Overview
- Aston Villa beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, overturning a first‑half deficit after Unai Emery’s triple change brought on Ollie Watkins, Jadon Sancho and Amadou Onana.
- Watkins struck twice after coming on, with Chelsea captain Reece James conceding the hosts "have ourselves to blame" after a dominant opening hour unraveled.
- The run equals a club record and trims the gap to Arsenal to three points, leaving the top three separated by just three points heading into the midweek fixtures.
- Emery tempered title talk, saying Villa are "not really" contenders despite their form, as the team faces Arsenal short-handed due to the bans for Cash and Kamara.
- Arsenal are nursing defensive absences and Mikel Arteta said the club will be "actively looking" in the January window, while Chelsea’s slump to one win in six has increased scrutiny on Enzo Maresca.