Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 1: Rattled Mourinho and Lambert square up on touchline as Ivanovic header wins it for Blues (but should Serb have seen red?)

Jose Mourinho’s truce with the Barclays Premier League lasted just one
 game. This didn’t quite reach the depths of his poke in Tito Vilanova’s
 eye when in charge of Real Madrid but it was close enough for discomfort.

First the Chelsea boss was shaken by Christian Benteke’s equaliser 
and he then steamed into Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert.

Mourinho knows Chelsea got lucky. They won this re-arranged fixture when
Branislav Ivanovic, who could easily have been sent off for elbowing Benteke, 
powered the winner beyond Brad Guzan.

Three points: Chelsea celebrate after taking a 2-1 lead against Aston Villa through
 Branislav Ivanovic

Power: Ivanovic scores the winner with a thumping header

Anger: A furious Jose Mourinho screams at Paul Lambert on the touchline

Not happy: The argument stemmed from a challenge made by Ivanovic on Christian
Benteke

Heated: The fourth official had to step in to prevent a confrontation

Not backing down: Lambert gave as good as he got in the argument

By then Stamford Bridge had been treated to Mourinho’s full repertoire:
 flailing arms, three touchline rows with a purple-faced Lambert and 
countless run-ins with fourth official Stuart Attwell.

‘Paul has a certain personality on the touchline and a certain way of 
behaving with comments,’ claimed Mourinho. ‘He reminds me of me 
ten years ago, but with experience he will change.’

It was vintage Mourinho, spiky and unabridged. He doesn’t care who 
he upsets, so long as his team are winning. Even Rui Faria, Mourinho’s
 faithful assistant, jumped off the bench to confront Lambert during another 
ugly touchline exchange.

Villa should have had two penalties, decisions scandalously overlooked by 
referee Kevin Friend who failed to spot the nudge on Andreas Weimann, or
 John Terry’s handball in the closing minutes.

‘We’ve been done by two big decisions,’ claimed Lambert. ‘Ivanovic should 
have been sent off.’

Mourinho responded, labelling Villa a physical, long-ball team who constantly 
boot balls up to Benteke. It was unfair and inaccurate.

Lambert and Villa deserve sympathy, heading back to Birmingham without a 
point when they might have won all three.

When two teams play like this, with exuberance and energy, taking on lung-busting
 runs and responding to the demands of their passionate fans, you don’t want the 
game to end.

At times Stamford Bridge was caught in a trance, mesmerised by Eden Hazard’s
 ability to pick out Juan Mata with a fading 40-yard crossfield pass.

Taking a hit: Ivanovic's elbow seemed to catch Christian Benteke but the defender was
only booked

How are you: Benteke was holding his face as Ivanovic stood over him

Ahead: Chelsea had gone ahead when Eden Hazard's shot was turned into his own goal
 by Antonio Luna

Luna's own-goal which helped Chelsea get the three points -

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Chelsea went ahead through the sweetest of moves involving Frank Lampard, 
Oscar and Hazard, who was denied the credit for the goal when Antonio Luna
 deflected the ball beyond Guzan.

There was the effort of Gabby Agbonlahor down the left for Villa, providing the
 outlet that earned his team two penalties at Arsenal on Saturday. He provided 
the killer pass, an angled cut-back into the path of Benteke to score Villa’s 
equaliser at the end of the first half. This is the Agbonlahor of 2006, the man 
who nearly earned a move to Chelsea under Mourinho first time around.
 He was awesome.

Under Lambert he has remodelled his game, a real team player as Villa 
respond to their manager’s intensity and enthusiasm on the touchline.

The equaliser provoked some intense celebrations from Lambert and his 
coaching staff. Mourinho was in the technical area, the knot on his tie slipping 
further down his shirt as the game wore on.

A great leveller: Benteke celebrates scoring the equaliser for Aston Villa in first-half
stoppage time

Get in! Villa boss Lambert jumps into the air after Benteke's goal

He has put himself under this pressure, demanding the killer touch from his
 team ahead of Monday’s game against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

There will be rotation, as Fernando Torres discovered when he didn’t even 
make the bench after starting Sunday’s opener against Hull.

Demba Ba got his chance, but Chelsea are a striker light. The Senegal forward
 is good, just not good enough for a club with Premier League and Champions 
League aspirations.

In another era it would be easy to conclude that Ba was picked as a message to 
Abramovich, a reminder that they need another forward before the transfer window 
closes. They will be back for Wayne Rooney, with one last attempt after Monday’s 
clash at Old Trafford.

Battle: Demba Ba gets up with Jores Okore as they challenge for a ball

Fist pump: Eden Hazard was the architect of Chelsea's first goal

Ba was eventually replaced by Romelu Lukaku and it wasn’t a moment too 
soon for Chelsea’s increasingly restless fans. By then Agbonlahor could have 
put Villa in front with a swirling effort on the hour and a Weimann volley went 
wide of Cech’s post.

‘Come on Chelsea’ the home fans shouted as Ron Vlaar and Jores Okore - 
who came on after Ciaran Clark went off with a head injury - stopped 
almost everything. They were unlucky to be beaten in the air by Ivanovic, 
scoring with a header to prompt another icy glare towards Lambert from 
Mourinho.

Two games into his return to Chelsea, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Clark spark out: The Villa defender is caught by Demba Ba and had to be substituted

Blooded: Ciaran Clark had to come off in the first-half with a head injury

Stretch: Ramires and Fabian Delph fight for possession in the middle of the park

Match facts

Chelsea: Cech 7, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 8, Cole 6,
 Ramires 6, Lampard 6, Oscar 6 (Van Ginkel 84min), 
Mata 6 (Schurrle 65), Hazard 7, Ba 4 (Lukaku 65).

Subs: Mikel, De Bruyne, Schwarzer, Azpilicueta.

Booked: Ivanovic

Goal: Luna (og) 7, Ivanovic 73.

Aston Villa: Guzan 6, Lowton 6, Vlaar 7, Clark 6 (Okore 43), 
Luna 7, El Ahmadi 7 (Tonev 82), Westwood 7, Delph 7, 
Weimann 6, Benteke 7, Agbonlahor 7.

Subs: Bennt, Bacuna, Helenius, Steer, Sylla.

Booked: El Ahmadi, Westwood, Benteke

Goal: Benteke 45

Attendance: 41,527

Referee: Kevin Friend

Ratings by Neil Moxley at Stamford Bridge

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