Aston Villa 2-0 Chelsea

A debut goal from Zat Knight and a late Gabriel Agbonlahor strike saw Aston Villa end Chelsea's 18-match unbeaten streak in the league.

Knight climbed above Didier Drogba to head in a Gareth Barry corner in the second minute of the second half.

Chelsea threw everything at Villa in the final half an hour but came up against a determined Villa backline.

Salomon Kalou dragged a shot wide before Villa broke and Agbonlahor stabbed in Ashley Young's driven cross.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Jose Mourinho at Villa Park, where Chelsea have not won since 1999.

But it was a terrific game for the neutral - not to mention the Villa fans - with a Agbonlahor shot on the turn beaten out by Petr Cech firing an early warning sign that Martin O'Neill's side meant business.

Chelsea went close through efforts from long-range by Michael Essien and Florent Malouda.

John Terry headed over and Shaun Wright-Phillips saw a shot well turned round the post by Scott Carson as Chelsea began to move up the gears.

It was real end-to-end stuff with the quartet of Young, Agbonlahor, John Carew and Luke Moore providing a new-look Chelsea backline with plenty to think about.

Drogba was not enjoying his most profitable of afternoons as Villa's own reworked defence made him fight for everything.

He showed great strength to hold off Martin Laursen, but having done the physical work he could not add the finishing touch and shot wide from the edge of the area.

A lively Wright-Phillips lashed into the side-netting but there was a let-off for Chelsea just before half-time when a Young cross fell for Barry only for Moore to get in his way attempting an ambitious overhead kick.

Villa have yet to score a league goal in the first half this season, but whatever manager Martin O'Neill says at half-time seems to be working.

Within a minute of the kick off Young had a shot tipped over by Cech and from Barry's corner Knight climbed above Drogba to head powerfully past Cech.

It was his second goal in successive games from £3.5m capture Knight - the other an own goal for Fulham on his last visit to Villa Park that also helped provide his new employers with the three points.

Mourinho wasted no time in throwing Claudio Pizarro on, soon to be followed by Joe Cole and Kalou.

But despite plenty of possession and some nervous moments for the home side, Chelsea struggled to come up with clear-cut chances.

Their best chance of an equaliser looked from a set-piece, with Terry heading over from one of their succession of corners.

Kalou shot wide from a promising position but as Chelsea poured forward they left themselves open to Villa's pace and when Young broke down the left his driven effort was guided in by Agbonlahor.

Aston Villa: Carson, Mellberg, Knight, Laursen, Bouma, Agbonlahor, Reo-Coker, Barry, Young, Moore, Carew (Petrov 79).
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Harewood, Gardner, Maloney.

Booked: Reo-Coker, Barry, Agbonlahor, Carew.

Goals: Knight 47, Agbonlahor 88.

Chelsea: Cech, Belletti, Terry, Alex, Ashley Cole, Wright-Phillips (Joe Cole 63), Makelele (Kalou 63), Essien, Malouda, Obi (Pizarro 52), Drogba.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Ben-Haim.

Booked: Drogba.

Att: 37,714.

Ref: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).