Premier League GW35 - Aston Villa vs Chelsea

Aston Villa vs Chelsea | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

In a thrilling Premier League match full of drama and excitement, Aston Villa and Chelsea drew 2-2 at Villa Park. Chelsea overcame a two-goal deficit thanks to Conor Gallagher's equaliser, guaranteeing a point for each team as they pursued their own ambitions.

Aston Villa:

With a victory today, Aston Villa will be nine points ahead of fifth-place Tottenham, albeit Spurs will still have three games remaining. This puts Villa in the driver's seat to achieve their first top-four finish since 1996. Last Saturday, Unai Emery's Lions defeated Bournemouth 3-1 after coming back from a 1-0 deficit. It was their 20th Premier League victory of the year, and they are on track to qualify for the Champions League. Next week, Villa fans can also anticipate the opening leg of their Europa Conference League semifinal matchup with Olympiacos.

Chelsea:

Chelsea's eight-game winning streak came to an abrupt end last week when they lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinals and then suffered a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of rivals from London, Arsenal. Mauricio Pochettino's team, who lost the away match in September but prevailed in a cup rematch at Villa Park in February, is currently six points adrift of the top seven in the Premier League and sits ninth, putting them in risk of missing out on European status.

Line ups:

ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Emi Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; Youri Tielemans, Douglas Luiz; Leon Bailey, John McGinn, Morgan Rogers; Ollie Watkins.

SUBS: Robin Olsen, Diego Carlos, Calum Chambers, Clement Lenglet, Moussa Diaby, Jhon Duran, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Tim Iroegbunam, Omari Kellyman.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Djordje Petrovic; Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher; Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk; Nicolas Jackson.

SUBS: Marcus Bettinelli, Axel Disasi, Cesare Casadei, Deivid Washington, Ted Curd, Alfie Gilchrist, Josh Acheampong, Tyrique George, Kiano Dyer.

Villa Park Stadium | Picture Credits - The Guardian

Rogers scored a goal for Villa and doubled their lead to 2-0 | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

First Half: Villa's Fortunate Lead
Thanks to a fortunate bounce off Marc Cucurella, John McGinn's strike found its way into the net, giving Aston Villa the lead early on. Nicolas Jackson's goal was disallowed for offside, although Chelsea believed they had equalised. Morgan Rogers' well-placed goal shortly before halftime gave Villa a two-goal advantage.

Second Half: Chelsea's Resilient Fightback
In the second half, Chelsea made a strong comeback, with Noni Madueke cutting the deficit after taking advantage of a mistake on defence. Subsequently, Conor Gallagher equalised the score with an incredible left-footed shot, capping Chelsea's comeback from behind two goals.

Chelsea's star player, Conor Gallagher, scored a vital goal and was instrumental in the team's comeback. Along with his goal, Marc Cucurella contributed an assist and participated in Chelsea's offensive play. Noni Madueke also had a big influence.

Axel Disasi's header gave Chelsea hope for a thrilling comeback victory, but a VAR review rejected the goal because Benoit Badiashile had fouled in the build-up. In addition to causing criticism, the choice kept Chelsea from winning all three points.

The entertaining match that ended in a 2-2 tie between Aston Villa and Chelsea demonstrated the competitive spirit of the Premier League. The audience witnessed an exciting show as both teams proved to be resilient and determined. Aston Villa lost the opportunity to widen their advantage in the race for the top four, but Chelsea's victory made sure they were still in the running to qualify for Europe.

Madueke scored a goal and broke the deadlock for Chelsea which kept their hopes alive as well for a comeback | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Gallagher's goal for Chelsea levelled the score to 2-2 | Picture Credits: Premier League Website