Post-mortem: Aston Villa at Chelsea

There is nothing I can write that hasn't already been written. There is nothing I can write that will make this any better. Instead, we look at what others have written and I will try to sum it up.

It really was the most humiliating day supporting Aston Villa that I can remember and that includes relegation. If I am wrong, someone please remind me, I'd love to wipe this memory, but that is just my opinion, it might not be yours.

What the Papers Say

Duncan White, telegraph.co.uk
Around the hour mark, Chelsea stepped up the tempo and, in the words of Martin O’Neill, Villa “completely capitulated”. Deco feinted inside James Milner and then slid the ball down the left channel for Zhirkov and the Chelsea left-back pulled the ball back for Malouda to convert.
Mark Fleming, The Independent
The first hour of the game was close, but Chelsea dominated the final third. The elegant Deco took control in midfield, Yuri Zhirkov started to resemble an £18m player, Malouda tore at Villa's defence with an insatiable appetite and Lampard's persistence was rewarded with four goals – two penalties and two close-range finishes – that took him past Peter Osgood and Roy Bentley into third place in the club's goalscoring records.

The Manager

Martin O'Neill
We were well beaten today and I wouldn't have seen it coming at half-time despite the concession of a late penalty. I thought we were well and truly in the game.

The Players and Some Stats

Big Brad, Luke Young, The Ginger One, Ricardo Dunne, Stephen Warnock, Gabby Agbonlahor (Beye, 71), Stiliyan Petrov (Downing, 62), Milly, Steve Sidwell, Webcam, John Carew (Delfouneso, 62). Subs not used: Guzan, Davies, Salifou, King Carlos.

I'm not looking at shooting stats or passing stats, just the one stat I looked at on Saturday at half time. At half time, Chelsea had 67.7% of the ball and we had 32.3%. We know it didn't get better in the second and that stat is direct form optajoe.

Man of the Match

This goes to The Fonz with 31.1% of the vote. I don't think it deserves to go to anyone else and I think it is an indication that some might want to see him play a little bit more and not just get thrown in at the deep end. Although, I don't really know why he got - that is just my view.

Final Analysis

I'm not sure what to write. The poll we have started today is just up to see what views are. We might have a post coming from Chris later, giving the other side of the argument on why we O'Neill should be fully backed, but the scoreline really does say it all.

Much like the games against Sunderland, Wigan and Stoke, it started well but much like those games, we ran out of steam and you don't have to be a doctor to know why. I don't fully understand why players can get so tired from playing ninety minutes of football, but I accept that they must, because we are told so often and if they do, surely ten minutes here and there must be important and they don't get many ten minutes here and there, let alone twenty or thirty or ninety.

It was a shocking day and one we won't be able to forget in a hurry although I am going to do my best to. I don't often hope to be wrong, but I really would like to be proven wrong this time and I'd love O'Neill to stuff it right down my mouth by winning the remaining seven games but right now, the only thing I am holding on to with any hope is we get lucky against Chelsea in the semi-final, although as long as we don't lose by such a margin, I suppose it will be seen as progress by some.