Chelsea Tops Premier League with Ivanovic's header

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert was left furious with the decision not to see Branislav Ivanovic being sent off after he scored the winner for Chelsea in a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.  Ivanovic headed in a Frank Lampard free-kick unopposed after 73 minutes as debate raged over whether he should even have still been on the pitch.

Referee Kevin Friend had booked Ivanovic moments earlier for catching Christian Benteke with a flailing arm in an aerial challenge which infuriated Lambert. Plus, John Terry appeared to block the ball with his right arm at the end.

All the attention was on Jose Mourinho's return in Sunday's defeat of Hull, but the self-proclaimed Special One wanted to shift the focus to his team, who endured an altogether more difficult test than on Villa's most recent visit to Stamford Bridge.

Villa were beaten 8-0 last December, but were in buoyant mood following the 3-1 opening day win at Arsenal and determined to claim the scalp of another title contender.  More on ESPN