Chelsea 1-2 Aston Villa: Super sub Watkins crushes Chelsea’s title hopes

Aston Villa came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening and all but end their Premier League title dreams.

Joao Pedro opened the scoring as the Blues looked set to cruise to victory, only for Ollie Watkins to score twice off the bench and certify Villa’s own title credentials.

To say Enzo Maresca’s team completely dominated the opening 45 minutes would be an understatement, the home side’s pressing and positioning pinning the visitors into their own third.

The breakthrough came in the 37th minute through a set-piece as Reece James whipped in a corner which found the back of the net via the slightest of touches from the Brazil centre-forward.

Chelsea should have finished the game off early but spurned multiple chances to score before Unai Emery called on Watkins on the hour mark.

Moments later, the England striker was slipped in by Morgan Rogers and scored a rather fortunate equaliser, with Robert Sanchez saving the initial effort only for the ball to rebound into the back of the net.

With the Villans pumped up, the match turned on it’s head and there was nothing lucky about the winning goal, as Watkins rose highest to head Youri Tielemans’ corner beyond Sanchez.

With Arsenal beating Brighton and Manchester City defeating Nottingham Forest earlier in the day, this was a statement win for Unai Emery’s men – and there 11th in a row across all competitions.

Just three points separate the three title contenders, with Villa set to play Arsenal at the Emirates in just three days time.

But this result has surely ended any hope Chelsea had of bringing the trophy back to west London, with the Blues now 13 points off the top of the table and left to wonder what might have been.

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