Chelsea staged a spirited comeback to earn a 2-2 draw at Aston Villa, with Axel Disasi cruelly denied a late winner at Villa Park. Conor Gallagher hauled his side back into the game with an assist and a stunning goal after the hosts led 2-0.

Disasi’s 95h-minute header was chalked off for a foul by Benoit Badiashile at the end of a gripping second half, in which a much improved Chelsea - led by Gallagher - shrugged off last week’s 5-0 thrashing by Arsenal. Express Sport picks out five talking points.

Conor Gallagher wonder-goal earns a point

Gallagher has been one of Chelsea’s best players in recent months and at 24, he has grown into a leadership role as one of the squad’s elder stars. It was the academy graduate’s stunning strike that capped a spirited comeback at Villa Park.

The midfielder was allowed too much space to cut inside on his weaker left foot and float an effort into the top corner. It came after his dogged work in Villa’s penalty area culminated in Madueke’s sweeping home. Despite a woeful first half, a draw was more than deserved for Pochettino’s side.

Chelsea back up Mauricio Pochettino promise

Pochettino defiantly insisted Chelsea do not lack character in his pre-match press conference. This performance evidenced the journey his young team have been on over the past few months.

Earlier in the campaign, Chelsea would have folded after Villa’s early goal and then their second just before half-time. But this was a spirited comeback that provided glimpses of the team Pochettino is trying to build.

The Blues were aggressive and combative in the second half, eventually forcing a goal through Madueke. This was certainly a performance that evidenced the qualities that Chelsea have been accused of lacking.

Cole Palmer struggles on return

The return of Cole Palmer from illness would have raised the hopes of Chelsea supporters in the build up to the game. Palmer was absent from last week’s 5-0 thrashing by Arsenal and his presence was sorely missed.

But the attacking midfielder did not appear entirely fit against Villa. He flittered in and out of the game against a well-drilled Unai Emery team, with a clear plan to block Chelsea’s passes into their top scorer.

An unusually quiet individual performance was summed up by a poorly executed free kick, with Palmer dragging his shot well wide.

Pochettino needs time

Pochettino is not the problem at Chelsea and the Stamford Bridge hierarchy would be well advised to give him the time to mould his team into an elite Premier League side. Inexperience and injuries have played a large part in their struggles.

There was evidence for how the Argentine wishes his team to play.

Marc Cucurella and Mykhaylo Mudryk might concern Pochettino

Pochettino has grown frustrated over some of the personnel in his squad in recent weeks. The performances of Cucurella and Mudryk are not likely to have aided those sentiments.

Cucurella was not even looking at the ball when he deflected in John McGinn’s wayward effort inside five minutes. Once a £63m signing from Brighton, the Spaniard seems likely to be one of the players offered for sale in the summer.

In attack, Mykhaylo Mudryk was wasteful out wide. Madueke was the more threatening forward and earned a deserved goal midway through the second half to cap a positive performance.