Some said that the eighteenth round of the league was when the Premier League's top teams collectively nodded off, with only the Manchester duo maintaining their strong form throughout.
But by the nineteenth round, the tide had turned.
First, Liverpool came from behind at home to beat Newcastle 3–1, with Bellamy scoring twice and Gerrard adding another.
Dalglish made fairly substantial changes to his lineup, but Bellamy's outstanding performance allowed the Reds to take all three points from the Magpies.
Arsenal, meanwhile, did not make any major changes, yet still narrowly defeated Queens Park Rangers 1–0 thanks to Van Persie's goal.
Whether it was the Reds or Arsenal, after their dull draw in the previous round, both teams had struggled and even faced dangerous situations this time around, but at least they had both taken three points.
Only Chelsea had been unlucky.
After losing at home to Man City, Chelsea had suffered three consecutive draws, all by 1–1 scores. Boas's team had come under fire, and his position had once again been shaken.
In the nineteenth round, Chelsea hosted Aston Villa. It should have been an excellent opportunity.
Drogba put Chelsea ahead in the twenty-third minute, but no one had expected Aston Villa to equalize just five minutes later.
After that, Chelsea attacked relentlessly and held an overwhelming advantage, but they could never breach Aston Villa's goal.
Instead, in the eighty-third and eighty-sixth minutes, Petrov and substitute Darren Bent scored twice on the counterattack, helping Aston Villa come from behind to beat Chelsea 3–1 away from home.
After the match, Chelsea manager Boas attributed the defeat to an unfair schedule. Chelsea had to play four matches over eleven days during the Christmas period, while Manchester United had fifteen days, with two of their matches separated by only forty-eight hours.
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