Defenders Ashley Cole and Zat Knight have both lost their red card appeals which they picked up when Chelsea and Aston Villa met in a pulsating, if fractious, 4-4 draw on St Stephen's Day.

Chelsea's Cole claimed for wrongful dismissal after but dismissed by the referee for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity in the final seconds of the game 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 tomorrow'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."

Knight was sent off when he was adjudged to have denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity by fouling Michael Ballack in first-half stoppage time.

He now faces a one-match ban and will miss tomorrow's game against Wigan.

Manager Martin O'Neill told the Villa website: "We are obviously disappointed because we felt we had a case. But we abide by the decision and prepare for tomorrow's important game at Wigan without him."