Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 1: Rattled Mourinho and Lambert square up on touchline as Ivanovic header wins it for Blues (but should Serb have seen red?)

Jose Mourinho’s truce with the Barclays Premier League lasted just one game. This didn’t quite reach the depths of his poke in Tito Vilanova’s eye when in charge of Real Madrid but it was close enough for discomfort.
First the Chelsea boss was shaken by Christian Benteke’s equaliser and he then steamed into Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert.
Mourinho knows Chelsea got lucky. They won this re-arranged fixture when Branislav Ivanovic, who could easily have been sent off for elbowing Benteke, powered the winner beyond Brad Guzan.

Three points: Chelsea celebrate after taking a 2-1 lead against Aston Villa through Branislav Ivanovic

Power: Ivanovic scores the winner with a thumping header

Anger: A furious Jose Mourinho screams at Paul Lambert on the touchline

Not happy: The argument stemmed from a challenge made by Ivanovic on Christian Benteke

Heated: The fourth official had to step in to prevent a confrontation

Not backing down: Lambert gave as good as he got in the argument

Match facts

Chelsea: Cech 7, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 8, Cole 6, Ramires 6, Lampard 6, Oscar 6 (Van Ginkel 84min), Mata 6 (Schurrle 65), Hazard 7, Ba 4 (Lukaku 65).
Subs: Mikel, De Bruyne, Schwarzer, Azpilicueta.
Booked: Ivanovic
Goal: Luna (og) 7, Ivanovic 73.
Aston Villa: Guzan 6, Lowton 6, Vlaar 7, Clark 6 (Okore 43), Luna 7, El Ahmadi 7 (Tonev 82), Westwood 7, Delph 7, Weimann 6, Benteke 7, Agbonlahor 7.
Subs: Bennt, Bacuna, Helenius, Steer, Sylla.
Booked: El Ahmadi, Westwood, Benteke
Goal: Benteke 45
Attendance: 41,527
Referee: Kevin Friend
Ratings by Neil Moxley at Stamford Bridge

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By then Stamford Bridge had been treated to Mourinho’s full repertoire: flailing arms, three touchline rows with a purple-faced Lambert and countless run-ins with fourth official Stuart Attwell.
‘Paul has a certain personality on the touchline and a certain way of behaving with comments,’ claimed Mourinho. ‘He reminds me of me ten years ago, but with experience he will change.’
It was vintage Mourinho, spiky and unabridged. He doesn’t care who he upsets, so long as his team are winning. Even Rui Faria, Mourinho’s faithful assistant, jumped off the bench to confront Lambert during another ugly touchline exchange.
Villa should have had two penalties, decisions scandalously overlooked by referee Kevin Friend who failed to spot the nudge on Andreas Weimann, or John Terry’s handball in the closing minutes.
‘We’ve been done by two big decisions,’ claimed Lambert. ‘Ivanovic should have been sent off.’
Mourinho responded, labelling Villa a physical, long-ball team who constantly boot balls up to Benteke. It was unfair and inaccurate.
Lambert and Villa deserve sympathy, heading back to Birmingham without a point when they might have won all three.
When two teams play like this, with exuberance and energy, taking on lung-busting runs and responding to the demands of their passionate fans, you don’t want the game to end.
At times Stamford Bridge was caught in a trance, mesmerised by Eden Hazard’s ability to pick out Juan Mata with a fading 40-yard crossfield pass.

Taking a hit: Ivanovic's elbow seemed to catch Christian Benteke but the defender was only booked

How are you: Benteke was holding his face as Ivanovic stood over him

Ahead: Chelsea had gone ahead when Eden Hazard's shot was turned into his own goal by Antonio Luna

Luna's own-goal which helped Chelsea get the three points - now click here to see all the fantastic stats zone from Stamford Bridge

Chelsea went ahead through the sweetest of moves involving Frank Lampard, Oscar and Hazard, who was denied the credit for the goal when Antonio Luna deflected the ball beyond Guzan.
There was the effort of Gabby Agbonlahor down the left for Villa, providing the outlet that earned his team two penalties at Arsenal on Saturday. He provided the killer pass, an angled cut-back into the path of Benteke to score Villa’s equaliser at the end of the first half. This is the Agbonlahor of 2006, the man who nearly earned a move to Chelsea under Mourinho first time around. He was awesome.
Under Lambert he has remodelled his game, a real team player as Villa respond to their manager’s intensity and enthusiasm on the touchline.
The equaliser provoked some intense celebrations from Lambert and his coaching staff. Mourinho was in the technical area, the knot on his tie slipping further down his shirt as the game wore on.

A great leveller: Benteke celebrates scoring the equaliser for Aston Villa in first-half stoppage time

Get in! Villa boss Lambert jumps into the air after Benteke's goal

He has put himself under this pressure, demanding the killer touch from his team ahead of Monday’s game against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
There will be rotation, as Fernando Torres discovered when he didn’t even make the bench after starting Sunday’s opener against Hull.
Demba Ba got his chance, but Chelsea are a striker light. The Senegal forward is good, just not good enough for a club with Premier League and Champions League aspirations.
In another era it would be easy to conclude that Ba was picked as a message to Abramovich, a reminder that they need another forward before the transfer window closes. They will be back for Wayne Rooney, with one last attempt after Monday’s clash at Old Trafford.

Battle: Demba Ba gets up with Jores Okore as they challenge for a ball

Fist pump: Eden Hazard was the architect of Chelsea's first goal

Ba was eventually replaced by Romelu Lukaku and it wasn’t a moment too soon for Chelsea’s increasingly restless fans. By then Agbonlahor could have put Villa in front with a swirling effort on the hour and a Weimann volley went wide of Cech’s post.
‘Come on Chelsea’ the home fans shouted as Ron Vlaar and Jores Okore - who came on after Ciaran Clark went off with a head injury - stopped almost everything. They were unlucky to be beaten in the air by Ivanovic, scoring with a header to prompt another icy glare towards Lambert from Mourinho.
Two games into his return to Chelsea, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Clark spark out: The Villa defender is caught by Demba Ba and had to be substituted

Blooded: Ciaran Clark had to come off in the first-half with a head injury

Stretch: Ramires and Fabian Delph fight for possession in the middle of the park