Key events
Right, it’s time for me to wrap up here. It was good fun that, in the end, and tees up Villa’s trip to Arsenal perfectly. Here’s Jacob Steinberg’s match report. And with that, adiós.
Watkins is beamed into the Sky Sports studio to talk about his match-winning performance. “Amazing, amazing,” he says of Villa’s comeback. “Obviously, for me personally, to come on and score two goals is a great feeling, but to keep up this run, to come away here and beat Chelsea at a tough place is, like I said, amazing.”
Asked about Emery’s decision not to start him, he says: “He changed it because Chelsea were going man for man, but they had the extra centre-back when we were going long. So when I came on in the second half he brought Sancho on the wing and Morgan [Rogers]. I think that gave us a bit more space, with Youri [Tielemans] in the No 10, so we had an extra body up there. Tactical genius.”
The only negative for Villa is that Kamara and Cash will miss the big game at Arsenal on Tuesday evening. They won’t lose much sleep over it after a result like that, but it does limit Emery’s options.
Villa stay third, trailing City by one point and Arsenal by three. Chelsea have slipped three points behind fourth-place Liverpool.
Full time, Chelsea 1-2 Aston Villa
Chelsea look absolutely stunned by that, and so they should be. Having dominated the majority of the game, they were undone by a smart triple change from Emery midway through the second half. Watkins, one of the subs, scored twice, Villa turned the game upside down and, for the 11th consecutive game, they emerge victorious. It’s a sickener for their hosts, but a great result for Emery’s side.
90+3 min: Fernández is booked after getting into Attwell’s ear following a foul on Rogers.
90 min: Digne whips an effort round the wall, but Sánchez gets down low and saves. Chelsea come forward in search of an equaliser, but time is not on their side.
88 min: Sancho and Tielemans test Sánchez from tight angles in quick succession. After the latter’s effort, the Chelsea keeper attempts a quick restart only to slip and carry the ball outside the area. Villa have a menacing free-kick.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-2 Aston Villa (Watkins 84)
What a turnaround this has been. Watkins rises highest at the corner and steers a header past Sánchez and into the far corner. Having been second best in every area for 60 minutes, Villa are winning. Playing inconsistently but getting consistent results: it seems to be their superpower at the moment.
83 min: Watkins has another good chance but, having got into a shooting position, he holds on to it a little too long. Even so, he wins a corner.
82 min: Emery makes his final two changes, Kamara and Maatsen coming off for Lamare Bogarde and Lucas Digne.
81 min: Gittens wins a corner for Chelsea. Onana clears at the cost of another corner. James curls one in. Cash clears. Back and forth, back and forth. Villa hold fast.
80 min: Fernández releases Gittens down the left. He cuts inside and into the box, but his shot is blocked.
77 min: Kamara is booked and he, too, will miss the Arsenal game. Mikel Arteta will be following this with interest.
76 min: Fernández overturns Cash for a foul, drawing a groan of frustration from the stands. The mood music has gone from cheerful string quartet to grunge.
74 min: Tielemans gives away a free-kick right on the edge of the box after catching Fernández on the heel. James smashes it straight into the wall.
72 min: Estêvão comes on for Palmer. Rogers has a free-kick in a promising position. He swooshes the ball on to the roof of the net. It really does feel like the momentum of the match has been flipped on its head.
71 min: Two more yellow cards for Chelsea. Caicedo and Delap, who has literally just come on, go into the book.
70 min: Watkins gets in behind again and gets away a shot under pressure. It takes a deflection which almost catches out Sánchez, but the Chelsea keeper scrambles to make the save.
68 min: It’s Chelsea’s turn to make a triple substitution. On: Gusto, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens. Off: Cucurella, João Pedro, Garnacho.
67 min: Chalobah is booked after catching Rogers on the ankle. Chelsea look a bit rattled.
66 min: Suddenly Villa are everywhere. A lightning counterattack ends with Maatsen lashing a shot on target from a tight angle, forcing Sánchez into a desperate save. Villa win a corner, then another. Youri Tielemans tries to play it short, but it’s intercepted.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa (Watkins 62)
Well, well, well. Villa, who have been off the pace all evening, are level. Emery’s substitutions have an instant impact, Watkins bundling the ball over Sánchez. Props to Rogers for a silky smooth through-ball. We’ve got a game on our hands.
60 min: Villa’s best chance so far! Kamara bursts in behind the defence but Sánchez rushes off his line to save.
58 min: A triple change for Villa. Buendía, Malen and McGinn are off, with Watkins, Jadon Sancho and Onana replacing them.
56 min: Villa win another corner, which is twice delayed for tussling between James and Rogers. Both are booked, much to their annoyance. Cash takes it short, playing a one-two with Maatsen, but his inswinger is held by Sánchez. Chelsea break but fail to convert the chance.
54 min: James thumps in a cross which wrongfoots Martínez and looks like it might drop under the crossbar, but the Villa keeper makes an improvised save to keep the visitors alive.
52 min: Chelsea so close to two! Palmer gets in behind on the right and strokes a cross to the far post where Garnacho is waiting, but McGinn makes a crucial challenge to steer the ball narrowly wide.
51 min: Cash steps up. His delivery hangs in the air dangerously, but Sánchez does well to come and claim the ball.
50 min: A shot for Villa? A shot for Villa! Rogers has a pop from distance, but it’s deflected wide. The visitors have a corner.
49 min: Garnacho goes on another galloping run and sends a cross all the way through to Neto. He attempts a faded ball into the area, but Villa clear.
46 min: Normal service resumes. Garnacho whips in a cross from the left and Ian Maatsen just about clears under pressure from Neto. The ball appeared to hit Maatsen on the upper arm, but VAR checks it and adjudges his arm to have been in a natural position.
Second half kicks off
Palmer gets the ball rolling for Chelsea. Can Villa turn this around, or will Chelsea turn the screw? Let’s find out.
According to Sky Sports, Malen had the fewest touches of anyone in the first half. Watkins is warming up as we speak. A change on the cards for Villa?
We’ve got a half-time email from Peter Oh. “Hi Will. What’s the most popular candy at Stamford Bridge today? Reece’s set pieces!” Or João-ntree’s fruit pastilles, maybe? I’ll get me coat.
Half-time, Chelsea 1-0 Aston Villa
It’s fair to say that was not a great half from Villa. Chelsea were dominant from start to finish and the visitors will need to come out with a different energy in the second half to have any chance of getting something from this match.
45 min: The two sides trade possession before Badiashile shoves over Rogers to the right of the box. John McGinn’s delivery catches Robert Sánchez off guard, but the Chelsea keeper shifts his weight and makes a low stop.
43 min: Cash launches a ball upfield and Villa get a rare sniff of goal, but Buendía fouls Fernández in a 50-50 to hand Chelsea a free-kick.
41 min: Neto lashes in a shot which is blocked by Lindelöf, before Palmer forces Martínez into a low save. Villa need to cling on until half-time and regroup.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Aston Villa (João Pedro 37)
Chelsea win a corner, James stepping up to take. His inswinging delivery leaves Villa’s defence all at sea and, as blue shirts swarm all around Martínez, João Pedro appears to get the slightest touch as it goes in. James deserves the credit, but his teammate will get the goal.
35 min: James slides in on Rogers to deny Villa an opportunity to counterattack. Nice tackle, that.
33 min: Cucurella bounces in a cross which Neto heads back to Reece James, who blasts wide. The stats now read: Chelsea, eight shots, Villa, none.
Source From: Premier League | The Guardian
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