Ollie Watkins continued his superb goal-scoring form to help Aston Villa produce one of the most comfortable football results of the weekend in the Premier League. Villa took the lead when Watkins took advantage of Marc Cucurella’s sloppy defending to lob Kepa Arrizabalaga (18), but the visitors were credited with a run of brilliant stops from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. The Argentina World Cup winner made two excellent one-on-one saves to deny Mykhailo Mudryk and Kai Havertz on many occasions. Chelsea had a Ben Chilwell header ruled off for a push on Ashley Young by the full-back before half-time, and the Blues were dealt a sucker blow after the break as McGinn’s long-range stunner from afar struck the bottom corner.
The result drops Chelsea to 11th in the rankings, 11 points behind fourth and nine behind fifth-placed Newcastle, who have played two more games. Chelsea manager Potter said after the game that his team put in a good performance – except when it came to dealing with both penalty areas. Villa, meanwhile, moves up to ninth after defeats for Liverpool and Fulham earlier in the day, as well as a draw for Brighton and Brentford, meaning Unai Emery’s team is now just two points behind sixth.
An end-to-end battle got off to a great start, with both teams having chances to take the lead in the first seven minutes. After an unkind pass from Martinez, Mudryk picked Boubacar Kamara’s pocket on the edge of the box – but the Villa goalkeeper made apologies by staying big and blocking the Ukrainian’s effort. Villa had a chance seconds later when John McGinn slipped in Watkins for a one-on-one, but the striker pulled his effort wide when he had more time.
Villa’s confidence grew as McGinn hit the crossbar after being supplied on the edge of the area by Emiliano Buendia – but they got the opener a minute later, and Watkins was not to be denied this time. Both Kalidou Koulibaly and Cucurella jumped for the ball after Douglas Luiz’s long pass, only for the latter to deflect the ball onto the onrushing Watkins, who lobbed Kepa with a straightforward finish. Watkins became the first Villa player to score in five straight away league games with that goal. Both Kalidou Koulibaly and Cucurella jumped for the ball after Douglas Luiz’s long pass, only for the latter to deflect the ball onto the onrushing Watkins, who lobbed Kepa with a straightforward finish.
Then came the big time for Chelsea and Mudryk. The winger was played in and cleaned down the left channel, but he took his shot far too early, leaving Martinez with an easy grab. At halftime, Havertz was denied twice by flying bodies and Martinez, before referee Andy Madley judged Chilwell’s header beyond the Villa goalkeeper for a push on Young. Chelsea and Chilwell started the second half well, with the defender flashing two chances wide – but Villa’s second came just as the Blues were gaining momentum.
A corner was cleared as far as Jacob Ramsay, who supplied Scottish midfielder McGinn, whose first-time strike from the edge of the area nestled into the far corner of Kepa’s goal. Under-fire Potter, who had begun to annoy a section of the Chelsea home crowd, introduced Noni Madueke and N’Golo Kante, who both had quick-fire chances. On the break, Madueke curled wide of the far post, while Kante – playing his first game in seven months and 17 days following an injury – wasted Chelsea’s greatest chance of the second half by flashing wide while unmarked inside the box.
Apart from a crazy Mateo Kovacic long-range shot, Villa faced little Chelsea threat after that. In reality, Villa came closest to a third goal when Leon Bailey curled wide before Reece James’ backpass was intercepted by Watkins, who was stopped at his feet by Kepa. A superb example of Villa’s precision and Chelsea’s ineptitude.
“Aside from the most crucial stat, there was a lot that indicated we did well,” Chelsea boss Graham Potter said. “It’s impossible to come back from a 1-0 deficit at home, but the team gave everything they had. The team’s intention was present. You can tell by the number of times we got in the box that we were positive. For us, the scoreline was excruciating. We arrived in September, and there were a lot of games and injuries. When you play a lot of matches, it’s challenging to maintain the desired consistency.”
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