Cole and Knight were both dismissed by referee Phil Dowd

Cole was sent off for deliberate handball in the 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge, which led to a spot-kick and Gareth Barry's last-gasp equaliser.

Knight was sent off by referee Phil Dowd for a foul on Chelsea's Michael Ballack that saw a penalty awarded.

Both players will now serve a one-match suspension with immediate effect.

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill told the club website: "We are obviously disappointed because we thought we had a case."

Knight will now miss Saturday's game at Wigan, while Cole will miss the Blues' match against Newcastle.

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With Villa leading 2-0, Knight was sent off just before half-time for a challenge on Ballack, with the subsequent penalty converted by Andriy Shevchenko.

O'Neill claimed the German international dived to win the spot kick, but Ballack has protested his innocence.

"For me there is no discussion about this," he told the London Evening Standard.

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

Cole was shown a red card in the 90th minute for handball after clearing Gabriel Agbonlahor's header off the line, with the England left-back claiming he headed the ball clear.