And to think that managers grumble about the festive fixture list. When supporters of these clubs reminisce about the Christmas of 2007, they will remember most clearly the eight goals, three red cards, exquisite skill and late drama yesterday. In stoppage time, Ashley Cole was sent off for handling on the line and Gareth Barry stepped up to equalise for the visiting team against nine men.

It was breathtaking from the start and the result was never certain. Would Chelsea surrender their long unbeaten run at home in the league or extend it to 72 matches? Would Aston Villa be involved in a match even more incredible than their 4-4 draw away to Tottenham Hotspur on October 1? That the match ended in a draw had to be the fair result. Villa deserve plaudits for their attack-minded approach at the fortress that is Stamford Bridge, while Chelsea should be praised for their flair and resilience.

Neither manager will be happy with the red cards, but this was not an overly physical contest. Only Ricardo Carvalho’s tackle on Gabriel Agbonlahor was nasty and the Chelsea defender was sent off for it.

From Chelsea’s perspective, the preservation of that phenomenal home record was something that Avram Grant, the first-team coach, ought to feel proud about. Once Carvalho had been sent off in the 80th minute, it meant that they were without the Portuguese defender, without Frank Lampard, without Didier Drogba, without John Terry and with Petr Cech the most vulnerable he has looked in goal. This was a weakened Chelsea spine and then some. It was a wonder that did not collapse.

Drogba and Terry were out through injury, of course, but Lampard limped off in the first half. In fact, Lampard limped off and limped back on again; took off his captain’s armband then put it back on again. Grant has shown that he does not like players to decide for themselves when they should come off. But, finally, Lampard was replaced by Michael Ballack, a thigh strain depriving the England midfield player of the opportunity to score his 100th Chelsea goal in front of a Boxing Day crowd in West London. This landmark was probably the only missing piece of glitter on a sparkling afternoon.

Villa were bullish from the start, no doubt buoyed by the fact that they had inflicted a 2-0 defeat on Chelsea, then under José Mourinho’s control, in September. They took the lead in the fourteenth minute — it was early enough for Villa fans still to be grumbling that Shaun Maloney had started instead of Stiliyan Petrov, whom they had hoped would be fit enough to feature. But it was Maloney who scored, latching on to John Carew’s header from Agbonlahor’s cross.

It was a deserved lead, but there was more than an element of good fortune to Villa’s second. Maloney, a minute before half-time, shot straight at Cech. It was neither a powerful nor a well-placed attempt and Cech certainly managed to place both hands behind the shot, but he failed to hold on to it and the ball trickled over the line as Cech stared in disbelief. Grant had been relieved that the bruising Cech sustained during Chelsea’s victory away to Blackburn Rovers on Sunday had not been serious, but he must have wondered if he made the correct decision to declare his first-choice goalkeeper fit to play.

The home side were 2-0 down, but it was Villa who began to look jittery. Zat Knight made a clumsy challenge on Ballack and the shove cost him any further involvement. Knight was sent off for being the last defender rather than for any violence and the challenge did more bodily damage to the Villa defender than the German. Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, said that he would consider an appeal as he believed that Ballack had fallen despite minimal contact.

Phil Dowd, the referee, had to wait for Knight to get to his feet before showing the red card and at that moment it seemed that Villa, despite their lead, had lost any realistic chance to cause an upset. Andriy Shevchenko converted the penalty, firing the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of Scott Carson’s net.

Villa had possessed the more spirited attitude for much of the first half, but Chelsea certainly made up for their sluggish start by attacking at the start of the second period with palpable urgency. From 25 yards, Shevchenko proved the adage about class being permanent. The ball whistled beyond the reach of Carson for Chelsea’s equaliser.

This was Shevchenko’s day and the home fans knew it. Rarely have they been as sorry to see him substituted as they were when Grant decided to haul him off before he could complete his hat-trick. The Ukrainian exhibited some beautiful skill as he held off the attentions of Barry with a pirouette and then fed the perfect through-ball to Alex, who scored to put Chelsea in the lead in the 66th minute.

But still Villa were sprightly. As Ashley Young swung in a free kick, Martin Laursen might have thought about a header but opted for a volley to make it 3-3.