Chelsea v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[nigel]

Also, to the genius managers we've faced in the last few weeks, how many videos have you watched where slinging crosses into our box (except from corners it would seem) has any material effect?

It doesn't work, and just because you don't a lot doesn't mean you've played 'well'.

One of the most noticeable things about the way we play. We make very, very few crosses into the box.
I’m sure I read somewhere that Unai believes crosses are wasted passes.

Could have done with Maatsen crossing that one in the second half rather than taking on the shot!

And if he had done and we hadn’t scored you’d be pinging him for not taking the shot.
It’s great he had the confidence to take it. It was hit with some power so ended up a decent save

[nigel]

A mention has to be made for SJM cutting out that cross at the back post, if he doesn't do that our run probably ends.

Nahh, Emi saves it 😉

[SaddVillan]

Maybe the child in me but this does make me laugh!

https://x.com/stokeyyg2/status/2005226152991072542?s=46&t=1A7xfLJNUgdI6215TY6YlA

It was the low key nonchalance that had me chuckling.

[PeterWithesShin]

Chelsea are investigating after a bottle was thrown towards the Aston Villa bench following their 2-1 Premier League defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

After the full-time whistle, an open plastic bottle was directed at Villa's celebrating bench, splashing staff and players with a liquid that appeared to be water.

One member of staff pointed towards the area from which the bottle came, which seemed to be a section containing both Chelsea fans and staff.

It remains unclear who was responsible. Chelsea have launched an investigation but have not commented officially at this stage.

It is also unclear whether referee Stuart Attwell and his officials saw the incident or whether it will be included in his report. BBC Sport has contacted the Football Association for comment.

Villa substitute Ollie Watkins scored twice to overturn Joao Pedro's first-half opener for Chelsea.

Unai Emery's side have now equalled a club record of 11 consecutive wins in all competitions and sit three points behind league leaders Arsenal in third. Chelsea are fifth before Sunday's games.

[Jon Crofts]

Classless as ever.

[Chip Butty 111]

Chelsea are investigating after a bottle was thrown towards the Aston Villa bench following their 2-1 Premier League defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

After the full-time whistle, an open plastic bottle was directed at Villa's celebrating bench, splashing staff and players with a liquid that appeared to be water.

One member of staff pointed towards the area from which the bottle came, which seemed to be a section containing both Chelsea fans and staff.

It remains unclear who was responsible. Chelsea have launched an investigation but have not commented officially at this stage.

It is also unclear whether referee Stuart Attwell and his officials saw the incident or whether it will be included in his report. BBC Sport has contacted the Football Association for comment.

Villa substitute Ollie Watkins scored twice to overturn Joao Pedro's first-half opener for Chelsea.

Unai Emery's side have now equalled a club record of 11 consecutive wins in all competitions and sit three points behind league leaders Arsenal in third. Chelsea are fifth before Sunday's games.

...a shame Chelsea didn't show a bit more bottle in the last 30 mins...

[cdbearsfan]

Did they have any chances after our equaliser? Can't remember any.

[RamboandBruno]

Did they have any chances after our equaliser? Can't remember any.

Nope. Lots of huffing and puffing and toys being thrown out of prams

[cdbearsfan]

Also, enjoyed this quote from their forum:

"We've been in trouble since the UK government decided to score political points using Roman to do it."

The poor little lambs, only able to spend a billion or so a year. They just cannot get a break.

[astonvilla82]

I don’t know how to handle this. Total head loss.

Could be worse. Boxing Day (well, St Stephen's Day) 10 years ago Villa drew at home to West Ham. Check out this embarrassment...

Aston Villa are now winless in 17 Premier League games - only four teams have ever had a longer run in the division (Derby 32, Sunderland 26, Norwich 21 and Nottingham Forest 19 - QPR also had a run of 17).

From her "Lady Karen Brady" Twitter account, came the in-match missive "At Aston Villa...never seen a home team get SO excited about winning a corner before!"

West Ham support would be quite happy with their team getting a corner now and again

[paul_e]

For as poor as we were for the first half, and it was bad. Overrun in midfield, Sideshow Bob stepping in to congest and outnumber, pulling wide to stretch etc...I didn't feel we were under too much threat. Maybe it the perspective from being on top of the goal but I didn't feel Martinez made a save of note and the goal was really poor.

Absolutely battered them when the subs came on and 2-1 flattered them.

That was my feeling honestly. We absolutely failed at the 'getting out' bit of the gameplan, but when the pundits afterwards were banging on about how they should've been 3-4 up, how they should've taken their chances, I was thinking...what chances? The Fernandez shot is the only one that should've been on target, and even that looked to be covered by Emi to me.

They absolutely dominated us in the midfield, but then Emery made the changes and we were the motor in the engine of the game.They scored a lucky goal they earned with a good delivery, we scored a lucky goal we earned with a good move and throughball. Actually we deconstructed their goal like an insufferable restaurant, scoring with a bit of make-your-own-luck and then a set-piece.

We just looked more grown-up out there, more mature, with more belief, more knowhow. We've gone Thanos-mode, inevitable, for eleven games now. We'd be 16th in the league on comeback wins alone, and we keep doing it with different heroes depending on the game, Watkins AND Malen, Buendia AND Onana and even Sancho (!), but the common denominator is the manager, the best in the world, about whom I note the likes of Mustoe and Jamie Redknapp are talking about with barely disguised awe, like he's literally Dumbledore.

I agree completely with you both and I think I posted something similar yesterday, despite us being really poor with the ball in the first half I think the freak goal was the only thing that emery would've been upset about, aside from that we largely held them at arms length and let them punch themselves out, and it's not a fluke, we've done it over and over again this season, just look at the times we've taken the lead in away games:

Yesterday 84th minute
West Ham 79th minute
Brighton 60th minute
Leeds 75th minute
Spurs 77th minute

We sit in, keep our shape and let teams run themselves into the ground and then we make subs and step up a level just when the cracks appear. It's not an accident or lucky, you don't do it over and over again in that case, this is tactical and is clearly something we've worked out to address our poor away form last year. I find it funny that pretty much everyone acknowledges that Emery is a top manager but many seem reluctant to accept that tactics which allow us to dominate the last half hour of games are a result of that genius.

[nigel]

For as poor as we were for the first half, and it was bad. Overrun in midfield, Sideshow Bob stepping in to congest and outnumber, pulling wide to stretch etc...I didn't feel we were under too much threat. Maybe it the perspective from being on top of the goal but I didn't feel Martinez made a save of note and the goal was really poor.

Absolutely battered them when the subs came on and 2-1 flattered them.

That was my feeling honestly. We absolutely failed at the 'getting out' bit of the gameplan, but when the pundits afterwards were banging on about how they should've been 3-4 up, how they should've taken their chances, I was thinking...what chances? The Fernandez shot is the only one that should've been on target, and even that looked to be covered by Emi to me.

They absolutely dominated us in the midfield, but then Emery made the changes and we were the motor in the engine of the game.They scored a lucky goal they earned with a good delivery, we scored a lucky goal we earned with a good move and throughball. Actually we deconstructed their goal like an insufferable restaurant, scoring with a bit of make-your-own-luck and then a set-piece.

We just looked more grown-up out there, more mature, with more belief, more knowhow. We've gone Thanos-mode, inevitable, for eleven games now. We'd be 16th in the league on comeback wins alone, and we keep doing it with different heroes depending on the game, Watkins AND Malen, Buendia AND Onana and even Sancho (!), but the common denominator is the manager, the best in the world, about whom I note the likes of Mustoe and Jamie Redknapp are talking about with barely disguised awe, like he's literally Dumbledore.

I agree completely with you both and I think I posted something similar yesterday, despite us being really poor with the ball in the first half I think the freak goal was the only thing that emery would've been upset about, aside from that we largely held them at arms length and let them punch themselves out, and it's not a fluke, we've done it over and over again this season, just look at the times we've taken the lead in away games:

Yesterday 84th minute
West Ham 79th minute
Brighton 60th minute
Leeds 75th minute
Spurs 77th minute

We sit in, keep our shape and let teams run themselves into the ground and then we make subs and step up a level just when the cracks appear. It's not an accident or lucky, you don't do it over and over again in that case, this is tactical and is clearly something we've worked out to address our poor away form last year. I find it funny that pretty much everyone acknowledges that Emery is a top manager but many seem reluctant to accept that tactics which allow us to dominate the last half hour of games are a result of that genius.

This is something I’ve mentioned a couple of times on here, and previously.
Guys saying how poor we’re playing, or we’re sh!t.
This obviously isn’t the case as it appears to be pretty consistent in our play
Chelsea are a very good side, so we have to give them some credit for pushing us, but at the same time you have to credit our guys for keeping them out. A poor side wouldn’t have managed that.
They had all that possession (70%?) 14 shots 2 on target and only one goal? That’s not us being poor, that’s us containing them and controlling the game

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Anybody want the lottery numbers for next week just drop me a DM.

Watkins off the bench to score the winner.

[olaftab]

Well done.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Well done.

Cheers, Olaf. Doesn't happen very often but as soon as I saw the team sheet, I could see the future. I almost started doubting my divine intervention moment in the first half but remembered we have Uncle Unai and his own divine intervention powers.