ASTON VILLA 2, CHELSEA 1

IT WASN'T quite ripped from his bicep. Angrily yanked, more like. But one thing is for sure, this captain's armband will not be finding a home in John Terry's sprawling collection of memorabilia.

In fact, as he stamped into the privacy of the tunnel - offending item in hand, swearing and shouting to himself like a roaring drunk - I doubt it made it to the dressing-room.

Terry wears his heart, as well as that armband, on his sleeve.

But rarely has his rage been this pure.

Raging, perhaps, against the profligacy of Florent Malouda, Deco and Nicolas Anelka - or maybe their shyness in combat.

Furious, no doubt, with the lamentable and sudden vulnerability to set-pieces.

Angry, probably, that Frank Lampard has been transformed from the epitome of a modern, goalscoring midfielder into a tidy, but mundane, nudger and nurdler.

I wouldn't begin to second-guess Terry's opinion of progress under manager Carlo Ancelotti.

But Terry's torment and Lampard's torpor are significant for Ancelotti.

Chelsea is not unique in this phenomenon but, as Big Phil Scolari discovered en route to a P45, certain players have certain influence.

Comments from the coach afterwards - even allowing for his improving but far-from-footsure English - that he was 'not interested' in Lampard not scoring will need some training-ground explanation.

As will the startling issues surrounding dead-ball defending that allowed Richard Dunne and James Collins to render Brad Friedel's early gift to Didier Drogba irrelevant.

But there is a more general - but more crucial problem - surfacing gradually under Ancelotti.

The stomach for the fight away from Stamford Bridge, this was a second successive reverse, appears to be weakening.

Sure, the Chelsea manager was right to highlight the fact that two poor instances of defending cost them a second successive away defeat. But Martin O'Neill was also correct to point out that it would be doing a major disservice to the application, determination and doggedness of Aston Villa if this result was seen purely through that sort of lens. Villa looked just a smidgeon more committed.

TERRY: Ranting

And that, you suspect, is why Terry left the pitch in a prolonged fit of pique, shaking the hands only of people who got in his way. It's certain he would have meant no disrespect to Villa.

Their work ethic was a wonder. James Milner's effort was typified by a wonderfully-timed late block as Malouda cocked his left foot, while Gabby Agbonlahor pulled, pushed, shoved and stretched the Premier League's most experienced defensive unit.

He also pushed Anelka into O'Neill - with the result being that the Villa chief was sent up in the air and needed brief treatment from the team physio.

Stiliyan Petrov revelled in the unaccustomed situation of being allowed to operate unchecked by a Chelsea midfield that looked so unusually awkward, Steve Sidwell was as unfussy as he is unheralded.

Ashley Young was fitful in his contributions - Ashley Cole exposing the reasons why the Aston Villa winger has faded to the back of Fabio Capello's mind.

Yet he could still milk the applause for his significant role in both Villa goals.

His first corner for the equaliser deceived Lampard, whose attempt at a clearing header only produced a telling glance that diverted the ball into the path of a rampaging Dunne.

Nothing gets in the path of a rampaging Dunne and survives. Ball, buried.

Lampard was harsh on himself - but correctly so.

A flicked header was worse than no header at all.

At least it absolved Petr Cech of blame - but only until Collins nodded in the winner.

Wear a luminous jersey and your every move is luminous. Cech's mistake was day-glo.

Granted, Young does spin a mean corner. And sure, if you fail to notice a 6ft 4in ginger Welshman marauding with intent, then you might be in a spot of bother.

But Cech was as culpable as those who laid down the carpet for Collins. He should have been able to place himself in the path of the kick's trajectory but he wandered like a first-day tourist. Chelsea's defending from set-pieces was truly desperate.

And Villa - through a centre-half pairing who could have been named No and Nonsense - threatened to extend their lead.

But contrary to O'Neill's claims, it was Chelsea who created the clearer chances and played the slightly more incisive football.

Not that their lead-taking goal early in the proceedings had anything remotely incisive about it.

A wonderful turn that rooted Collins gave Drogba the shooting chance but even though his long-range effort reared off a length like an Andrew Flintoff special, Friedel should have done better than to be caught in a corridor of uncertainty.

But that turned to certainty and when facing the eye-whites of Malouda, Deco and Anelka, he didn't blink. The Chelsea trio did.

Good saves, yes. But he shouldn't have been offered the chance of redemption.

And what was more significant is that Friedel was at his most comfortable when fielding the efforts of Lampard - who has now gone 10 games without a goal, and that is a double-take statistic.

But you don't need Opta to recognise a dip in the form of such a relentlessly effective performer.

Physically and mentally, he simply didn't bond with Deco yesterday.

His role appears too withdrawn for the comfort of familiarity. Ancelotti needs to sort it out as matter of some urgency.

Of course, this is not a Chelsea crisis.

The loss at the DW Stadium was startling but this Villa team looks to have top-five credentials.

Indeed, they might have handed Chelsea a more damaging setback had rookie referee Keith Friend - a very late replacement for sickness-stricken Steve Bennett - not decided pre-goals that Jose Bosingwa's grappling of Gabby was as much Agbonlahor's fault as the Chelsea defender's.

On that occasion, Ancelotti certainly had a Friend.

He'll need plenty more pretty quickly at Stamford Bridge. Just ask Big Phil.

This article has 9 comments