Jose Mourinho and two Chelsea players were sent packing from the pitch as the Londonders lost their long unbeaten record at Villa Park his evening.
Willian was dispatched from the field on 69 minutes following a second yellow card, but all hell broke loose late on, when Ramires was red carded by Chris Foy and he was soon followed by Mourinho who entered the field of play to complain About the decision.
By then the Blues were a goal down and a 14-march unbeaten record that stretched back to early December was over.
Chesea remain top of the league and they have a six point advantage over second place Manchester City, but City have three Games in hand over the Blues.
While the Blues did not play well, and tamely gave up the 14-match unbeaten league record that stretched back to their last defeat at Stoke City at the beginning of December, they should not have lost their heads late on when Ramires was also sent off for a second yellow card. To make matters worse Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was also sent to the stands for confronting Foy on the pitch.
Chelsea are still top, six points clear of second place Manchester City, but City now have three games in hand.
Mourinho has never won at Villa Park and that statistic continues.
The match started brightly for the visitors who had the greater share of possession, but were always liable to suffer on the counter-attack.
The home side were also in determined mood and that was no more in evidence than when Willian was clattered by Ron Vlaar in the first minute and three minutes later Nathan Baker scythed down Fernando Torres. This was enough for referee Chris Foy who brandished a yellow card to the Villa centre-back.
Nine minutes in and the first effort on goal came from the visitors when Willian tried a speculative 25-yarder but it took an deflected on lobbed into the safe hands of Brad Guzan.
Christian Benteke hit his head to a far post cross, but the Belgium striker was unable to steer the effort on goal, and it went wide of Petr Cech's right post.
Willian, the livilest of Chelsea's forwards, gave Guzman a momentary panic but the Brazil midfielder's was inches wide of goal.
The 'you shoot, we shoot policy' continued when a minute later on 13 minutes saw Karim El Ahmadi blaze a shot over Cech's crossbar, when he should have fed the ball to a better-placed Benteke.
Oscar was next up to threaten the Villa goal, but again, despite good set-up play with Willian, his curling right-footer was just wide of the Mark.
Willian entered the roughhouse stakes when he hacked down El Ahmadi to earn a yellow card on 25 minutes.
A Benteke volley from the edge of the Chelsea penalty area gave the home side's fans something to cheer six minutes before the break. But the curler went inches wide.
Branislav Ivanovic did have the ball in the back of the Villa net with five minutes of the half left. For a second it looked as if the league leaders had snatched the lead with the far-post prod home by the Serbia defender, but Foy disallowed the effort for an alleged hand ball.
Right on half time and Ramires clipped through the Villa rearguard before being hauled down by Joe Bennett 25-yards out. Was it denying a goal-scoring opportunity for Chelsea? Foy though not and gave the defender a yellow card instead.
From the resultant free-kick, a disappointing Oscar struck the ball on rather over the wall but, with no power behind the drive, it was easy for Guzan to snaffle the ball to safety.
There were no changes at half-time from either side.
But the Blues went straight on the attack and Guzan was quickly in action, grabbing a wayward defected shot by Bennett after pressure was put in him by Hazard. The goalkeeper snatched the ball on the goal line, preventing an own goal from the young defender.
A quick succession of short corners almost reaped dividends on 62 minutes for Chelsea, but Oscar's weak effort from close range was easily held by Guzman.
Chelsea were almost undone from a counter-attack after a shot from Torres was charged down on 66 minutes. The lightening quick break fed Leandro Bacuna on the right , who passed inside to Benteke. Thankfully his effort was just off target.
That let-off made up Jose Mourinho's mind to make changes and he replaced misfiring Torre and Oscar for Demba Ba and Andre Schurrle. A minute later and the Blues were reduced to 10-men when Willian was given a second yellow card followed by a red by Foy after he could Fabian Delph.
This gave Villa great impetus and their counter-attack gained in intensity and potency. Only excellent block by Cesar Azpilicueta prevented Bacuna shot from hitting its target.
Benteke tried his luck with 14 minutes remaining, but his long-range effort was wide Cech's left and post.
With Schurrle being hacked down two yards outside the Villa penalty area two minutes later. Hazard was charged with the responsibility of the free-kick. His curling low, right-footed effort went round the wall, but unfortunately also inched wide of Guzman's goal.
Vlaar should have scored on 81 minutes but his header went wide from a corner. But a minute later and the Blues goal was breached.
Once again it came from a counter-attack, this time in the left, when the ball came in from substitute Marc Albrighton, Delph was on hand to produce a brilliant piece of skill, clipping the ball on from six yards out, towards goal, past Cech and Into the back of the net.
Ivanovic decided to station himself permanently up front in the hope of being on hand to take advantage of any slip-up, but that was never on the cards.
In one crazy minute, Ramires and the Mourinho was sent to the stands, the first for a second yellow card foul, the second when the Portuguese went into the pitch to argue with Foy.
But by then the real damage was do e, three points lost, and a title, while still possible, looking less likely.
Team: Chelsea, Cech, Ivanovic, Ramires, Torres, Oscar, Hazard, Matic, Willian, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicuteta
Subs, Schwarzer,Lampard, Mikel, Schurrle, Salah, Ba, Kalas
Aston Villa,Guzan, Baker, Bennett, Vlaar, Bacuna, El Ahamadi, Weimann, Agbonlahor, Westwood, Delph, Benteke
Subs,Steer, Clark, Albrighton, Sylla, Holt, Lawton, Robinson
Referee: Chris Foy
Ends