Thank you and see you soon!
That's it for VAVEL UK's coverage of this Premier League match between Aston Villa and Chelsea - we hope you enjoyed it.
Stay tuned on the site for more live coverage and further analysis and reaction to all top-flight matches for the remainder of the season.
FULL TIME
Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea. It is a winning return for Chelsea as Villa slide further in to trouble. The Blues close down Leicester City and move five points clear of Manchester United and Wolves in fifth and sixth. The substitutions won it for Chelsea and Villa just couldn't muster any firepower aside from their set pieces.
90+5 Trezeguet's free kick is caught by Kepa.
90+5 'Newcastle away' think the Chelsea fans...
Yellow card
90+4 James loses it again and Villa break. Kante fouls the marauding Grealish. Villa have a free kick and its in a dangerous position.
90+3 Reece James has had the ball four times and lost it each time, not the shoring it up Lampard wanted.
90+2 Chelsea still can't get out. Villa are desperate for an equaliser.
Added time
There will be five additional minutes.
SUBSTITUTION - CHELSEA
Willian is off and right back Reece James comes back on.
90' Chelsea's problem all season has been an inability to kill the game off...
89' Now it is Chelsea that can't get out. A Villa corner comes to nothing.
SUBSTITUTION - ASTON VILLA
John McGinn is off for Jota. The Spanish forward oh-so-nearly steers the ball home with his first chance, but it is beyond Kepa and wide. Villa aren't done yet.
86' It's Villa who need the goal but it is all Chelsea right now. Gaps are beginning to open up. Marcos Alonso drills in a low shot from the left, but it's blocked.
85' Smarter corner from the Brazilian finding Pulisic on the edge of the area. His shot deflects over for... guess what?
84' Willian finds space 25 yards out as his rocketed strike is tipped over for another corner.
82' Villa's free kick in Chelsea's half is a poor one. Chelsea break and force a corner. Abraham has a free header but the ball glances off his head and sails wide.
SUBSTITUTION - CHELSEA
Goal scorer Giroud changes with former Villa loanee Tammy Abraham.
78' Chelsea don't look entirely comfortable even against this Villa side that has struggled for goals. Rudiger takes charge of a dangerous Trezeguet cross.
77' Great turn from Barkley in the box and his cross forces another corner. It comes to nothing, though.
76' Mix-up in the box as Chelsea look for a third. Giroud lays it back to Mount but it falls in to the path of a lurking defender.
74' Villa can't break through to Chelsea's box and the game has turned scrappy again.
70' Drinks break over. We are in for a thrilling finish here at Villa Park.
70' Drinks break over. We are in for a thrilling finish here at Villa Park.
68' Close. Villa's set pieces have been of real quality. Hause narrowly heads over again.
67' Villa will have to open up now and are coming forward. Jack Grealish goes down just outside the box after a Willian challenge. This free kick looks dangerous.
65' You have to give credit to Frank Lampard, the two subs have made an immediate impact. Chelsea are much more direct now.
GOAL - Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea - Giroud
63' WOW! Awful for Villa, but the direct play from Chelsea causes immediate problems. The ball is pulled backed to Giroud and his deflected shot nestles in the back of the Villa net. An extraordinary turnaround.
GOAL - Aston Villa 1-1 Chelsea - Pulisic
60' Glorious cross from Azpilicueta this time finds Captain America. Pulisic slams the ball home from two yards out.
59' Azpilicueta almost finds Giroud at the near post.
SUBSTITUTION - VILLA
Keinan Davis makes way for Mbwana Samatta.
SUBSTITUTIONS - CHELSEA
Ross Barkley and Christian Pulisic are on for Loftus-Cheek and Kovacic.
54' Christian Pulisic is getting ready, as is Ross Barkley. Olivier Giroud heads over.
53' Finally a cross finds a Chelsea head, but Azpilicueta heads wide.
52' Resolute defending from Villa. Chelsea are up against it now. A change from Frank Lampard may be needed.
51' Not a single Chelsea cross has gone to a man in black.
50' Heart in mouth moment for Rudiger who misses his kick and Villa break, but Chelsea win the ball back. Lucky,
49' Awful corner from Willian, not even the first man.
46' Corner to Chelsea. It comes to nothing.
Second Half
We are back underway.
For all the talk of Werner, Ziyech and maybe Havertz, Chelsea have shown their defensive problems to be a priority fix once again.
Second half coming up next.
Half Time
A lot for Chelsea to do now. They haven't found many openings and when they have they've been wasteful.
Loftus-Cheek has been off the pace, but can't take all of the blame for Chelsea's sloppiness.
Villa have defended well and caused problems the few times they have gone forward.
45+3 Corner to Chelsea. Kovacic fires just wide from the edge of the box.
GOAL - Aston Villa 1-0 Chelsea - Kortney Hause
42' Inevitable. Kortney Hause reacts fastest to a Kepa save from the free kick. He turns it in smartly. Chelsea have a job to do.
42' It's been all Chelsea as we enter the final moments of the half. Villa have a free kick in Chelsea's half.
41' Willian now shoots wide.
40' You could accuse Chelsea of being wasteful by this point. A break sees Kovacic play in Alonso down the left, but the Spaniard checks back on to his unfavoured right and his cross is poor.
39' Inches away! Mason Mount slips through the Villa defence and puts a lovely ball across the goal. Loftus-Cheek is so close to a return goal.
38' Giroud is in the wars today. Chelsea have a free kick 45 yards out. Will be an interesting battle up top.
37' Azpilicueta is nearly in after a one-two with Mount but his heavy touch sees it come to nothing.
34' Cross after cross. Nyland redeems himself, coming off his line to collect Willian's cross from the right.
End-to-end as McGinn flashes a header wide!
32' It is so nearly another Nyland howler. A tame Kovacic effort is dealt with poorly and the split ball nearly rolls in. Up the other end and El Ghazi has Villa's best chance so far drawing a smart save from Kepa from the edge of the box
31' It's quicker from Chelsea and they are finally beginning to cause problems. Mount's cross is beaten away by Nyland.
31' That's better from Chelsea. Willian flashes a ball across and Giroud is inches away.
30' Chelsea's crossing has been awful so far. Another ball into the box from captain Azpilicueta is easily cleared by Mings.
28' At least it's a nice day in Birmingham.
25' Drinks break. Both teams creating next to nothing must've been exhausting.
24' Deeper and deeper Villa retreat as Chelsea look for an opening.
21' What a strike. Mason Mount from 30 yards draws a top save from Nyland away to his left. The parried ball is then cleared.
20' This feels like a Paul Morphy chess match (see earlier useless update) as both teams try to suss each other out, still nothing to note.
18' This game feels like a Sunday afternoon village cricket game, not a Premier League fixture. Meanwhile, Rudiger is walking gingerly.
Goal
16' Chelsea break from the corner, but the slowest man on the pitch, Olivier Giroud, receives the ball and the attack comes to nothing.
15' Corner to Aston Villa.
14' Both teams are lacking a cutting edge, a good few passes inevitably ends with Kovacic ballooning the ball out of play.
13' Some possession for Villa, but a foul on Kovacic sees the ball turned over again.
10' Bit of rustiness from Chelsea at the moment, not a lot of time given to them by a compact Aston Villa.
9' No real chances for either team just yet.
7' Jack Grealish, the most fouled player ever in a Premier League season has drawn his second of the afternoon already. The resulting free kick is dealt with comfortably by Kepa.
5' Wahey! The groundsman is in trouble, the sprinklers turn on just at Loftus-Cheeks heads wide.
4' It looks like it is Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the front three with Mount deeper in midfield.
3' Mount nearly works it in to Giroud, but the ball is cleared. Chelsea asserting dominance in possession early on.
3'
Scrappy opening so far.
Kick-Off
1' Villa get us underway!
Paul Tierney is the man in the middle today.
The players take a knee and pause a moment too to remember those lost to coronavirus.
Here come the teams...
Chelsea are indeed in black, Villa of course in their traditional claret and blue.
Watchful eyes
10 minutes to go...
Can Villa do it?
So much is up in the air in these unusual circumstances. Will Villa's tie with Sheffield United help or hinder them? Are Chelsea fit and prepared?
Chelsea's leaky back line can always make for a tight game.
Grand master Lampard
Paul Morphy aside, the tactical chess on the pitch will be fascinating to see. Where will Mason Mount and the returning Ruben Loftus-Cheek fit into the team. Both have been known to play in midfield and both are known to fit on the left wing.
On this day
I, for one, am captivated by the prospect by Aston Villa and Chelsea playing a competitive game of football on the same day as when Louisiana chess prodigy Paul Morphy arrived in Europe for the first time in 1858.
It is also 50 years since the 1970 World Cup final. It would be nice if we could see a Carlos Alberto-like strike today.
Half an hour to go
Don't forget coverage of the match will be on Sky Sports, but not free to air.
Feel free to let me take you through it instead.
Pre-match meeting. ✅#AVLCHE #AVFC pic.twitter.com/Kt8ufujJzD — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) June 21, 2020
Giroud over Abraham
When the temporary curtain came down on the Premier League season in March, Frank Lampard was choosing Olivier Giroud to lead the line much more regularly than youngster Tammy Abraham.
With Villa more likely to sit in, the pace of Abraham in behind will not so easily stretch the home side. Giroud is arguably more of a threat in the air than Abraham, so that might be Lampard's thinking.
Bench threat
Both sides have some useful attacking options on the bench.
The home side can call upon the likes of Trezeguet, while Chelsea have the likes of Christian Pulisic, Ross Barkley and Tammy Abraham to name only three.
Smokey Jack
I don't know what 'this smoke' means but I do know Chelsea will need to keep the vibrant Villa duo of Jack Grealish and John McGinn quiet. Failure to do so will ensure the Blues' leaky defence is opened up.
Chelsea have conceded 39 in the league already this season.
Chelsea aren’t ready for this smoke 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Z2zHz3WfmY
— Taz 🔴 (@Tarum_7) June 21, 2020
Loftus-Cheek starts
It's a great day for Ruben Loftus-Cheek as Frank Lampard hands him his first start after 13 months out with a horror injury.
Chelsea starting XI
And starting for the Blues...
Here's our team for #AVLCHE! 💪 pic.twitter.com/I6sHEmwI8u
— Chelsea FC (at 🏡) (@ChelseaFC) June 21, 2020
Villa starting XI
Villa are unchanged. Starting:
Nyland; Konsa, Hause, Mings, targett, McGinn, D. Luiz, Hourihane, El Ghazi, Davis, Grealish
Bench:
Reina; Elmohamady, Taylor, Nakamba, Jota, Trezeguet, Vassilev, Borja, Samata
🚨 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) June 21, 2020
Presented by @eToro, this is how Aston Villa line up to face Chelsea! 👊#AVLCHE #AVFC pic.twitter.com/GHMFG4zAL6
Chelsea have arrived
The boys are here! ✊#AVLCHE pic.twitter.com/ujcwfiwWT9 — Chelsea FC (at 🏡) (@ChelseaFC) June 21, 2020
Lovely Villa Park
One of England's more stunning football arenas is looking typically lovely today.
The gorgeous Villa Park awaits team news up next...
Villa Park is looking 😍
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) June 21, 2020
Team news up next! 👀#AVLCHE #AVFC pic.twitter.com/IyGbij7zpm
Ranieri heaven
Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri was a big believer in trying to effect the psychological part of the game. He introduced a comfortable away dressing room at Stamford Bridge in a bid to make Chelsea's opposition just a little too relaxed.
Due to social distancing, Chelsea will change in the press conference room, uncomfortable to say the least.
A peek inside the Blues dressing room at Villa Park this afternoon! 👀#AVLCHE pic.twitter.com/WTTkbmI7D5
— Chelsea FC (at 🏡) (@ChelseaFC) June 21, 2020
Back in black
It looks like Chelsea will be wearing black today, a good omen against Villa recently. Chelsea donned a black kit in their last trip to Villa Park, a 4-0 league win in which Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored his first ever league goal for Chelsea.
The time before that was a 2-1 win in 2015 with goals from Branislav Ivanovic?
The time before that?
Ask Frank Lampard, the gaffer's double saw him top Chelsea's all-time goal scoring list, overtaking thr prolific Bobby Tambling.
The last time Chelsea wore blue at Villa park resulted in a 1-0 Villa win, with the away side reduced to nine men after Willian and Ramires were sent for early showers. Manager Jose Mourinho was also sent to the stands. It was a match that ultimately played a huge part in the West London side relinquishing their grip on the top spot of the table.
Who do you want to see in the Chelsea starting 11 today? 🤔#AVLCHE pic.twitter.com/nPdyhxPB6T
— Chelsea FC (at 🏡) (@ChelseaFC) June 21, 2020
From the archives
Villa went to Stamford Bridge on the last day of 2011 to all but end Chelsea's attempt at the title.
A 3-1 win stunned the Blues with goals from Darren Bent, Stiliyan Petrov and Stephen Ireland.
From the archives
The year Chelsea won the double.
2010 saw Carlo Ancelotti's Blues come out on top of the league and saunter to the FA Cup. Chelsea faced Villa in the semi-final, a comfortable 3-0 win.
December
Pass the time with a look back at Chelsea's December win over Villa.
Head to head history
The first meeting between the two was in 1907 at Villa Park and resulted in a 0-0 draw in the old first division.
The last time the pair locked horns was in December at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount secured Chelsea a 2-1 win.
Villa are looking for their first win over Chelsea since 2014.
You can learn a bit more about the history of when two of England's biggest clubs have met by reading a piece by yours truly here.
Head to head
Total matches: 154
Villa wins: 57
Draws: 34
Chelsea wins: 63
Predicted lineup - Aston Villa
Nyland; El Mohamady, Hause, Mings, Targett, Nakamba, Hourihane, McGinn, El Ghazi, Trezeguet, Grealish.
Predicted lineup - Chelsea
VAVEL's James Evans has Chelsea's lineup prediction for you.
Prediction: Kepa; James, Zouma, Rudiger, Azpilicueta, Gilmour, Kovacic, Barkley, Mount, Pulisic, Abraham.
Who do you think will start?
You can view James' full piece here.
Where to watch
The match is not free to air and will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event.
Of course, you can always follow it here...
From friends to rivals
John Terry and Frank Lampard formed the core of Chelsea's greatest ever teams, now they face each other on opposite touchlines.
The two have been swapping text messages ahead of today's clash.
Lampard told Sky Sports: "It is always good to see him, we've had a couple of messages not related to the game. We are always in touch with each other. [It's] always good to go up against JT."
Giroud or Abraham?
There's still some debate over who should fill the hole in that front three for the Blues.
Does Tammy Abraham wrestle his starting role back from world cup winner Olivier Giroud.
VAVEL's Shyam Sunder tries to answer this question here.
What's at stake for Chelsea?
It's a big game for both teams.
Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield United all dropped points in their respective fixtures. Wolves' 2-0 win over West Ham meant they were the only top four contender to take all three points.
A Chelsea win would take them five points clear of Manchester United in fifth place, ahead of a tricky match against Manchester City on Thursday.
What's at stake for Villa?
Aston Villa, lucky to have drawn on Wednesday night, are desperate for a win from their game in hand to help them in their relegation struggle.
With Brighton winning against Arsenal yesterday, Villa are looking to Watford, West Ham, Norwich and Bournemouth as their relegation rivals.
A win would take Villa out of the relegation zone, but a draw or loss leaves them in there with only eight games to go.
Chelsea team news
Jorginho is suspended, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is not yet fit enough to face the rigour of the Premier League.
Fikayo Tomori is carrying a knock and is unlikely to play.
Elsewhere, it could be a big day for midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, back after rupturing his achilles 13 months ago.
Villa team news
Right-back Frederic Guilbert is unlikely to return in time for today's game.
Bjorn Engels is out, as are goalkeeper Tom Heaton and striker Wesley.
Danny Drinkwater is ineligible to play against his parent club.
Last time out
Villa helped re-open Premier League proceedings at home in a controversial 0-0 draw against Sheffield United on Wednesday night.
For Chelsea, it's their first game since the 4-0 thumping of Everton back in March.
Fancy a preview?
Live updates and team news will be here as it happens, but in the meantime you can have a look at the preview by VAVEL's Andrew Maddox.
Just click here.
Kick-off time
The Villans welcome the Blues to their home for a 16:15pm BST start. For those of you across the pond, that is 11:15am ET.
Follow along on VAVEL
Welcome to VAVEL.com’s LIVE coverage of this 2019/20 Premier League match between Aston Villa and Chelsea!
My name is Benjamin Lynch and I’ll be your host for this game. We will provide you with pre-game analysis, roster updates, and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.