Visitors Chelsea fought back from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa, in a mouthwatering English Premier League match on Saturday, April 27 night.

It could have been even better for Mauricio Pochettino’s men had a stoppage-time header from Axel Disasi not been ruled out by VAR.

The Blues went into the half-time break having conceded twice in a game they were dominating all the proceedings. 

Spanish left back Marc Cucurella was unfortunate to divert a John McGinn shot into his own net inside just four minutes. Morgan Rogers extended Villa’s lead to two goals with a well-placed effort from the edge of the box.

But Chelsea reacted incredibly in the second half, with Noni Madueke starting the comeback at the 62nd minute. Conor Gallagher would then strike a stunning goal to level the game with ten minutes to play.

It was all Chelsea in the final stages and the Blues appeared to have claimed all three points when Disasi headed home. Unfortunately for them, after an on-field review recommended by VAR, the goal was ruled out for a foul by Benoit Badiashile in the build-up.

“For me, the most important thing after Arsenal is that the team showed great character and personality. And we showed that with the way we fight in the second half, even if we didn’t deserve to go 2-0 down in the first half,” said Pochettino after the match. “I think the way we change the energy and dominate a good team like Aston Villa, I think that shows everyone that we are able to compete. If you analyse the 99 minutes, I think we were the better side.”

The manager added: “I think the referee didn’t see all the action and what he saw wasn’t far from him, but then the VAR change the decision. I think the referee saw the action [live] and didn’t see a foul. Then he checks on the VAR, but I think it was a challenge that happens a lot in football.”