Chelsea kept pace with Arsenal and Manchester United with a 1-0 victory against Aston Villa - but this Stamford Bridge encounter posed serious questions about their status as genuine title challengers.

The success against David O'Leary's tireless team had looked most unlikely throughout an alarming first-half spell before Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's 42nd-minute strike.

Claudio Ranieri yesterday enthused about the passion and desire in his team - but both those qualities were worryingly absent as the Blues were second to every ball, looking a shadow of the side which demolished Wolves 5-0 last weekend.

The Stamford Bridge crowd - deafening as Roman Abramovich took his seat in the directors' box before kick-off - faded to virtual silence as Ranieri twitched nervously on the touchline.

Juan Sebastian Veron, in particular, drifted out of the game for long periods, begrudgingly retreating into his own half to help out with defensive duties.

Hasselbaink's strike - his sixth of the season, after Thomas Sorensen parried Frank Lampard's cross - steadied the nerves, although the Blues were lucky to escape when Lampard's sloppy pass gave Juan Pablo Angel a one-on-one with Carlo Cudicini in the second half.

The Colombian striker somehow conspired to shoot past the post from 14 yards.

Angel also had a wonderful chance to level two minutes from time, but dragged his effort wide when just 10 yards out and in front of goal.

So, although the Blues' fighting spirit was absent for parts of this contest, they recorded their fifth Barclaycard Premiership victory to keep up with the giants of Highbury and Old Trafford.

Chelsea had been first to threaten today, when Damien Duff outwitted Villa's emergency centre-back Dion Dublin.

The Irish winger crossed to Adrian Mutu, whose acrobatic overhead volley was blocked.

Romanian forward Mutu made a hash of a much easier opportunity after nine minutes.

The ?5.8million man was clean through, but completely miscontrolled Lampard's lofted pass and Dublin cleared.

Mutu was in a scoring position again just before the quarter-hour after a brilliant curling pass by Emmanuel Petit.

This time, he thundered over the top from the edge of the box.

O'Leary was furious with his defence, frequently racing to the touchline to scream at his backline.

And his mood soured yet further when Duff was allowed the time and space to send a drive whistling just wide.

Villa finally built up a head of steam in attack as the half-hour mark neared.

The impressive Ulises de la Cruz squared for Lee Hendrie to whip an effort a yard wide of the angle of Cudicini's post and bar - and de la Cruz himself then cut inside Wayne Bridge and smashed an arcing shot just over.

Chelsea's impetus had faded dramatically as Villa came into the contest more and more.

However, the home side did make the breakthrough three minutes before the interval.

Lampard drilled an angled shot goalwards and Sorensen could only push the ball across his goalmouth, where Hasselbaink raced ahead of Mark Delaney to tap home from two yards.

Both sides had chances straight after the break.

Gareth Barry's close-range shot was charged down and Duff, clean-through, side-footed towards the bottom corner, but Sorensen pushed the ball round his post.

Lampard handed Villa a gilt-edged opportunity to equalise in the 50th minute.

The England midfielder's careless pass into no-man's land behind his own backline was seized on my Angel.

But the Colombian, one-on-one with Cudicini, shot wide.

Chelsea's lead began to look more comfortable as the half wore on, with Ranieri replacing Mutu with Jesper Gronkjaer and switching to a five-man midfield.

Sorensen almost chucked Veron's volley into his own net, grabbing at the shot and allowing the ball to squirm out of his grasp before gathering it on the goalline.

Angel had a wonderful chance to level two minutes from time, but some how shot wide when just 10 yards out and in front of goal.

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