Conor Gallagher scored the equaliser as Chelsea fought back from two goals down to clinch a deserved 2-2 draw with UEFA Champions League-chasing Aston Villa on Saturday.
Villa looked set to go nine points clear of Tottenham Hotspur in the race to finish in the Premier League's top four, with Marc Cucurella's own goal and Morgan Rogers' low drive giving them a commanding half-time lead.
Mauricio Pochettino's men dominated much of the first half without reward, but they continued to press after the interval and cultured finishes from Noni Madueke and Gallagher dragged them level.
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They almost completed a fine turnaround in stoppage time, but there was relief for Villa when referee Craig Pawson disallowed a goal for Chelsea defender Axel Disasi following a VAR review due to an infringement from Benoit Badiashile.
It meant Villa head coach Unai Emery was unable to celebrate his new long-term contract with three points, with his team now seven points clear of fifth-placed Spurs, who have played three matches fewer than their rivals.
Chelsea stay ninth and are five points adrift of the top seven, but with a match in hand to come, their European hopes are not yet over.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
36 | +20 | 67 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
35 | +11 | 60 |
| 6 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
35 | +22 | 56 |
| 7 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
35 | +11 | 54 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
35 | -3 | 54 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
36 | -14 | 49 |
How the match unfolded
Villa made a flying start and were ahead within four minutes, albeit in somewhat fortunate circumstances. John McGinn didn't get a clean connection on Lucas Digne's left-wing cutback, but his shot bounced off Cucurella and into the net.
Chelsea thought they were level after 16 minutes as Nicolas Jackson raced clear to finish into the roof of the net, but his strike was disallowed for offside after a VAR review, with replays showing he was leaning beyond Matty Cash.
Jackson should then have equalised when found by Cucurella six yards out, but he could only send his header against the foot of a post and wide.
Villa then doubled their lead against the run of play shortly before half-time, with Djorde Petrovic powerless as Rogers squeezed his shot through Trevoh Chalobah's legs and in.
A hamstring injury saw Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez withdrawn at half-time, and his replacement Robin Olsen was beaten after 62 minutes, Madueke stroking home after Gallagher forced a high turnover.
Olsen stuck out an arm to deny Madueke a second goal with 71 minutes gone, but he had no chance as the Blues levelled with nine minutes to play, Gallagher rifling a left-footed finish into the top-left corner to complete a stirring comeback.
Chelsea thought they had won it when Disasi headed home five minutes into stoppage time, but referee Pawson disallowed the goal following a VAR review, with Badiashile adjudged to have fouled Diego Carlos in the build-up.
Villa could hardly have wished for a stronger position at half-time. Despite Chelsea carving out several good openings, they found themselves 2-0 up and primed to exploit their opponents further through the pace of Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey.
Chelsea had lost 16 of their previous 18 Premier League encounters when trailing at half-time (one draw, one win), losing their last eight when two or more goals behind at the break.
However, Emery's men simply didn't get going after the break, and only a late VAR review saved them from a crushing defeat, with Disasi's potential winner chalked off for a foul by fellow defender Badiashile.
Gallagher leads from the front
Gallagher has polarised opinion at times this season, but Chelsea's stand-in skipper produced a talismanic display just when his team needed him most at Villa Park.
The England international is known for his tenacious work out of possession, and he forced a turnover on the corner of the Villa box in the build-up to Madueke's goal.
Gallagher's own strike, which flew into the top corner to stun the home faithful, took him to 10 Premier League goal involvements for the season (four goals, six assists). He has only achieved that feat in one other campaign in the competition, scoring eight goals and adding three assists on loan at Crystal Palace in 2021/22.
Four of his seven Premier League goals for Chelsea, meanwhile, have now come from outside the area.
Final Premier League matches
Club reports
Key facts
Chelsea avoided defeat for just the fourth time in 51 Premier League games in which they were 2+ goals behind at half-time, also drawing 3-3 with Sheffield Wednesday (August 1992), 2-2 with Spurs (May 2016) and 3-3 with West Bromwich Albion (September 2020).
Aston Villa have scored 73 Premier League goals this season, their most in a single top-flight campaign since 1976/77 (76).
Chelsea have won just one of their last 19 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the top four of the table (D7 L11), winning 4-1 at Spurs in November this season.
Marc Cucurella’s own goal after 03:44 was the second earliest Chelsea have conceded an own goal in a Premier League match, after David Luiz put through his own net after 03:08 against Manchester United in October 2012.
