Villa boss Martin O'Neill suggested Ballack had tumbled over even though there had been no contact with Zat Knight, who was shown a dubious red card.

Andriy Shevchenko rifled home the penalty to initiate Chelsea's fightback in a remarkable afternoon at Stamford Bridge.

O'Neill felt Knight's dismissal in the 46th minute was the turning point and was furious with referee Phil Dowd's decision.

But Ballack told the London Evening Standard: "For me there is no discussion about this.

"I had the ball and two guys, not just one, came and one pushed me. It was a clear penalty."