Aston Villa entered the race for Europe as goals from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn saw them win 2-0 at Chelsea – in a result which saw Graham Potter receive chants of “you don’t know what your doing” from his own team’s fans.
Villa went in front when Watkins took advantage of Marc Cucurella’s poor defending to lob Kepa Arrizabalaga (18) – but the visitors were indebted to goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who pulled off a string of superb saves to keep his side ahead.
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The Argentine World Cup winner made two smart one-on-one stops to deny Mykhailo Mudryk, as well as Kai Havertz on several occasions.
Chelsea saw a Ben Chilwell header ruled out for a push by the full-back on Ashley Young before half-time – and the Blues received a sucker punch after the interval as McGinn’s long-range stunner from distance found the bottom corner.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter felt the wrath from some of his own supporters
The result moves Chelsea down to 11th in the table – 11 points off fourth and nine behind fifth-placed Newcastle having played two games more.
Villa, meanwhile, climb to ninth with defeats for Liverpool and Fulham earlier on Saturday, as well as Brighton and Brentford’s draw, meaning Unai Emery’s side are now just two points off sixth.
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How Villa put Chelsea back to square one
An end-to-end encounter began in brilliant fashion as both sides had big chances to take the lead in the opening seven minutes.
Mudryk picked Boubacar Kamara’s pocket on the edge of the box after an unsympathetic pass by Martinez – but the Villa goalkeeper made amends by staying big and keeping out the Ukrainian’s effort.
Seconds later, Villa were in on goal as John McGinn slipped in Watkins for a one-on-one – but the striker dragged his effort wide when he had more time.
Villa’s confidence continued to grow as McGinn struck the bar after being fed by Emiliano Buendia on the edge of the area – but they found the opener a minute after that, and Watkins was not to be denied this time.
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Ollie Watkins lifts the ball over Kepa Arrizabalaga to give Aston Villa a 1-0 lead against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
Douglas Luiz’s long pass saw both Kalidou Koulibaly and Cucurella jump for the ball, only for the latter to flick the ball on to the onrushing Watkins, who lobbed Kepa with a simple finish. That goal made Watkins the first Villa player to score in five consecutive away league matches.
Chelsea tried to make amends straight away as Joao Felix’s near post effort was kept out by Martinez, while Enzo Fernandez flashed a header wide of the near post.
Then came Chelsea and Mudryk’s big moment. The winger was played in and clear through down the left channel but took his shot way too early, with his low effort an easy grab for Martinez.
Havertz was then twice denied by flying bodies and Martinez before half-time, before referee Andy Madley ruled out Chilwell’s header past the Villa goalkeeper for a push on Young.
Chelsea and Chilwell began the second period brightly with the defender flashing two efforts wide – but then came Villa’s second just as the Blues were beginning to build momentum.
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John McGinn curls in a beauty to make it 2-0 to Aston Villa against Chelsea
A corner was cleared as far as Jacob Ramsay, who fed Scottish midfielder McGinn whose first-time effort from the edge of the area nestled into Kepa’s far corner.
Under-fire Potter – who started to draw the ire of a section of the Chelsea home crowd – brought on Noni Madueke and N’Golo Kante and both had quick-fire chances.
Madueke curled wide of the far post on the break, while Kante – playing his first game in seven months and 17 days after injury – missed Chelsea’s best chance of the second period by flashing wide when unmarked inside the box.
Mateo Kovacic shows his frustration as Chelsea fall 2-0 behind against Aston Villa
Apart from a wild Mateo Kovacic shot from distance, Villa had little Chelsea threat to deal with after that.
In fact, Villa were the team closest to a third as Leon Bailey curled wide, before Reece James’ backpass was picked up by Watkins, who was denied at his feet by Kepa. A moment that perfectly depicted Villa’s sharpness and Chelsea’s clumsiness.
What’s next?
Tuesday 4th April 7:00pm
Kick off 8:00pm
This match was the first of nine matches for Chelsea in April. Attention now turns to a midweek Premier League clash at home to Liverpool on Tuesday night, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm.
Next weekend sees the Blues take on Wolves away from home, with bumper fixtures against Real Madrid – twice – Brighton, Manchester United, Brentford and Arsenal to complete a busy month.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, now turn their attention to two Midlands derbies. The first is on Tuesday night away at Leicester, before hosting Nottingham Forest next Saturday.
