Lack of focus costs Chelsea

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti lamented his side’s loss of focus in the dying stages of their 3-3 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday.

With the score locked at 1-1 after Frank Lampard and Ashley Young scored first-half penalties, an utterly brilliant second half followed with Emile Heskey’s 47th header looking like it had won all three points for the visitors at Stamford Bridge.

But Chelsea, who lacked cohesion for most of the afternoon, finally clicked into gear in the last 10 minutes and goals from Didier Drogba and John Terry handed last year’s Premier League champions an unlikely lead.

Terry’s goal after 89 minutes sparked wild celebrations that saw the players mob manager Ancelotti, but Villa defender Ciaran Clark headed home an equaliser in stoppage time to ruin Chelsea’s comeback.

“I think everyone thought the game was finished there but we needed to play again for five minutes and we needed to stay more in focus in those minutes,” Ancelotti told Sky Sports News.

“We managed to score in the last minute of the game but we needed to be focused until the end because we conceded a goal.”

“We could have avoided the last minute with more focus, we could have won this game.”

“It was a difficult game because Aston Villa for a start (applied) strong pressure and it was a battle.”

Chelsea are now outside the top four, six points behind league-leaders Manchester United, but Ancelotti remained confident in his side’s title hopes.

“We are improving our football and coming back to more confidence in places,” Ancelotti said.

“The gap now is an important gap, but I think working hard we can come back and fight for the title.”

Ancelotti’s opposite number, Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier, was pleased with the fight his side showed against the reigning champions.

“The fact that we managed to get the equaliser meant that we were not letting our heads go down, we were not showing the impression that some teams can have,” Houllier said.

“I would call this draw, half a victory. When you draw it is half a defeat or half victory.”

“Here at Stamford Bridge, against the champions, which they still are, it was half a victory.”

“I think the equaliser, to me, epitomises the start of the season for us.”