This game turned on a refereeing decision that was made on the 58th minute. It was then that referee Mason took the opportunity he had been longing for to even up the playing numbers having earlier reduced Chelsea to ten men, although given the difference the player we lost makes to us the advantage was with them after both sending offs. Should the unthinkable happen on Tuesday night that decision would leave us going into a last day survival fight without our talisman and leading goal scorer.

It was a harsh decision to give Benteke a second yellow. Some would argue he should have had a straight red for an unnecessary elbow on Azpilicueta but he did not so that should have had no bearing on the matter although I think that it may have contributed to the decision made on the second yellow. Others would point to Terry avoiding a second yellow card when his hand made contact with Weimann’s face which would have brought Chelsea down to nine men after his earlier cynical challenge on Sylla when our player had beat him for pace but Mason was prepared to gamble on Cole’s pace being enough to prevent Sylla from having a clear scoring opportunity which allowed him to keep him on the field up until then.

But, if another player was to be sent off it seemed inevitable it would be one wearing a claret & blue shirt. Mason had set his own precedent when giving Ramires a second yellow on 45 minutes following his successive wild raised foot challenges with studs showing on Sylla and then Gabby, so when Benteke did something similar he may have felt he had consistency on his side. But Benteke had not looked for Terry and was looking to control the ball rather than to win it as was Nani when he got a red in similar circumstances. A warning would for me have been enough for both but their controversial returning captain having witnessed Ramires going off in similar circumstances at close hand went down like he had been shot determined to see us go to ten men as had they. Referee Mason obliged him and they equalized shortly afterwards with our team still in a state of shock.

So Mason’s decision had a crucial impact on whether we might claim the 3 points to secure our safety or the point which may have secured our safety beyond any reasonable doubt which we had looked likely to do as a minimum before his intervention. It also denied Benteke the chance to become the first Villa player to score 20 league goals since Peter Withe did in our championship year and it could yet have a considerable and for us a devastating impact on our relegation battle. It also serves as an example of how far it seems officials are prepared to go to eliminate physical contact from our game to the extent that Chelsea’s Chopper Harris had he been playing today would have been odds against to finish any game during the entire season he was actually free from suspension to play in!

We started the game very brightly and threatened a rare win against one of the usual Champions League contenders when we went a goal up. Up until the referee stole the show I think we had shaded the game but they took heart from the absence of Benteke who plays like a young Drogba for us and we lost the man advantage along with the width that Gabby had been providing us with up until then. It was a game that we were unlucky to get nothing from. After it we have gained just 2 points from top 6 teams this season and Frank Lampard has once again proved to be a thorn in our side. He just loves scoring against us doesn’t he? In much the same way as did Bobby Tambling the player whose scoring record he broke yesterday and who scored 5 at Villa Park against us in 1966). But yesterday did not belong to referee Mason, or even to Frank Lampard it was a day that belonged to Stan and that gave thousands of us an opportunity to give him a warm farewell, to thank him for his services in our shirt, to wish him the very best of luck and victory in his tough battle.

My player ratings from a game that has left us still looking over our shoulder at games today and on Tuesday although with confidence that it will not be us that ultimately join QPR and Reading in the league below are:

Brad Guzan – 8 – Mata put Ba clear in the box on 23 minutes and Brad did so well to close him down and block his effort. He then got a late hand to a Lampard free kick from the edge of the box that skidded on the damp surface to push it onto the post and then was alert to the danger putting the loose ball to safety before it could be hit home by an incoming opponent. On 82 minutes he kept out a Luiz free kick that was lifted over the wall and that moved in the air.

Eric Lichaj – 6 – Proved an able replacement for the injured Lowton. Had a cross on 66 minutes that was deflected onto the top of the netting by Cole.

Ron Vlaar – 7 – Another solid performance.

Nathan Baker – 7 – Took an early yellow card on 4 minutes when he won the ball from Mata but the referee was unhappy with his challenge but he did not let the prospect of getting a second yellow get in the way of another good performance. Although at times his defending can seem a little “last ditch” he does have the happy knack of winning balls on a regular basis.

Joe Bennett - 7 – He is getting better with each home game and this was another good outing for him. Had a 55th minute shot deflected just wide off Azpilicueta.

Yacouba Sylla – 8 – Made a very solid hard working contribution in our midfield before understandably fading a little in the last 20 minutes. Some nice touches of skill to boot.

Fabian Delph – 9 – MOTM – A superb performance. Picked the ball up just inside their half on 17 minutes and ran on until hitting a shot that curled just past the post from the edge of the box. He is not scoring the goals he did at Leeds but he is now playing consistently like the player we thought we had signed from them before injuries interrupted his development and progress. Fabian ran the show for us yesterday.

Ashley Westwood – 8 – Another very sound performance. Ashley forced a save from Cech on 87 minutes after Delph had found him on the edge of the box and the keeper parried away his well targeted low shot. Did well to clear the ball off the line (if he actually quite did) on 72 minutes under pressure from Ba after Sylla had halted Cahill’s effort on the line himself which then spun back towards, onto and at least partially over the goal line.

Gabriel Agbonlahor- 7 – Worked hard and used his pace well such as on 47 minutes when his strong run from just inside his own half was only brought to an end by Cahill at the expense of a corner.

Andreas Weimann – 6 – Another hard working display and his running posed a threat to Chelsea’s defence.

Christian Benteke – 7 – Gave us the lead on 14 minutes with a shot that found the gap between the post and Cech’s outstretched leg. He knocked the ball down to Sylla who then played the ball back to him, he then took the ball past Cahill and hit his 19th league goal of the season and our 45th. He will learn to be wary of referees who may look for the opportunity to penalise his old fashioned style of strong centre forward play and I hope it will be in our shirt next season to show we are not a selling club after all.

Stay up the Villa!

Stay strong captain, have a long and happy retirement and thanks for leading us by example both on and off the field!

John Lewis

Source: Player Match Ratings - A game and season changing decision?