Chelsea v Aston Villa, Getty Images December 27, 2025, 9:27 p.m

In the championship race of the English Premier League, almost every season there is a team that joins a couple of clear favorites to a certain stage and actively imposes a struggle on them. In the current campaign, this role has already been tried on by more than one club, but to see Birmingham Aston Villa in such a high position in the tournament table was considered something fantastic just a few weeks ago.

But with such a hunter for obscure trophies as Unai Emery, you could expect anything from the Lions. Although, no, it is still hard to believe in ten consecutive victories of Aston Villa, who at the beginning of the season barely got those points. However, the team from Birmingham approached the match against London Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with such a non-trivial achievement behind their shoulders.

And that actually put pressure on Chelsea, as Enzo Maresca’s team’s total wins in the Premier League this season were less than their opponents’ winning streak. So, in what role should the “blues” be considered before the start of this confrontation? Favorites? Unless at the expense of native walls. And, it turns out, this is a significant factor for Chelsea.

Because in the first half, Aston Villa was simply driven around their half of the field as much as they could. 10-0 in total shots on goal – complete dominance by the home side, and there was no hint at all that things were going to improve for Emery’s side in this game, and nowhere near it. Chelsea also managed to score at the end of the first half, when Rhys James joined the list of cool guys from the Premier League, who put “dry sheets” from corners into the opponents’ goal.

There was absolutely no doubt in the audience that Mareska’s team simply had no right to let this game go. Especially, with such a start to the second half, when Chelsea should have closed the game in one of the moments of James, Harnacho or at least at the expense of Cash’s shot on his own goal, which also turned out to be inaccurate. Emery’s team was lucky then, very lucky.

And then the Spaniard decided that it was time to give game practice to Watkins, whom he himself put on the bench in order to prevent performance. And still, the title of “doctor” can be attributed to the coach of Aston Villa after this game, because his methods of upbringing worked as best as possible. On the 63rd minute, Oli hit the goal from the right wing of the free kick in a counterattack, and on the 84th, he blocked a corner kick from the right wing from Tielemans.

And it was Watkins, as well as Matsen in one of the episodes, who could have given Aston Villa an advantage by scoring even earlier on the scoreboard, but Sanchez somehow tried to help his partners not to crumble prematurely. But they still crumbled, and the last minutes also passed by the advantage of the “lions”, hints of which, again, did not exist at all before the break, as a phenomenon.

Chelsea: Sanchez — James, Badiashil, Chaloba, Cucurella (Giusto, 69) — Caicedo, E. Fernandez — Netu, Palmer (Estevan, 72), Garnacho (Gittens, 69) — Juan Pedro (Delap, 69).