Saturday 11 January 2053
Drogba Arena – FA Cup Third Round
Chelsea 2–2 Aston Villa 
Crichton 14′, Jairzinho 34′ – Mansilla 55′, Sanchez Manrique 90+7′
Chelsea were seven seconds from the Fourth Round when Aston Villa struck a cruel late equaliser in a 2–2 thriller at the Drogba Arena. Despite controlling the match and showing a clear edge in xG (2.64 vs 1.25), the Blues were punished by late drama and an error from Marcelo.
Scott Crichton was electric, grabbing Player of the Match with a goal and an 8.3 rating. He opened the scoring after just 14 minutes. Jairzinho added a sharp second, converting after a VAR-checked move that was initially disallowed. Chelsea were coasting.
But Aston Villa had other ideas. Martin Mansilla hit back on 55 minutes with a thunderous equaliser, before Mark Sanchez Manrique capitalised on a defensive mix-up to level the tie at the death — 90+7’ — and send Villa fans into pandemonium.
Crichton’s excellence was matched only by Chelsea’s frustration. Another replay now adds congestion to an already brutal January schedule.
Player of the Match: Scott Crichton (8.3)
Attendance: 82,381
The road to Wembley just got longer.