Chelsea fought-out their second character-filled win of the week at Villa Park - though not without a scare.
Having raced to a two-goal lead, Blues were pegged back to level - only for Branisav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres to net two goals in the last seven minutes.
There had been emotional scenes pre-match as Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov , recently diagnosed with acute leukaemia, thanked he crowd for their support. Chelsea had earlier added to that support by training in shirts bearing the Bulgarian's squad number and the message 'our thoughts are with you'.
Just five minutes had passed when David Luiz threaded a pitch-perfect pass through the centre of the park for Torres - bearing down on goal. But the striker shot straight at Shay Given in the Villa goal.
Villa, with a side packed with youth, didn't take much longer to succumb.
Saloman Kalou, Blues Lisbon goal hero, turned provider, putting a defence-challenging ball into the box. Torres attempted a shot, but only succeeded in knocking it square to Juan Mata on the side of the six yard box - who passed along the goal face for Blues' lining-up strikers. Torres again flapped in front of goal, but Daniel Sturridge didn't and Chelsea had an early lead.
Mata should have doubled that in the 25th minute when, playing sublime passing move involving Kalou and Torres, he hit the far post.
Just before the break, the home side had their own taste of bad luck when a Gabriel Agbonlahor shot from just beyond the penalty spot was deflected onto the bar by the quick-moving foot of Petr Cech.
The only note of caution in a mostly challenge-free first half for Chelsea was the loss of Luiz to what looked like a foot injury.
Chelsea doubled the lead just six minutes after the break. A Mata corner dropped into a penalty box melee, and Ivanovic was perfectly placed to stab the ball home.
Chelsea looked to be cruising, but there was a warning fired by the home side with a quarter hour to play.
In a move that looked more at home at the Britannia Stadium than Villa Park, a long flat throw connected with the head of James Collins in the box, and went straight past Cech.
No idle threat, Villa equalised thee minutes later, Eric Lichaj picking up a crossed ball from the Villa left, and evading Cole at the post.
Rattled, Chelsea re-grouped, and re-took the lead, Ivanovic heading his second of the match from a Florent Malouda corner.
And Torres finally found the net himself in injury time.
Chelsea remain fifth in the table, but now only two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham , who have a game in hand.
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