Drogba 84       Heskey 47

                                                                                                        Terry 89       Clark 90 + 2

Chelsea dropped two more precious points to leave themselves outside the EPL’s top four for the first time this season, conceding a stoppage-time equaliser having come back from 2-1 down with six minutes remaining to lead at the end of normal time.

Both goals came from the penalty spot in a relatively quiet first-half.

Frank Lampard gave the Blues a 23^rd-minute lead with a powerful right-foot spot-kick after Aston Villa centre-back James Collins was adjudged to have fouled Florent Malouda in the area.

Villa’s Ashley Young used the same modus operandi on 41 minutes after Michael Essien upended Nigel Reo-Coker the wrong side of the 18-yard line.

And Villa went ahead two minutes after the interval when Emile Heskey nodded home Stuart Downing’s right-footed, right-wing cross.

Chelsea found Villa keeper Brad Friedel in fabulous form as they pressed for an equaliser, which eventually arrived on 84 minutes, Didier Drogba firing home after Friedel had blocked substitute Salomon Kalou’s shot.

And John Terry made it 3-2 on 89 minutes, with a cool right-footed finish after Friedel parried Drogba’s bullet header.

But an unmarked Ciaran Clark nodded home Marc Albrighton’s right-footed cross from the left three minutes later to puncture Chelsea’s celebrations.