djordje Petrovic at his near post.
As the first half ended, Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was substituted due to a hamstring issue, with Olsen taking his place for the second half.
The drama continued as Conor Gallagher scored a stunning goal, but Chelsea’s celebrations were short-lived as Axel Disasi’s late goal was ruled out by VAR due to a foul on Diego Carlos.
Chelsea thought they'd won it before the goal was disallowed
What a match at Villa Park 🔥
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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 27, 2024
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However, Olsen could do nothing to stop Pochettino’s team from finally converting one of their chances in the 62nd minute. Conor Gallagher dispossessed Luiz just outside the Villa penalty area, and Madueke calmly curled a low shot into the far corner, giving Chelsea a glimmer of hope.
Unlike their collapse in the second half at the Emirates, Chelsea fought back vigorously in the West Midlands. Palmer’s curling effort from the edge of the D in the 77th minute narrowly missed the post.
Villa boss Unai Emery strengthened his defense by bringing on Carlos and switching to a five-man backline to stem Chelsea’s attacks, but the move did not pay off. In the 81st minute, Gallagher, who initiated Madueke’s equalizer with relentless pressing, unleashed a stunning left-footed strike into the top corner from the edge of the box as Villa failed to close him down.
In the 88th minute, Watkins squandered a chance to seal Villa’s victory by leaning back and sending Cash’s cross over the bar. He would regret that miss when, in the fifth minute of injury time, Carlos’s scuffed clearance fell to Palmer in a dangerous area. Palmer dribbled into the Villa box but saw his low shot deflect off Olsen’s leg and go behind for a corner.
Though Villa initially dealt with the corner, Disasi met the recycled ball with a header that hit the bar before deflecting into the net off Olsen’s hand. Villa players protested, recalling Martinez’s own goal against Arsenal in February 2023. However, the goal was disallowed after Badiashile was deemed to have fouled Carlos in the build-up, ensuring a draw after a thrilling battle.
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