*Flo turns up trumps in injury-time*

Tore Andre Flo headed Chelsea to a well-earned victory in the fourth minute of injury time at Stamford Bridge last night. Gianluca Vialli’s team created by far the better chances in an exciting match and confirmed their credentials as serious title contenders, moving into third place in the table.

The game, postponed from October because of a waterlogged pitch, began so brightly that both teams could have gone ahead in the opening 10 minutes.

After just two minutes Vialli’s audacious overhead kick flew just over the bar, then Julian Joachim went closer still when he latched on to Dion Dublin’s through ball, outstripped Michael Duberry for pace and as Ed De Goey came charging off his line watched his shot towards an open goal dribble agonisingly wide of the left-hand post.

John Gregory, the Villa manager, had persevered with the speedy Joachim up front despite the return from suspension of Stan Collymore, who had to make do with a place on the bench.

Vialli, too, had been tough in relegating his captain Dennis Wise to the bench following yet another sending-off last Saturday, thus extending the fiery midfielder’s unenviable record of not having started a home league game this season because of injury but mainly suspension.

In the continued absence of the Italian striker Pierluigi Casiraghi, who could need a second operation on his badly damaged knee, Vialli gave himself a rare league outing, starting his first game since the opening day of the season.

This left Tore Andre Flo in a familiar position on the bench, this time alongside Gustavo Poyet, a key figure in Chelsea’s 13-match unbeaten run in the league, but not fully match fit.

But on the half-hour Roberto Di Matteo made up for any deficiencies in midfield when a twisting run incited a foul by Gareth Southgate on the edge of the Villa area. From the free-kick Gianfranco Zola bent an exquisite shot over the wall and past the late-diving Michael Oakes to put Chelsea ahead.

But this Villa side have often demonstrated the ability to bounce back this season and it took just 90 seconds for them to draw level.

A well-worked four-man move ended with the ball at the feet of Lee Hendrie, centrally placed in the area, and with a twist and turn the fledgling England international shook off his pursuers long enough to slide a crisp shot into the corner of De Goey’s goal.

After a defeat by Liverpool and draws against Nottingham Forest and Manchester United in their previous three league games, it was important for Villa to immediately get back into this match, but Chelsea continued to pose the greater threat.

On 43 minutes Celestine Babayaro’s 12-yard shot from Vialli’s back-heel was deflected off target by Steve Watson’s diving body, then a minute later Oakes was forced to tip over a 25-yard shot from Albert Ferrer.

The first half had seen Chelsea exploit both flanks very effectively, thus providing some dangerous service for the strikers. Villa, on the other hand, were so busy dealing with the home side’s threat that attacking forays down the wings were rare, with the result that Joachim and Dion Dublin up front lacked the service to exploit their pace and height respectively.

But no sooner had the second half begun than the Villa wing-backs both got forward menacingly, Watson’s cross forcing De Goey to punch away at full stretch while Wright, after a one-two with Ian Taylor, fired in a shot which the keeper was grateful to clasp to his chest.

But Chelsea continued to look the more likely team to score and on 58 minutes went close to doing just that. Di Matteo swung in a corner from the left which the new captain Frank Leboeuf met with a flashing header only to see the ball hit the underneath of the bar and bounce down in play before being cleared.

Chelsea, having won the encounter between these two clubs in the Worthington Cup in October, were so close to securing victory in this game, too.