1 December 2024
Chelsea 3 Aston Villa 0
Chelsea welcomed out-of-form Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge. The visitors had gone seven games without a win in all competitions as Unai Emery tried to stop the rot. Enzo Maresca’s side are looking to ensure they are in the top four mix this season. For a club the size and spend of Chelsea, Champions League qualification is a must.
Things have gone well and truly pear-shaped for the Villans. Months ago title challenges were being spoken about but now they are closer to the bottom than they are the top. The Spaniard needs to find a solution as we head into the busy fixture schedule of the festive period. December can make or break a season as we have seen so often in the past.
The hosts were asking questions from the kick-off. Neto put in a teasing cross which was half-cleared. Cucurella robbed the ball from Philogene, before crossing to find Jackson in the box. He swept the ball home off the inside of the post. The Chelsea striker is finding the back of the net far more regularly this campaign. The Blues are reaping the rewards from this.
In true Chelsea style, despite dominating the opening exchanges, they were in the giving spirit. Some poor defending saw Watkins with a perfect chance to draw his side level. Sanchez blocked the effort with an out-stretched leg but it was in all fairness a poor finish. The Aston Villa striker would have backed himself to score from there, that is for sure.
Palmer had his first glimpse of the target as he drilled an effort towards goal. Martinez blocked the shot but Torres then touched the ball back to his keeper. As a result, Chelsea were awarded an indirect free-kick on the edge of the six yard box. Despite having two bites of the cherry, Villa got players in front of the ball to get blocks in.
Aston Villa seemed focussed to make their afternoon more difficult for themselves. Martinez dwelled on the ball before passing it straight to Jackson. The Argentine recovered well as he spread himself in front of the forward and won the ball back. Heart in mouth moment for the self-proclaimed best keeper in the world right now.
Just before the interval, Palmer and Fernandez linked up before the midfielder drilled his shot past Martinez into the bottom corner. It was well-deserved by Chelsea who had been by far the better team in this game. Now they had goals to show for their exploits, Maresca’s side could look to secure another very important three points.
Jackson had a chance to score again just after the break. As he ran through towards goal, a poor touch gave Martinez the chance to smother his effort. He really should have done better and could have put this game to bed. Aston Villa were offering very little in an attacking sense and Chelsea needed to assert themselves more in front of goal.
The one player in this team who produces regularly, without fail, is Cole Palmer. He picked the ball up outside the box and looked to come inside onto his left foot. He bent a sublime effort around the defenders and into the far corner to drive the Stamford Bridge crowd wild. What a signing he has proven to be, Man City certainly dropped the ball letting him go.
It was a goal of such quality, it deserved to win any game it graced. In this case, it surely would. Unai Emery’s side had failed to turn up once again. Like Newcastle before them, they seem to be struggling with juggling the exploits of both domestic and European football. It has broken many sides over the years. Villa may need to spend in the January transfer window.
If Aston Villa want to be Champions League regulars they need to have more depth to their squad. They are still very reliant on a spine of key players to all perform at the same time. If any one of them goes missing, the whole setup of the side fails. This poor run of form is really going to test the managerial prowess of the Spaniard.
Chelsea moved themselves to third in the table, level on points with Arsenal in second. Maresca is playing down talk of a title challenge, as he should. No team in this league can talk about that while Liverpool still have a nine-point lead at the top of the table. The title is no longer there to be won for other teams, it is Arne Slot’s to lose.
The Blues did not plan to be vying for titles this season, they are looking to bed in the Maresca era. It has been a revolving-door approach to managers here over the last decade and the club needs some stability. A top four spot will have been the main aim this campaign and it is a realistic ambition given how they have started their season.
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