Villa's ten game unbeaten Premier League run comes to a crashing end as they are beaten for the first time in 2010.

Villa suffer their biggest loss in 45 years (when they lost 0-7 at Manchester United in October 1964). 

The Chelsea defeat is Villa's first in 11 games and only their 3rd in the last 20 Premier League matches matches under Martin O'Neill. 

O'Neill is not a happy man, shocked at the size of defeat "I didn’t see it coming" combined with frustration at the reaction of fans to the draw with Wolves two games earlier, led Martin O'Neill to his "worst day in management" and a man who was described as an "increasingly dejected figure in recent weeks" is surrounded by rumours of his pending resignation. 

Allegedly, preceding the game, a meeting with the increasingly distant and disconnected Chairman Randy Lerner intended as a plea for funds from O'Neill turned out to be anything but. Instead Lerner set out a stall for the sale of some of the club's best assets, leading to a bust up and O'Neill's 'resignation' being offered. 

It didn't happen of course but there is no doubt that few now expected Martin O'Neill to remain manager for much longer. 

After Gary Cahill (2007-08), his Moscow moment (2008-09), his fan rant earlier in the season, and his training ground ‘fight’ with Reo-Coker, the Chelsea defeat - or rather the immediate response to it - is the fifth ‘alarm bell’ that all was not harmony on and off the pitch, in and outside the boardroom, and between the terraces and manager. 

The bigger picture should not be forgotten however, unlucky runners up in the League Cup, 7th in the League, still with a shot for Europe, an FA Cup Semi Final and equipped with the best first XI Villa have had in over a decade.

Martin O’Neill has undoubtedly delivered everything but a trophy but this ultra competitive, combustible character is now seemingly fighting the world and increasingly unpredictable.

Gabriel Agbonlahor suffers his 50th defeat in a Villa shirt on his 177th appearance (164 Starts) to make it W72 D55 L50, 49 Goals, 21 Assists and 15 Bookings.

John Carew scores his 9th goal in 8 games on his 112th appearance in a Villa shirt (88 Starts) to make it W43 D39 L30, 46 Goals, 11 Assists and 10 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.54 starts so far in his Villa career.