Cole loses red card appeal

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole has lost his appeal for wrongful dismissal against Aston Villa.

The 27-year-old was dismissed for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity in the final seconds of Wednesday's 4-4 Barclays Premier League draw at Stamford Bridge when he was adjudged to have handled the ball on the line.

He will serve a one-match suspension with immediate effect, ruling him out of Saturday's home game with Newcastle.

Television replays appeared to cast doubt on whether Cole used his arm to deflect Gabriel Agbonlahor's header, with referee Phil Dowd also awarding a penalty which earned Villa a point.

Cole insisted at the time the ball came off his head, but the FA have clearly decided this was not the case.

Chelsea manager Avram Grant said before the appeal was rejected: "I will not go against the referee but I expect him and the assistant referee to be honest and say that they thought Ashley Cole saved the ball with his hand, which did not happen.

"They are human beings and can say they were wrong, even if it cost Chelsea points. If it was me, that is what I would say."