Villa were in charge at 2-0 until Knight was dismissedAston Villa boss Martin O'Neill said referee Phil Dowd cost them the chance of victory after a 4-4 draw at Chelsea. The visitors were 2-0 up when Zat Knight was sent off for a foul on Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko scored a penalty right on half-time. O'Neill also felt the free-kick from which Ballack put Chelsea 4-3 up should not have been awarded to the hosts. "There wasn't one decision we got. If we get the next 15 it will only semi-make up for it," he insisted.
"We were playing brilliantly. We deserved to be 2-0 in front but the penalty was really dubious and it's a major point in the game.
"Suddenly it's 2-1, we've got a man sent off and play the whole of the second half with 10 men. "It was never a free-kick [before Ballack's goal]. Amazingly, I thought the referee might give it but never in a month of Sundays was it a free-kick and they scored from it."
Villa rescued a point in the last minute of the game when Gareth Barry netted a penalty after Ashley Cole was sent off for handball.
O'Neill was also unhappy about Dowd's role in that incident. "The referee didn't see it and the linesman spotted it - I'm grateful for him spotting a straightforward decision and I'm so grateful linesmen have spotted things they should spot," the Villa manager added.
"We were absolutely teriffic and deserved it and even now I don't know if I'm delighted to get a point in the last minute of the game or whether I'm disappointed that we haven't won.