BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Aston Villa squandered a two-goal lead to attract with Chelsea 2-2 within the English Premier League on Saturday, denting its push for Champions League qualification.
It may have been even worse for Villa as Chelsea thought it grabbed a winner by way of substitute Axel Disasi in stoppage time. The objective was dominated out for a push within the buildup and that angered Chelsea’s gamers, who surrounded the referee after the ultimate whistle.
Villa constructed a 2-0 cushion by halftime after an own-goal by Marc Cucurella within the fourth minute and a strike by Morgan Rogers within the forty second.
Chelsea dominated the second half, with Noni Madueke decreasing the deficit within the 62nd and Conor Gallagher curling in from the sting of the world for an equalizer within the 81st.
Villa, which is fourth, moved seven factors away from fifth-placed Tottenham and has three video games left.
Spurs have three video games in hand on Villa however have the a lot harder run-in, which incorporates matches towards Arsenal — on Sunday — in addition to Liverpool and Manchester Metropolis.
Villa is seeking to qualify for the Champions League for the primary time. It was European champion in 1982, when Europe’s prime competitors was known as the European Cup.
The draw assured Villa at the very least a spot in subsequent season’s Europa League.
Huge-spending Chelsea stayed in ninth place but additionally has video games in hand over the groups it’s battling with for qualification for the minor European competitions subsequent season.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer