Marco Asensio scored twice as Aston Villa came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Villa Park, securing their first Premier League win in six matches and closing the gap on the European spots.
Chelsea, undaunted by Villa’s strong home form, took the lead within nine minutes. Pedro Neto raced down the right and crossed into the box, where Enzo Fernández, completely unmarked, tapped it in past Emiliano Martínez. Villa responded through Ollie Watkins, but his shot was blocked by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen.
As the game progressed, Fernández narrowly missed scoring a second, and Watkins couldn’t get past Jörgensen after a cross from Youri Tielemans. Chelsea almost extended their lead when Cole Palmer’s shot was deflected wide, and Christopher Nkunku forced Martínez into a save with a curling shot. However, Villa showed some promise late in the half as they searched for their first win since mid-January.
Marcus Rashford’s arrival off the bench sparked a change, and it took him less than 15 minutes to help Villa equalise. Matty Cash’s cross found Rashford at the far post, and he squared it for Asensio to tap into an empty net. Villa then pushed forward but nearly conceded when Moisés Caicedo sent Palmer through on goal, only for Ezri Konsa to block his shot.
Villa looked more likely to grab a late winner, but Donyell Malen was denied by Jörgensen in a one-on-one. In the 89th minute, Villa’s new pair combined again for the match-winning goal. Rashford played a quick one-two with Tielemans from a corner before passing it to Asensio, who finished first time to beat Jörgensen. Villa’s victory broke a five-match winless streak and lifted them just one point behind Chelsea, who remain in sixth place after failing to win any of their last six away matches.
