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Anwar El Ghazi cancelled out Olivier Giroud\u2019s header as Aston Villa stole a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge to stay above Chelsea in the Premier League table.<\/p>\nAnwar El Ghazi cancelled out Olivier Giroud\u2019s header as Aston Villa stole a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge to stay above Chelsea in the Premier League table.<\/p>\n
El Ghazi tapped home at the far post with the Blues frustrated neither the officials nor Villa had stopped play, with Andreas Christensen out of commission after a heavy challenge with Jack Grealish.<\/p>\n
Giroud had nodded Chelsea into a 1-0 half-time lead, the France striker gleefully posting his ninth Blues goal of the campaign in all competitions.<\/p>\n
But Frank Lampard\u2019s men could not get back to winning ways after their 3-1 loss at Arsenal on Boxing Day, to be left instead with just one victory in their last five league matches.<\/p>\n
Villa by contrast extended their unbeaten run to five matches, to sit fifth in the table and hold off Chelsea in sixth.<\/p>\n
Chelsea boss Lampard made six changes from the Boxing Day defeat at Arsenal, but will have been frustrated not to receive the upswing in performance he had demanded.<\/p>\n
Villa\u2019s neat build-up play and compact work off the ball kept Chelsea pegged back regularly throughout a cagey opening half hour.<\/p>\n
Grealish drew a good save from Edouard Mendy with an early tester, before the Villa captain unwittingly teed up Christian Pulisic.<\/p>\n
Grealish\u2019s loose ball gifted Pulisic a run in on goal, and the USA forward should have found the back of the net, not the side netting.<\/p>\n
Matty Cash blazed over after Mendy was unable to reach a cross as Villa threatened again.<\/p>\n
Pulisic then hooked over from point-blank range when it appeared easier to score, and as time ticked by Chelsea were staring at a half-time stalemate.<\/p>\n
But just when Villa were gearing up to be reasonably satisfied with their work, Chelsea finally strung together a move of purpose and incision.<\/p>\n
The first true flowing attack from the Blues yielded the breakthrough, as Chilwell delivered the telling cross \u2013 and Giroud applied the deadly finish.<\/p>\n
France hitman Giroud had been involved in the build-up, flicking a back heel to Pulisic, before ghosting into the box, losing his marker and converting in style.<\/p>\n
Villa snatched an equalizer shortly after the break to halt Chelsea\u2019s momentum, though the legitimacy of the goal would be long debated.<\/p>\n
El Ghazi tapped home at the far post but would arguably not have had the space to do so had Grealish been censured for his tackle on Christensen in the build-up.<\/p>\n
The Denmark defender stepped too far out of defense, but was left on the ground after a robust challenge from Grealish.<\/p>\n
Villa chose not to put the ball out of play, eventually taking full advantage to level at 1-1.<\/p>\n
Chelsea rallied straight away, with a neat move to culminate in an 18-yard drive from N\u2019Golo Kante.<\/p>\n
The France midfielder had acres of space and plenty of time, and while he did hit the target, in truth he should have scored.<\/p>\n
John McGinn rattled the crossbar with a 25-yard pile driver as the game started to break up, before Chelsea rolled out their replacements in a bid for a winner.<\/p>\n
Timo Werner and Kai Havertz were pitched into battle, with Chelsea desperate for the victory.<\/p>\n
Pulisic saw a rasping effort tipped over by Emiliano Martinez, but Villa substitute Jacob Ramsey could have stolen it, whipping just wide with Mendy beaten.<\/p>\n