Ollie Watkins helps Aston Villa comeback to seal 11th straight win against Chelsea

Last night, Enzo Maresca watched from the stands at Stamford Bridge after receiving two yellow cards previously. Despite his absence on the touchline, the hosts started brightly, with Cole Palmer testing Villa inside the first minute. Chelsea created at least three clear chances within the opening 24 minutes but failed to convert. The breakthrough finally came in the 37th minute when Reece James’ corner deflected off Joao Pedro’s back and into the net.

Chelsea went into half-time leading 1-0, but the momentum shifted after the break. Aston Villa grew into the game and equalised in the 63rd minute, as substitute Ollie Watkins latched onto a through ball and finished calmly. Unai Emery’s side continued to push forward, and Watkins struck again in the 84th minute, heading home from a Youri Tielemans corner to complete the comeback.

The 2-1 victory keeps Villa third with 39 points, just three behind league leaders Arsenal. Speaking after the match, Emery said: “We started getting better and we needed fresh legs. The way the players showed their mentality and exploited their qualities was fantastic. Beating Chelsea here is very difficult. We wanted it, and we’re happy, but we must keep balance and focus on each match.”

For Chelsea, the defeat was compounded by Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Wolves earlier in the day, which saw Arne Slot’s side take fourth place. Maresca said after the match: “I think the goal we conceded was the turning point. Until then, for almost an hour, we were completely in control. When we concede, even if we are winning, we struggle with game management, and that’s something we need to improve.”

Chelsea will host Bournemouth in their final match of the year at 2:30 AM on 31 December, before facing Manchester City on 5 January and Fulham on 8 January. Aston Villa will take on Arsenal at 3:15 AM (GMT+7) on 31 December, followed by fixtures against Nottingham Forest on 3 January and Crystal Palace on 8 January, before meeting Tottenham in the FA Cup three days later.