The sing-along for the travelling fans before the game proved eerily appropriate. Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis got the vistors going. By the end, however, speculation surrounded the likelihood of one being planted between the shoulder blades of José Mourinho, if he fails to improve on this.

Roman Abramovich does not say much. Yesterday he did not need to. His exit two minutes from time after Gabriel Agbonlahor put the match beyond Chelsea’s reach was a speech in itself. Face like thunder, Abramovich headed for the exit as his team limped towards journey’s end behind him, pausing only to give the most cursory handshake of congratulation to Doug Ellis, the former Aston Villa chairman.

The official explanation was that he had gone down to the dressing-room to see the players, but that is a strange one. Did he not think they were still going to be there five minutes after the final whistle? Why the rush? Already rumours have circulated that he is unhappy with the thrill factor of Chelsea’s play this season — hence his stalking of Ronaldinho — but until now he has at least been unable to question the return. This was quite different, though. Lousy football is one thing; lousy losing football quite another.

This is to take nothing from Aston Villa, who were worth their win, whatever the bizarre protests of Chelsea’s manager. If anything, Villa played Chelsea at their game, looking like Mourinho’s championship vintage team from two seasons ago, with pace on the flanks, energy in the heart of midfield, solid defence and a bruising battering ram of a striker.

Ashley Young marked his call-up to the England squad with an outstanding performance but it was John Carew, in the role of Didier Drogba, that left Chelsea’s defence uncommonly rattled. John Terry had terrible problems with him early on, while debutant Alex looked worryingly short of the combative qualities that are essential for Premier League success. In many ways, this is mitigation for Mourinho. It is hard to blame him for Chelsea’s failings, when so many of his judgment calls are being proven right.

He was believed to be resistant to the purchase of Alex last season, considering him short of the level required, and Juliano Belletti was not his first-choice right back, coming into the picture only when the move for Daniel Alves had collapsed. On both men, his instincts appear correct. Neither Alex nor Belletti impressed on their debuts.

Unlike Villa’s new signing Zat Knight, scorer of the first goal after 47 minutes. His header from Gareth Barry’s corner, which eluded Petr Cech and Ashley Cole on the goalline, revealed just how vulnerable Chelsea can be when challenged. They demonstrated a damning absence of invention when asked to chase the game.

Mourinho tried all his tricks, throwing on Joe Cole, Claudio Pizarro and Salomon Kalou and even ordering Terry to go up front but to no avail. By the time Joe Cole hit a post with a shot from the left it was deep in injury time and Chelsea needed two goals for a point, not one.

Chelsea’s problem was a surfeit of scufflers: John Obi Mikel, Claude Makelele and Michael Essien all deployed. Without Frank Lampard there was no goal threat from central midfield, Drogba had one of his petulant afternoons while Florent Malouda was largely anonymous and Shaun Wright-Phillips lively but overanxious in front of goal. The upshot was that Chelsea, for all their possession, did not look like scoring. Villa, by contrast, were counterattacking chaos on toast.

While Carew battered the defence black and blue, Agbonlahor and Young wreaked havoc down the flanks and Luke Moore was tireless in support. Often, Chelsea’s centre halves had no answer to the physical challenge of Carew other than crude attempts to manhandle him, much to Martin O’Neill’s frustration. It could be argued that Villa rode their luck when Martin Laursen made a similarly clumsy effort to stop Wright-Phillips in the second minute and was fortunate not to concede a penalty, but Chelsea more than got their own back as Villa pressed on.

Alex never gained composure but even Terry looked uncomfortable. His fitness is still an issue and neither centre half was anywhere near a cross by Young in the 45th minute, which Ashley Cole cleared from his goalline under pressure from Moore.

Ultimately, Young got his reward as the architect of the opening goal. It was his shot from 20 yards, tipped over by Cech, that won Villa’s corner from which Knight scored.

A late second on the counter was always likely. It was rather a splendid one, though, Young bursting down the left flank and whipping in a cross that was rewarded by a first-time finish from Agbonlahor.

The best result for Villa under O’Neill? Undoubtedly. As for Chelsea, they are two points worse off than at the same stage last season when the grapevine began humming with news of Abramovich’s dissatisfaction. Yesterday, though, the empty seat said it all.

How they rated

Aston Villa 2 Knight 47, Agbonlahor 88

4-4-2 S Carson 7 O Mellberg 7 Z Knight 7 M Laursen 6 W Bouma 7 G Agbonlahor Y 7 N Reo-Coker Y 7 G Barry Y 7 A Young 8 J Carew Y 7 L Moore 7 Substitutes S Petrov (for Moore, 79min) Not used S Taylor, M Harewood, C Gardner, S Maloney

Chelsea 0

4-4-2 P Cech 7 J Belletti 5 Alex 4 J Terry 6 A Cole 6 M Essien 6 C Makelele 6 J O Mikel 5 F Malouda 5 D Drogba Y 5 S Wright-Phillips 6 Substitutes Kalou 6 (for Makelele, 63min), Pizarro 6 (for Mikel, 52), J Cole 6 (for Wright-Phillips, 63) Not used C Cudicini, T Ben Haim

Referee: M Clattenburg

Attendance 37,714