A perfect away day display on Saturday evening earned Aston Villa a first win at Stamford Bridge since 2011.
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
Referee: Andy Madley
Referee: Andy Madley
Date/Time : 1st April 2023, 18:30 CET
Aston Villa moved past Chelsea to ninth in the Premier League table thanks to a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge late on Saturday.
Ollie Watkins gave the visitors an 18th-minute lead in London before John McGinn doubled the lead early in the second period with a superb strike.
Unai Emery’s side have taken 13 points from their last four league games in superb form, while this is Chelsea’s first defeat since late February and they are 11 points clear of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Mateo Kovacic found Villatolppa in the second minute after the ball fell on the Croatian midfielder near the visiting team’s penalty area.
Chelsea had an even better chance in the sixth minute when Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez caused his team trouble with a poor pass to Boubacar Kamara inside the box, but the world champions made a brilliant save from Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Villa had a chance of their own at the other end less than a minute later but Watkins pulled his try wide after being given every possible space.
Emery came close again in the 17th minute when a brilliant move ended with McGinn firing into the top corner, but the crossbar came to Chelsea’s rescue.
However, Villa managed to take the lead in the 18th minute and Watkins completed superbly, latching in on Douglas Luiz’s pass before passing striker Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Chelsea looked for an immediate response from João Félix, who flicked a powerful shot into the corner, but Martinez was there to make a clever save before Enzo Fernandez headed wide of the post in the 23rd minute.
Kai Havertz’s shot was blocked by Martinez in the 25th minute but Villa remained very dangerous at the break as Jacob Ramsey’s pace caused all sorts of problems.
Mudryk should have equalized in the 31st minute when he was brought down by Kovacic but the Ukraine international could only find Martinez’s body before Ben Chilwell hit the post from close range after 10 minutes. from the first episode.
Felix then deflected wide after a flipper in the Villa box before Martinez Havertz denied as the Blues continued to press.
Chelsea thought they were level at the end of the first half with Chilwell’s header but the goal was disallowed as the defender slid past Ashley Young before curling in a cross.
Marc Cucurella hit the post for Villa early in the second half as Graham Potter’s side started the break fastest.
However, Villa’s second goal of the game came in the 56th minute when McGinn’s brilliant shot from the edge of the box hit the corner of the net and the ball was deflected off Kepa.
Kalidou Koulibaly headed the visitors’ bar in the 10th minute before Chelsea called for a penalty when Tyrone Mings appeared to have handled him in the box but VAR agreed with the referee that play should go ahead, much to Felix’s frustration . was the Chelsea player closest to the incident.
The returning N’Golo Kante missed with a low shot in the 65th minute and Villa continued their impressive defense to make it 2-0 in the last 10 minutes.
Leon Bailey scored a narrow equalizer for Chelsea in the 81st minute and the hosts didn’t react seriously as they dominated possession but lost the fight at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will look to get back on track when they host Liverpool on Tuesday, while Villa will continue their excellent run when they travel to Leicester City on the same night.
Lineups:
Chelsea (3-4-3):
Kepa; James, Koulibaly, Cucurella (Pulisic 80); Loftus-Cheek (Kante 58), Enzo, Kovacic (Gallagher 80), Chilwell; Havertz, Joao Felix, Mudryk (Madueke 58)
Unused Subs: Bettinelli, Badiashile, Chalobah, Chukwuemeka, Mount
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1):
Martinez; A Young, Konsa, Mings, Moreno (Digne 89); Kamara (Chambers 46, Douglas Luiz (Dendoncker 87); McGinn, Buendia (Bailey 76), Ramsey; Watkins
Unused Subs: Sinisalo, Wright, Carlos, Duran, Traore
Scorers:
Aston Villa
Ollie Watkins 18′
John McGinn 56′
Ollie Watkins 18′
John McGinn 56′
Bookings:
Chelsea
Kovacic
Chilwell
Enzo
Kovacic
Chilwell
Enzo
Aston Villa
Kamara
Chambers
Digne
Kamara
Chambers
Digne
Man of the Match: Ollie Watkins