I suppose I should try to see something good in the way the Chelsea defended, which was admittedly excellent, especially during the last twenty minutes when Villa were mounting a sustained attack on goal. OK; it was effective, but just try watching it.. I thought we missed Le Saux (injured) down the left flank, and although it pains me to say it, Villa used the width of the pitch much better than Chelsea, for the most part. Franco Zola produced some of his customary magic at times, but, unfortunately for him, his new striking partner seemed as though he couldn't be arsed most of the time. Sutton is without doubt a capable striker, but he's not showing it. The only thing of note that he produced in the whole match was an attempted bicycle kick that he completely missed.

Dan Petrescu was inspired, and nobody was surprised when his 53rd minute shot was deflected into the far corner by Hugo Ehiogu. Dan should be credited with the goal, but probably won't be, and that will be due to the referee's incompetence. I've seen some bad refereeing in my time, but this would take some beating. He'd lost control within minutes of the start, allowing constant clashes betwen the sides, then giving free kicks in totally the wrong direction. He turned down the best appeal for a penalty that I've ever seen, when Franco Zola was completely upended while yards inside the area, and ended up being totally ignored by most of the players. His assistants appeared to be flag fucking happy, calling players from both sides offside on countless occasions when they clearly weren't, leading to a frustrating afternoon for all of us. I was so angry with the linesmen's constant flag waving that that I inadvertently yelled out: "Take that flag away from him and he's NOTHING !", which briefly amused all in earshot. Apart from that there wasn't much to smile about.

Looking on the bright side, we did win the game, which was an achievement. The players weren't having one of their more inspired days, and some of the pasing was woeful for players of their skill, but they showed application and toughness. The defending was in a class of its own at times, with Leboeuf and Desailly completely nullifying Villa's strike force of Joachim and Dublin, neither of whom are slouches. It was good to see Jody Morris get a game, and he was his usual, stylish self, showing passion and skill, always ready to have a dig.

It's probably no coincidence that Chelsea have been off the boil in the last two matches, with the absence of the superb Didier Deschamps through injury. His influence has been a real eye opener this season, and he's looking every inch the finished article. No need for a period of adjustment with Didier, unlike our friend Sutton.

What do YOU think ? Want to add your point of view ? Here's your chance to send me some feedback.

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