But he realised the game was up the minute he was summoned to a meeting with Roman Abramovich to discuss Saturday's 1-0 defeat at West Brom.
The billionaire Russian owner was flanked by chief executive Ron Gourlay and director Eugene Tenenbaum.
And it quickly became apparent that the decision to dump the manager had already been taken and was not up for discussion.
The three-year 'project' — as AVB liked to call it — was over. In just 257 days.
Villas-Boas, 34, was informed that recent results and performances were simply not acceptable for a club of Chelsea's impeccably high standards.
And he was told he was being replaced, even at a cost of £50million, because there was no prospect of an immediate improvement in the team's fortunes while he remained as boss.
With 11 Premier League games remaining and a 3-1 Champions League deficit to overturn against Napoli next week, Abramovich believes Chelsea's disastrous season can still be salvaged.
But he had concluded that things had got so bad under Villas-Boas that a change of management was the only option.
Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola is now being linked with the job — as exclusively revealed by SunSport yesterday — although Roberto di Matteo will take charge until the end of the season.
Former Chelsea chief Jose Mourinho is also in the frame, along with Rafa Benitez, Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp and former Chelsea striker Mark Hughes, currently in charge at QPR.
Abramovich reached yesterday's decision with a heavy heart after investing so much time, faith and money in the young Portuguese coach who only arrived from Porto in June last year.
Chelsea's owner had been desperate for Villas-Boas to succeed and wanted to give him every opportunity to justify his faith.
But Saturday's dismal 1-0 defeat at West Brom proved the final straw as it became clear the manager had run out of ideas on how to turn things around.
AVB, who won just 19 of his 40 matches in charge, has been told he will continue to be paid by Chelsea until he takes up another job.
He still has two years and four months of his £90,000-a-week contract to run, meaning he will pocket another £10.3m if he remains out of football until June 2014. But those payments will be stopped the moment he returns to management.
Former Chelsea midfielder and West Brom boss Di Matteo was summoned to meet the owner after the meeting with Villas-Boas had finished and invited to take charge.
But the former Italian international is only under contract with Chelsea until June and knows he is not a candidate to become AVB's long-term replacement.
Chelsea are also considering inviting club legend Gianfranco Zola to bolster the coaching staff, although no approach has yet been made.
Once Di Matteo had agreed to step into the breach, Abramovich, Gourlay and Tenenbaum were joined by technical director Michael Emenalo to inform the players of the changes.
By the time the players were gathered together, news had already got out that Abramovich was on site and something major was happening.
So the announcement of Villas-Boas' departure did not exactly come as a major shock.
Many had been expecting the manager to go as soon as the final whistle had sounded at the Hawthorns.
Both Gourlay and chairman Bruce Buck had been at the game to see Chelsea fall 20 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Villas-Boas remained at his office for a couple of hours after his dismissal to say his goodbyes to a number of players and staff.
Fitness coach Jose Maria Rocha and head opposition scout Daniel Sousa are expected to follow AVB out of Stamford Bridge and medical director Biosca could also be axed.
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