Villas-Boas under pressure afterloss to Villa

London: This time last year, Andre Villas-Boas could do no wrong. His Porto side were cruising to the Portuguese title and he was being feted as the finest young manager in Europe.

Now he stands on the verge of ridicule, the Premier League title gone, his team the third best in London and they were booed off the pitch by their own supporters. For the first time in his short career, this prodigious talent is meeting with the prospect of disaster.

Stamford Bridge used to be a fortress. Now it lays out the welcome mat. It was Chelsea's fifth league defeat of the season, but their most humiliating by far. They had their moments going forward, but the ease with which struggling, limited Aston Villa picked them apart and claimed their first win at this ground since 2002 was truly breathtaking.

The players upon which Villas-Boas has staked both his future and Chelsea's were nowhere to be seen. Where was Daniel Sturridge? Where was Oriel Romeu? Where were Ramires and David Luiz?

Only Juan Mata and Ashley Cole could be said to have justified their blue shirts yesterday afternoon.

Fourth-place finish

The rest deserved nothing but red faces. Until Chelsea relearn the art of mastering an opposition, they will remain a top-four side on reputation alone. Until their defensive issues are addressed — and the imminent signing of Gary Cahill will not address the team's structural flaws — the game's big prizes will continue to elude them.

After this, their fourth straight game without a win, they have slipped to fifth in the Premier League. The club's objectives this season have been irrevocably realigned. "I think the minimum for a club like this is first place," Villas-Boas said.

"But that is fantasy. Our reality at the moment is a fourth-place finish. We have to pursue a more humble finish for the dimensions of this club. There is no running away or excuses. We have lost massive opportunities. We will have to face our challenges in 2012 in a different way."

Villa taught Chelsea a harsh lesson in how to adapt to the situation of a game.

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish even claimed afterwards that his side had not been at their best. "I think we can play even better than that," he said.

Villas-Boas brushed off the chorus of boos that greeted the final whistle. "This is the most valuable criticism we get," he said.

— The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2012