Chelsea beat Villa 4-2 to keep Champions League hopes alive

Chelsea's late attempt to qualify for the Champions League was boosted by Saturday's 4-2 Premier League win at Aston Villa.

Villa recovered from 2-0 down to 2-2 with 10 minutes remaining but Branislav Ivanovic headed in his second goal of the game and Fernando Torres struck late on to give fifth-place Chelsea increased hope of finishing in the top four.

Daniel Sturridge put Chelsea ahead in the ninth minute from a rebound after Fernando Torres' close-range effort had been blocked by defender Stephen Warnock. Ivanovic doubled Chelsea's lead in the 51st before James Collins and Eric Lichaj scored for Villa.

Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov watched from the stands, a day after it was announced he is suffering from acute leukemia.