Chelsea’s stuttering start to the Premier League season took another turn for the worse as Aston Villa piled more misery on the 10-man Blues with victory at Stamford Bridge.
Ollie Watkins fired home an unerring winner between the legs of Robert Sanchez from an incredibly tight angle as Villa capitalised on Malo Gusto’s dismissal for dangerous play.
Mauricio Pochettino’s hosts fashioned plenty of chances before Gusto’s red card for a poorly-timed tackle that caught Lucas Digne on the ankle but, as so often this season, failed to take any of them.
Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling were both denied one-on-one by excellent Emiliano Martinez saves while Enzo Fernandez sliced another glorious opportunity wide.
Chelsea had been equally indebted to their own goalkeeper as Sanchez made a pair of flying fingertip saves to thwart beautifully-struck volleys by Digne and Nicolo Zaniolo.
There were chances at both ends even after Gusto was sent off but Villa, who climb to sixth, took one of theirs via Watkins, while Chelsea failed to score for a third successive game to stay 14th.
More to follow.
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Chelsea
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Squad number1Player nameSánchez
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Squad number27Player nameGusto
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Squad number2Player nameDisasi
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Squad number6Player nameThiago Silva
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Squad number26Player nameColwill
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Squad number25Player nameCaicedo
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Squad number23Player nameGallagher
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Squad number7Player nameSterling
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Squad number8Player nameFernández
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Squad number10Player nameMudryk
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Squad number15Player nameJackson
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Squad number16Player nameUgochukwu
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Squad number19Player nameBroja
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Squad number20Player namePalmer
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Squad number21Player nameChilwell
Aston Villa
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Squad number1Player nameE Martínez
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Squad number2Player nameCash
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Squad number4Player nameKonsa
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Squad number14Player nameP Torres
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Squad number12Player nameDigne
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Squad number44Player nameKamara
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Squad number6Player nameDouglas Luiz
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Squad number7Player nameMcGinn
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Squad number19Player nameDiaby
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Squad number22Player nameZaniolo
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Squad number11Player nameWatkins
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Squad number8Player nameTielemans
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Squad number24Player nameDurán
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Squad number31Player nameBailey
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Squad number32Player nameDendoncker
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Squad number41Player nameJ Ramsey
Line-ups
Chelsea
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Sánchez
- 27GustoBooked at 58mins
- 2Disasi
- 6Thiago Silva
- 26Colwill
- 25CaicedoSubstituted forBrojaat 79′minutes
- 23Gallagher
- 7Sterling
- 8FernándezSubstituted forPalmerat 68′minutes
- 10MudrykSubstituted forChilwellat 61′minutesBooked at 90mins
- 15JacksonBooked at 50minsSubstituted forUgochukwuat 68′minutes
Substitutes
- 3Cucurella
- 16Ugochukwu
- 19Broja
- 20Palmer
- 21Chilwell
- 28Petrovic
- 29Maatsen
- 36de Souza Eugênio
- 47Bergström
Aston Villa
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1E MartínezBooked at 90mins
- 2Cash
- 4Konsa
- 14P Torres
- 12DigneBooked at 44mins
- 44KamaraSubstituted forDendonckerat 90′minutes
- 6Douglas LuizBooked at 90mins
- 7McGinnSubstituted forJ Ramseyat 75′minutes
- 19DiabySubstituted forTielemansat 81′minutes
- 22ZanioloSubstituted forBaileyat 75′minutes
- 11WatkinsSubstituted forDuránat 90+1′minutes
Substitutes
- 8Tielemans
- 16Chambers
- 17Lenglet
- 24Durán
- 25Olsen
- 31Bailey
- 32Dendoncker
- 41J Ramsey
- 71Kellyman
- Referee:
- Jarred Gillett
- Attendance:
- 39,700
Live Text
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Match ends, Chelsea 0, Aston Villa 1.
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Second Half ends, Chelsea 0, Aston Villa 1.
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Offside, Chelsea. Ben Chilwell tries a through ball, but Armando Broja is caught offside.
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Ben Chilwell (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Leon Bailey (Aston Villa).
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Attempt blocked. Cole Palmer (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Conor Gallagher.
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Hand ball by Jhon Durán (Aston Villa).
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Attempt blocked. Armando Broja (Chelsea) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Thiago Silva.
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Foul by Armando Broja (Chelsea).
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Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Axel Disasi.
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Hand ball by Lesley Ugochukwu (Chelsea).
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Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card.
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Offside, Chelsea. Levi Colwill tries a through ball, but Cole Palmer is caught offside.
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Attempt blocked. Cole Palmer (Chelsea) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Axel Disasi.
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Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Raheem Sterling (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa).
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Substitution, Aston Villa. Jhon Durán replaces Ollie Watkins.
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Substitution, Aston Villa. Leander Dendoncker replaces Boubacar Kamara.