Aston Villa revival makes O'Neill look special
By Henry Winter
Sport.Telegraph, 27th December 2007
This was the match that had everything except a winner. It had early baths,
late goals, accusations of diving, coaching assistants inviting each other
down the tunnel, and another entry into the two-footed tackle hall of shame.
It had a howler from one of the world's leading goalkeepers, Petr Cech. And
it even had a double from Andrei Shevchenko.
Compelling entertainment from first whistle to last, this Premier League
epic reminded everyone of how Martin O'Neill has galvanised Aston Villa
and why Avram Grant lacks the charisma to inspire Chelsea to great heights
in the post-Jose Mourinho era. "We've got the Special One," chanted Villa
fans.
Grant rued the dropped points, although he continues to believe Chelsea can
catch Arsenal and Manchester United in the race for the title. "As long as
we have a chance, we will not give up," Grant said. "It's a big challenge,
but it was from day one."
That sounded like a dig at Mourinho, insinuating that Chelsea were always
going to struggle following the indifferent start to the season that helped
contribute to the Portuguese's downfall. Chelsea's ambitions could be
tempered further by an already packed treatment room now squeezing in Frank
Lampard, who damaged his thigh, and a Heathrow departure lounge full of
players heading to the African Cup of Nations in Ghana.
And suspensions. Ricardo Carvalho's reckless lunge at Gabriel Agbonlahor
means the centre-half will be absent against Newcastle United, Fulham and
QPR. If Didier Drogba's muscular presence is missed in attack, John Terry's
steadying influence in defence and gutsy leadership is similarly pined for
by Chelsea fans.
How Grant could have done with a central-defensive giant in the class of
Villa's Martin Laursen, comfortably the man of the match, with respectful
nods to his colleagues Gareth Barry and Ashley Young and the hosts'
Shevchenko and Michael Essien.
Chelsea's defence was too generous, too hesitant. Shaun Maloney exploited
a lack of organisation in the blue ranks to record his first-half double,
starting in the 13th minute. When Agbonlahor clipped in a cross from the
right, John Carew nodded down and little Maloney beat Cech from close range:
0-1.
Chelsea sought to raise their game, but ran into the outstanding Laursen,
the defender blocking and tackling, intercepting crosses in the air and on
the ground. Chelsea's mood darkened further when Lampard limped off.
Michael Ballack appeared and was immediately sent into orbit by Nigel
Reo-Coker.
As Grant, Henk Ten Cate and Steve Clarke leapt from the bench to remonstrate
with the referee, Phil Dowd screamed "go away" at them and contended himself
with a gentle admonishment of Reo-Coker. Ten Cate was in particularly
volcanic mood, keeping a very loud running total of perceived Villa
transgressions, which he transmitted to the visitors' bench. John Robertson
and company merely laughed.
Villa's good spirits rose higher two minutes from the break. When Claudio
Pizarro faltered in possession, Laursen fed the ball to Maloney, who
scampered towards goal like a schoolboy chasing the morning bus. Alex, a
bundle of first-half uncertainties, stood off and Maloney let fly, the ball
heading for the seeming safe haven of Cech's grasp. Yet Chelsea's goalkeeper
misjudged the speed and the ball bounced off him and span back into the net:
0-2.
The drama intensified moments later. Ballack, through on goal, appeared to
be pushed by Zat Knight and the German collapsed like a house of cards in a
hurricane. "Off, off, off" chorused the Shed at Knight, once of neighbours
Fulham. Dowd needed little encouraging, pointing Knight towards the tunnel.
O'Neill was livid with Ballack. "It's 'chup'," said the Villa manager
cryptically, although there was no mistaking his meaning as he signalled a
gentle swallow dive with his hands. "He has gone over. There's no contact.
I'm only three and a half per cent biased but it's not a penalty. I might
appeal [Knight's red card]. It was very harsh."
However much Ballack milked the contact, Dowd was right. It looked a penalty.
As Knight trudged away, Shevchenko neatly put the penalty away: 1-2. The
initiative swung Chelsea's away. Poor Maloney. The Scot was removed as Villa
went with two banks of deep-lying fours with the hard-working Carew a
distant outlet.
Such was the crowded nature of Villa's dug-out that Maloney had to sit among
the Chelsea supporters. At least, it saved him getting caught in the
inter-bench crossfire.
The force was with Chelsea. Shevchenko was suddenly rolling back the years,
and rolling his markers, equalising with the type of magnificent 25-yarder
that spiced his prolific time at AC Milan and Dynamo Kiev: 2-2. Shevchenko
then sent through Alex, who planted his shot firmly past Scott Carson: 3-2.
It was an astonishing turnaround, and showed the enduring class that Grant
can call upon. Ballack certainly looked hungry for the fray, Essien delivered
his usual 90 minutes of creating and destroying while Shevchenko appeared
reborn. Yet O'Neill has sent real defiance flowing through claret-and-blue
veins. When Young whipped over a free-kick, Laursen stretched out a leg and
turned the ball past Cech: 3-3.
Parity of personnel also arrived, Carvalho departing for that filthy challenge.
"Carvalho had no intention to hurt the player," Grant stressed. O'Neill
disagreed. "It's a two-footed challenge," remarked the Villa manager. "It's
a sending-off offence."
Incidents continued to abound. With three breathless minutes left, Dowd
wrongly awarded Chelsea a free-kick 20 yards out after Laursen and Joe Cole
had simply collided. Ballack added insult to iniquity with a low free-kick
that swerved past the wall and in: 4-3.
The temperature rose with the goal count. Ten Cate inquired of O'Neill's
bench whether they wanted to discuss the game's finer points in a more
private setting. Again, Villa rallied and when Agbonlahor headed goalwards,
Ashley Cole thrust out his chest. "Penalty," shouted Villa. "Never," yelled
Chelsea, insisting the ball never touched Cole's arm. All eyes turned to
Dowd, who showed Cole the direction to the dressing-rooms, and Barry the
way to the spot. Villa's captain stroked in the penalty: 4-4.
As Grant was busy launching an ambitious appeal over Cole's dismissal,
O'Neill was concluding: "We've been back from the dead twice." Vitality
ruled at the Bridge yesterday.
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