Chelsea strengthened their bid for a top-four finish in the Premier League with a commanding 3-0 victory over Aston Villa, who now find themselves on an eight-game winless streak across all competitions following this loss at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues wasted no time asserting their dominance, taking the lead in the 7th minute when Nicolas Jackson slotted home a precise left-footed shot past Emiliano Martínez at his near post. Villa protested Marc Cucurella’s challenge on Jaden Philogene in the build-up, though replays showed the full-back appeared to play the ball first. Jackson’s goal marked his fourth time opening the scoring inside 10 minutes in a Premier League match this year, more than any other player.
It was another blow for Unai Emery’s struggling side, who had a chance to equalize when Ollie Watkins, instead of passing to Morgan Rogers, fired a weak shot straight at Robert Sanchez. Villa continued to look shaky and were awarded a rare indirect free-kick when Pau Torres was penalized for a back pass to Martínez. The Argentine keeper denied Cole Palmer from the resulting set-piece but nearly made a mistake moments later when he passed the ball directly to Jackson, who couldn’t capitalize as Martínez managed to recover.
Chelsea kept the pressure on and doubled their lead with a brilliant team move. Enzo Fernández took Palmer’s pass in stride before calmly finishing with a right-footed strike into the bottom corner. Martínez, visibly struggling, was replaced by Robin Olsen before the half ended. Olsen had not appeared for Villa since last season’s final day, when they conceded five against Crystal Palace.
Initially untested, Olsen was soon picking the ball out of the net in the 83rd minute after Palmer unleashed a stunning long-range shot into the top corner. This goal was significant for Palmer, as it made him the second-fastest player to reach 30 Premier League goals for Chelsea, doing so in just 46 games, five more than Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s 41.
Chelsea comfortably saw out the remainder of the match to secure all three points, moving them up to third in the table. The clean sheet was particularly important, as it ended a run of six consecutive home games in the league without a shutout. Meanwhile, Villa’s winless run extended to five Premier League matches, leaving them in 12th place as they head into the next week.
