Goal . Aston Villa 1-0 Chelsea: Mourinho sent off as Delph blows title race wide open... The Blues boss record of never having won at Villa Park was extended on Saturday after a second-half goal from the Villa midfielder, as the coach, Willian and Ramires all saw red . Mar 15, 2014 7:23:00 PM (continued) Mourinhos men were comfortable in possession, however, with Oscar looking particularly lively - the Brazilian curling a shot just wide after 15 minutes as he ventured forward. After a promising opening, the game suffered something of a lull - but it was Chelsea who continued to look the more likely to score and Fernando Torres fired wide from a tight angle after a neat through ball from Eden Hazard after 35 minutes. Villas biggest threat was on the counter and the lively Benteke saw an acrobatic half-volley from the right-hand side of the box fly wide of the far post. The home side then had a huge let-off five minutes before the break. Willians corner was flicked to the back post by John Terry, where Matic squeezed the ball home - only for referee Chris Foy to rule the goal out for a handball by the Serbia international. Chelsea continued to dictate the tempo after the break and Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan had to make a smart reaction save when El Ahmadi directed Hazards cross towards his own goal when sliding to make a block. The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with Chelsea continuing to probe but failing to find a way through a stern Villa rearguard. Villa retained a foothold in the game and Benteke should have done better when he received a pass from Andreas Weimann on the edge of the area and placed a shot narrowly wide of Petr Cechs goal. With just over 20 minutes remaining Chelsea were reduced to 10 men. Willian - who had already been booked in the first half - was rash in pulling back Delph and was shown a second yellow card, although the decision was perhaps harsh on the Brazilian. And the hosts made the most of their numerical advantage when Marc Albrightons cut-back from the byline went behindDelph- yet the midfielder somehow brilliantly flicked home. Delph then went close to a second when his shot was deflected onto the crossbar by Terry, before Chelseas match ended in further ill discipline when Ramires was sent off for a lunging tackle on El Ahmadi. Mourinho then followed, after protesting the decision to give the Brazilian his marching orders. . Follow On Twitter Follow On Facebook . Related News March 15, 2014 . *Chelsea can handle the pressure, claims Cech* . Squad depth leaves Mourinho uncertain over Chelsea double pursuit . *Toure: Chelsea are clear title favourites* . Whats Cech and Yaya Toure On? (Na Wetin them dey Smoke...) Asked Sqwuash... . Privacy Policy| Terms of Service| Contact Us| About Us Copyright © 2014 Goal All rights reserved. The information contained in Goal may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Goal
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 21:17:38 +0000
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