Chelsea vs Aston Villa: Five talking points

Aston Villa are a revitalized unit under Paul Lambert, only hard done by the referee

Benteke celebrates his goal

After their first two matches last season, Aston Villa were looking down the barrel, placed at the bottom of the table and pointless. One year on, Villa have three points and more importantly, two brave performances against Top 4 sides.

Just what seemed a difficult start for the Lambert era, given the form of the club to go with the scary fixtures, the West Midlands outfit has risen leaps and bounds.

Despite a defeat at the hands of Chelsea, Villa has shown promising signs. The team that played second fiddle all throughout under former manager Martin O’ Neil, are now seen playing fearless football in wake of expressing themselves.

The side could have well got on to nick a result at Stamford Bridge, but a couple of refereeing decisions did them in. A probable offside for the Ivanovic goal; Ivanovic avoiding a red and a late handball not given – Villa would certainly feel hard done by the referee. But as Arsenal fans would like to put it, ‘Karma is a b*tch’.

But nothing should be drawn too early on. It’s a lot about consistency – top teams and coaches will tell you. While the early signs are promising, maintaining a similar run would be a challenge – but then, what is life without challenges.