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OLLI WATKINS’ goal puts Chelsea ahead of ASTON VILLA 1-0, causing more misery for the Blues and manager Mauricio Puccettino.
On Sunday afternoon, Chelsea and Aston Villa faced off in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. Mauricio Pochettino believed his Chelsea team had been performing better than their standing in the standings indicated, but a loss at home only made their problems in West London worse. In the second half, Villa’s Ollie Watkins scored the game-winning goal to put further pressure on Chelsea.
In the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, Aston Villa defeated 10-man Chelsea 1-0 thanks to a single goal from Ollie Watkins.
Chelsea had the majority of the possession in the first few minutes of the match. After Nicolas Jackson won the ball from Douglas Luiz, Moises Caicedo had an early opportunity from outside the box, but Emiliano Martinez easily saved the low shot.
As Aston Villa grew into the half, Robert Sanchez had to make a huge save to keep Lucas Digne’s volley from a corner out.
Axel Disasi’s header gave Chelsea the impression that they had broken the deadlock just before halftime, but Disasi misjudged his run from Raheem Sterling’s cross, and VAR promptly confirmed the call.
The hosts started the second half fast, but Villa’s celebration was short-lived as Malo Gusto sent Digne off for a studs-up tackle. He was originally given a yellow card by referee Jarred Gillett, but the card was upgraded to a red following a VAR check at the monitor.
Watkins surged into the box during a counterattack, but Villa broke the deadlock with their numerical advantage. Levi Colwill, the defender, blocked his initial attempt, but Watkins was fast to respond and finish his second attempt from a close angle.