Aston Villa produced yet another stirring comeback win to secure a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
A brace from substitute Ollie Watkins sealed all three points, after Villa struggled to get going in the first half and deservedly trailed going into the break.
However, through a combination of excellent in-game management from Unai Emery and a decisive impact from those coming on, the reaction was excellent in the second half as we went on to make it 11 consecutive wins across all competitions.
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Villa now prepare to face Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday night, as although the noise around the club continues to build regarding a potential Premier League title bid, Emery and the players will no doubt be fully focused on the task in hand and trying to secure three points in midweek.
We’ll be without both Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara for that encounter as the pair picked up bookings in this clash and will subsequently be suspended, but such is the confidence and depth in this squad, we’ll hope to cope with fresh absences and continue our impressive run of form.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Chelsea:
Emiliano Martinez, 7 – Could be argued that there should have been a free-kick prior to the goal as he had to wrestle with two Chelsea players on his line. However, he’ll perhaps be disappointed that he didn’t impose himself more effectively and go claim the ball to get rid of the danger as we needed a more commanding presence in that situation too.
Matty Cash, 7 – Will be a big miss against Arsenal after picking up a caution and subsequently a suspension, as although he had a tough evening up against Garnacho in 1v1 situations, he defended resolutely again and put in an important shift.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Another top display as he defended well throughout to give us a solid foundation and limited Chelsea’s threat through the middle with Joao Pedro kept relatively quiet.
Victor Lindelof, 7.5 – Similarly to Konsa, the pair defended diligently to keep things tight at the back despite Villa coming under pressure in the first half. To go with that defensive work though, he impressed when driving forward with the ball to create more space and openings for his teammates to operate.
Ian Maatsen, 7 – Provided us with energy and tempo down the left with his desire to push up and give us a different attacking dynamic. Defended well to go with that as he also had a tricky time dealing with Pedro Neto on his side of the pitch.
Boubacar Kamara, 7 – Chelsea were excellent in the first half in starving us of time and space in midfield, and so it was incredibly difficult for Kamara to impose himself and get us a foothold in the game. However, he grew into the game and started to dictate more, while some of his bursting runs forward caught the eye to help us get up the pitch with speed.
Youri Tielemans, 7 – Struggled alongside Kamara for the same reasons in the first half, but he also improved after the interval and showed his quality and versatility in the second half after being shifted into the more advanced No.10 role and helped spark our turnaround.
John McGinn, 6.5 – Battled hard but couldn’t get into the game as Villa struggled to retain possession. Worked tirelessly out of possession to give us defensive structure and to limit Chelsea, but a difficult evening for the Villa skipper.
Emiliano Buendia, 6 – Showed touches of class and worked hard getting back and defending to help contain Chelsea in the first half, but he couldn’t really offer anything in the attacking sense and was eventually replaced.
Morgan Rogers, 7.5 – With Villa unable to break through midfield, Rogers was kept quiet for the first half and into the second. However, with tweaks to our set-up, he became more of a threat and provided Watkins with the assist for his first goal to produce a decisive impact. He can be so explosive when he is released into space in the opposition half though and hopefully we’ll see him make the most of that in midweek.
Donyell Malen, 6 – Wasn’t able to hold up the ball effectively and although Villa did get forward and expose space in the final third on rare occasions, the Dutchman struggled to offer a goal threat and was replaced by Watkins for the latter stages.
Substitutes:
Ollie Watkins, 8.5 – Superb impact off the bench. Showed his quality with his movement and hold up play, but then added a decisive touch with his double. Fortunate with the finish for his first but he made a great run, produced a great touch and showed real strength to put himself in that position, while his second was a peach of a header. MOTM.
Amadou Onana, 8 – Won’t get the headlines given Watkins grabbed the goals, but his presence and physicality in midfield in the latter stages was critical. Gave us control in midfield as we gained momentum in the second half with his passing and ability to break up Chelsea’s play, and so he deserves a lot of credit for this result too.
Jadon Sancho, 7.5 – Positive outing for the Villa loanee, as he looked sharp and was bright in his attacking movements to help us build a threat and ultimately turn the game on its head.
Lamare Bogarde, N/A
Lucas Digne, N/A
