Chelsea 1-2 Aston Villa: Report, result and goals as super sub Watkins seals 11th straight win
Aston Villa maintained their impressive winning streak with a remarkable comeback at Stamford Bridge.
Ollie Watkins was a game-changer off the bench, netting twice as Aston Villa overturned a deficit to achieve their 11th consecutive victory in all competitions, boosting their unlikely Premier League title hopes with a 2-1 triumph over Chelsea.
In the first half at Stamford Bridge, Villa struggled significantly and were fortunate to trail by only one goal, which was a result of a Joao Pedro effort that involved minimal awareness on his part.
However, the game shifted in Villa’s favor soon after the introduction of Watkins, whose contribution leveled the match merely four minutes after he came on.
And with just six minutes remaining in regular time, he directed a header from a Youri Tielemans corner into the net, ensuring that Villa would enter Tuesday’s match against Arsenal—whom they defeated at Villa Park earlier this month—only three points behind the league leaders.
Chelsea force Emery into action
Chelsea were thoroughly in control during the first half, with Cole Palmer sending a shot wide from the edge of the box early on, while Enzo Fernandez squandered a prime opportunity following a well-executed move, and Pedro faced a save from Emi Martinez.
Reece James attempted a long-range strike that went just wide, but his set-piece delivery played a crucial role in breaking the deadlock, as Martinez was unable to prevent the ball from entering the goal, thanks to the slightest of touches from Pedro.
VAR dismissed Villa’s contention that Martinez had been impeded by Pedro while attempting to manage the cross, and it seemed inevitable that Villa would fall further behind.
John McGinn displayed sharp defending to deny Alejandro Garnacho a tap-in at the back post from a Palmer cross, while Martinez had to fend off a cross-cum-shot from James, as Chelsea’s persistent pressure compelled Unai Emery to respond.
Watkins turns the tide
Watkins, along with Sancho and Amadou Onana, was introduced in a triple substitution that quickly yielded results.
Rogers delivered a superb pass to Watkins, whose low shot slipped under Robert Sanchez, and from that moment on, the Chelsea goalkeeper was by far the more active of the two.
He had to fend off attempts from Ian Maatsen and another shot from Watkins before Rogers curled a free-kick just over the crossbar.
Sanchez was powerless to stop Watkins from sealing the comeback as he met a cross from Tielemans with an unstoppable header, pulling Villa within striking distance of Arsenal before their highly anticipated encounter in North London in three days.
Published: 2025-12-27 19:26:00
source: www.101greatgoals.com
