Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is actually quite pleased, after the event, that Chelsea employed time-wasting tactics in order to ensure that they collected three points at Villa Park on Saturday lunch-time.

O'Neill, along with many Villa fans, felt that referee Mark Halsey was far too lenient with Chelsea players about their time wasting at goal-kicks and throw-ins, especially goalkeeper Petr Cech and full-back Jose Bosingwa, who was booked, somewhat belatedly, in the 85th minute by Halsey.

Although angered by it at the time, O'Neill shows that it is a sign of the progress his team have made that a side with Chelsea's recent pedigree should be forced to resort to such a seemingly cynical ploy.

"If I wanted to take a real positive out of it, then Bosingwa taking about four days to take a throw-in with half-an-hour to go in the game was it," the Irishman told The Birmingham Mail.

"I dont mind in the last two minutes, not only have I done it myself but Ive told my players to do it, but there was half-an-hour left. Finally the referee cautioned him for it after 38 times. I drew some sort of small comfort from that, but it was only small."

O'Neill went on to identify midfield as the deciding area in Saturday's defeat, with the Villa coach acknowledging that Chelsea overpowered and outnumbered his men in that area.

"Theyre different styles of play at the moment," he continued. "Chelsea have played very successfully for about three or four years with three class midfield players.

"With John Obi Mikel now changing over from Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard being a constant and with Michael Ballack theyre world-class players. In the first half they passed it better than we did.

"But weve a different style, we can be explosive and while we were out-numbered in the middle of the field we hoped to be able to create things for ourselves in other areas of the field."

In conclusion, O'Neill was also defiant about whether the defeat spelled the end, as some observers have almost gloated, of Villa's push for a Champions League spot.

"I dont see that," he stated. "I see it as a setback, as a disappointment."