Aston Villa 0-0 Chelsea
by Paul Higham - Last Updated 11 Sep 2004
Aston Villa became the first side to take a point off Chelsea this season thanks to a 0-0 draw at Villa Park.
Jose Mourinho's side could not find a way through a spirited Villa side, who ended Chelsea's 100 percent start to the Premiership season.
David O'Leary's men matched their expensively-assembled opponents for most of the match, and a draw was very much the right result in a bright game that had plenty of endeavour from both sides.
Villa started brightly and Thomas Hitzlsperger tested Petr Cech with a curling free kick that the Czech stopper did well to turn aside.
Didier Drogba than had a good chance in response but he dragged his shot wide after collecting John Terry raking long pass.
Mateja Kezman was looking sharp for the visitors and he did some good work down the right before cutting the ball back for the arriving Joe Cole, who could only slice his effort wide.
The closest the first half came to a goal came after 25 minutes when a neat spell of passing from Chelsea resulted in Drogba firing in a curling shot from just outside the box that smacked the crossbar with Thomas Sorensen beaten.
Lampard was showing no signs of tiredness despite a busy international week, and he proved this with an industrious burst down the right five minutes before half time, and his cross was a good one that found Kezman but he could only head over the bar.
The returning Juan Pablo Angel had his first chance three minutes before the interval when he volleyed Nolberto Solano's cross high and wide.
Cole came close for Chelsea seven minutes into the second half when he gathered a quickly-taken free kick and fired in a low shot that Sorensen did well to turn round the post.
Cole again tested Sorensen minutes later but his left foot shot did not have enough pace on it to beat the Danish keeper.
Cech was largely untested in the second half apart from having to deal with a couple of menacing crosses.
The introduction of Eidur Gudjohnsen and Adrian Mutu added more firepower up front for Chelsea, but they were still unable to carve open Villa's stout defence.
Drogba tumbled in the box ten minutes from time under a challenge from Ulises de la Cruz, but referee Rob Styles only showed the African striker a yellow card for diving when the Chelsea man was appealing for a penalty.
Gudjohnsen had a late chance in the closing seconds, but he blazed a volley miles over the bar from close range, and Villa hung on to ruin Chelsea's perfect start to the season
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