Aston Villa vs. Chelsea: Score, Grades and Post-Match Reaction

Frank Lampard scored twice in the second half to lead Chelsea to a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa Saturday and became the club's all-time goalscorer. The win clinched a Champions League berth for the Blues.

Villa struck first courtesy of Christian Benteke. The breakout star broke free from a lax Chelsea defense, beat Gary Cahill to the outside and easily slotted it past Petr Cech. Credit to Benteke for a strong run, but the Blues needed to do better to stop the rush.

After the goal, Chelsea began to take control of the match, but struggled to find a finishing touch. The best chance came as Demba Ba broke free behind the Villa back line. He could only manage to strike it right into an onrushing Brad Guzan, though.

The Blues then suffered a setback right before halftime as Ramires, who was already playing with a yellow card, got his boot up twice. He was quickly shown red by referee Lee Mason, who opted for only a yellow to Benteke for an elbow earlier in the half.

Dan Levene of the Fulham Chronicle thought it was a harsh judgment given the overall physicality of the opening half.

Benteke didn't escape red for long, however. He received his second yellow card less than 15 minutes into the second half on a play similar to Ramires' second booking. He caught John Terry with a high boot to leave each side with 10 men.

It took just three minutes for Chelsea to capitalize. Lampard took a pass from Eden Hazard before cutting across the box and unleashing strike with his left foot that beat Guzan. Paul Carr of ESPN pointed out the significance of the tally.

Controversy followed as Demba Ba appeared to score the go-ahead goal in the 72nd minute. His close-range touch was quickly cleared off the line by Ashley Westwood, but replays showed the ball appeared to sneak across the line first.

Luckily for Chelsea, it ended up being a moot point. Lampard scored his second goal of the match on a tremendous tic-tac-toe play to give the Blues their first lead in the 88th minute. He also claimed the top spot on Chelsea's scoring list with his 203rd goal.

Villa were unable to secure an equalizer in stoppage time.

Grades

Christian Benteke (Aston Villa): B+

Benteke was a force throughout the match. It seemed like every time he touched the ball, it developed into a chance for Villa. The Chelsea back line struggled mightily to contain his combination of pace and strength. He must play smarter with a yellow card, however, especially with one red already shown.

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa): B-

The Villa goalkeeper did well to keep Chelsea off the scoresheet in the first half. He appeared to react slowly to the first Chelsea goal, which beat him cleanly. There was nothing he could do to stop the game-winning tally, however. A solid, but not spectacular, outing.

Eden Hazard (Chelsea): A

Another terrific showing from the 22-year-old sensation. He was a constant threat in the attacking third for the Blues. More importantly, Hazard helped set up both of the club's goals with precision passes to Lampard. These type of matches are becoming routine for him. Chelsea fans will hope his late injury proves to be nothing.

Gary Cahill (Chelsea): C+

Cahill was beat too easily by Benteke the opening goal. He did improve from that point forward and was probably relieved when Villa's top scorer was sent off. It made his task much easier over the final half-hour. He deserves credit for bouncing back after the early lapse.

Aston Villa

Player	Position	Grade
Brad Guzan	GK	B-
Joe Bennett	LB	C
Nathan Baker	CB	C
Ron Vlaar	CB	C+
Eric Lichaj	RB	C+
Yacouba Sylla	MF	B-
Ashley Westwood	MF	B+
Fabian Delph	MF	B-
Gabriel Agbonlahor	FW	C-
Christian Benteke (Off 58')	FW	B+
Andreas Weimann	FW	C

Chelsea

Player	Position	Grade
Petr Cech	GK	C+
Ashley Cole	LB	C-
John Terry (Off 75')	CB	B
Gary Cahill	CB	C+
Cesar Azpilicueta	RB	B-
Ramires (Off 45')	DM	D-
Frank Lampard	DM	A
Victor Moses (Off 45')	AM	C-
Juan Mata	AM	B
Eden Hazard	AM	A
Demba Ba (Off 88')	ST	C

Substitutes

Player	Position	Grade
David Luiz (On 45')	MF	B-
Branislav Ivanovic (On 75')	DF	C+
Fernando Torres (On 88')	ST	C+

What's Next?

Aston Villa finish their Premier League campaign on the road against Wigan Athletic. They will look to avenge a 3-0 defeat from back in December while also ending the season on a high note.

Chelsea return to the pitch Wednesday to take on Benfica in the Europa League final at Amsterdam Arena. The Blues then finish their league season against Everton next weekend.