Aston Villa secured a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with a second-half Ollie Watkins goal sealing the three points.
It was an ideal way to bounce back after disappointment in Europe in midweek, while it’s a fourth win in six Premier League games so far this season as we move up to sixth place in the standings.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Chelsea: Watkins decisive, trio superb in important win
Unai Emery was pleased with the performance after some disappointing results away from home so far this season, and so it’s hopefully now the start of a strong run of form from Villa with focus switching to the Carabao Cup this week.
The visit of Brighton follows next weekend, and so this result will hopefully serve as an important boost for confidence and belief within the squad as we look for better consistency moving forward.
Clean sheet vital to set foundation for Villa win
After conceding five at Newcastle Utd, three at Liverpool and three more at Legia Warsaw, it was clear that something had to change on the road so that we were more difficult to break down.
That in turn put pressure on the entire team to defend more resolutely, and we put in a shift across the pitch on Sunday to keep things as tight as possible in the early stages before starting to gain more control.
We saw last season how important a solid defensive base was to our form under Emery, and the Villa boss has consistently reiterated the importance of defending better so far this year. Hopefully, this now starts a much-improved run of defensive form to give our attacking players a platform to go out and win games.
Boost for Watkins to end goal drought
Having gone without a goal in the league so far this season, and with just one in his last 12 league outings, the pressure was also building on Watkins to deliver in front of goal.
While he was quiet for most of this game, he eventually showed his quality with great movement off the ball and persistence before producing a fine finish to break the deadlock in a decisive moment.
Emery always praises the Villa forward for what he does for the team aside from goals, but Watkins will be fully aware that he needs to be more consistent and clinical in the final third too.
Emi Martinez decisive again
As he so often does, Emiliano Martinez produced a number of crucial saves during the course of Sunday’s encounter to initially keep us in the game, before protecting our lead in the latter stages.
The Argentine shot-stopper denied Chelsea in key moments and showed just how difficult it is to beat him in 1-on-1 situations, and he would have been more frustrated than anyone before Sunday over the number of goals he’s conceded so far this season.
While we certainly improved defensively, we still needed our No.1 between the posts to step up, and he undoubtedly did that this weekend to play an integral role in our win.
Kamara-Luiz midfield sets the tone
It’s natural to look towards the backline when discussing improved defensive performances, but such is the way Villa want to play, there is lot of responsibility on the midfield in that phase of the game too.
Not only from the perspective of shielding the defence and providing protection, but also to dictate tempo and possession and control the game to nullify the opposition’s attack.
While Villa weren’t able to do that as effectively in this one, Boubacar Kamara was disruptive, physical and crucial in building our attacks as he had the most tackles won [5] and most chances created [4].
Douglas Luiz added more of the same and helped add rhythm to our play with his distribution. When that midfield duo can influence games like they did on Sunday, it invariably leads to positive results.
Konsa puts in another top display
While Watkins will earn the plaudits for the winning goal and Emi Martinez will make the highlights with his string of important saves, one Villa player who continues to shine week in and week out is Ezri Konsa.
With Villa continuing to adopt a high line, there was a heightened sense of responsibility on Konsa’s shoulders to organise and lead the way as the most consistent presence in that backline, and he excelled yet again.
Whether it was his positional play, tactical awareness or recovery, he was superb in this one and while he may well be underrated outside of the club, he certainly isn’t by us.
Appreciate the brilliance. pic.twitter.com/p3uk46zBle
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 24, 2023
Ezri has responded well in the absence of Tyrone. I’m thrilled with the way he has stepped up and is leading the line.
I believe that Emi Martnez – World Cup winner- is an amazing keeper. I feel that when all is said and done, he will go down in history as one of Villa’s greatest players.
UTV