Match report: Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa

Chelsea jumped ahead quickly against Aston Villa in the Premier League and maintained their advantage throughout the match. Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Fernandez, and Cole Palmer all scored goals, leading to a comfortable win at Stamford Bridge.

After the international break, we secured consecutive wins in the league by comfortably defeating our opponents at home, building on the victory we had at Leicester last weekend.

Villa struggled to bounce back after Jackson scored first, finding the net with a close-range shot following a low cross from Marc Cucurella. They compounded their own problems throughout the first half by consistently losing possession of the ball.

However, this shouldn't diminish Chelsea's skill, which shone through in each of their three goals. The second one came just before halftime, when Fernandez linked up with Palmer for a quick exchange before unleashing a stunning shot into the bottom corner.

You could say that the highlight came right at the end. After a somewhat dull second period filled with anticipation, Palmer got the ball, evaded a defender, and expertly curved a stunning shot into the top corner of the net. It was exactly what we deserved.

After Thursday night's game in Germany, Enzo Maresca made some changes to his lineup. The only player who kept his spot from our Conference League victory against Heidenheim was Jadon Sancho, who played on the left wing. Pedro Neto was back on the right side, while Palmer teamed up with Jackson once again.

The most significant alteration happened in the defense, with Moises Caicedo moving to right-back. Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill took up positions as center-backs, while Cucurella occupied the left side. This setup allowed Romeo Lavia and our captain for the day, Fernandez, to manage the midfield, although Caicedo frequently advanced to support them when they had the ball.

The game began with both sides enjoying some time with the ball, though neither posed a significant danger. However, this was only temporary.

Only seven minutes into the match, the first opportunity led to the opening goal. This highlighted the advantages of counter-pressing and fast-paced play during transitions. Following a partial clearance of our initial attack, Cucurella quickly swooped in to regain possession just outside the Villa penalty area.

Our left-back swiftly passed the ball to Sancho, making a run into the penalty area before delivering a low cross across the goal. Jackson managed to outpace the defenders, and Emiliano Martinez could only deflect his first-time effort onto the inside of the post as it headed toward the goal.

After we took the lead, we maintained control of the ball for a while, but the opposing team started to be more aggressive in their attacks. We were thankful to Sanchez for making a solid low save up close after Ollie Watkins managed to get past Fofana on our right side.

The Blues continued to push in order to make the most of our ball control, which slowly led us to gain the upper hand. This effort even led to an unusual situation: an indirect free-kick taken from 10 yards out. This happened when Martinez quickly came over to retrieve the ball after it inadvertently touched Pau Torres' foot, following a low curling shot by Palmer that he had just saved.

The goalkeeper redeemed himself by using his strong hand to stop Palmer's fierce shot from the close-range free kick. After that, Lavia's attempt was thwarted by the defenders rushing in to block it.

We continued playing, primarily facing danger from Neto's risky crosses. However, Villa soon started to give us some chances again. First, Martinez sent a pass directly to Jackson in the box, but the striker wasn't quick enough to gain control of the ball. Then, Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa managed to mess up their passing and ended up giving Chelsea a corner after regaining possession.

The Villans might have gotten away with a few things in those moments, but just before halftime, we managed to increase our lead by executing another impressive quick play after regaining possession. This time, Lavia and Caicedo picked up a loose ball just over the halfway line, sparking the offensive play.

Caicedo passed the ball to Fernandez, who looked for Palmer before making a run into open space. When Palmer sent the ball back, our captain for the day made no mistake, skillfully controlling it and striking a precise low half-volley into the bottom corner before the defenders had a chance to respond.

That put us ahead by two goals at halftime, a lead we definitely earned. We spent the majority of the first half dominating Villa's side of the field and were a bit unlucky not to have scored one or two additional goals. Meanwhile, Sanchez only had to make two saves, both from Watkins, one at the start of the half and the other at the end.

Aston Villa switched their goalkeeper at the break, bringing in Robin Olsen to take over from Martinez, who appeared to get injured while making a recovery save after passing the ball to Jackson in the first half. However, the game’s dynamics didn’t shift much, as we maintained our aggressive approach into the second half. Jackson continued to be a relentless danger for Villa’s defense, while Fernandez and Palmer started to really find their rhythm, creating plenty of opportunities.

Enjoying Comfort Outdoors

Villa's growing annoyance became evident when Jaden Philogene received a yellow card for attempting to win a penalty by diving. We also had to make a substitution when Fofana left the field due to injury and was replaced by Benoit Badiashile. Meanwhile, the opposing team brought in three more attacking players in their ongoing effort to regain control of the match.

If anything, Chelsea appeared to have a better chance of scoring during a second half that had limited opportunities. As we moved into the final 20 minutes, our best shot at another goal came from a couple of near-misses by Jackson. One attempt sailed over Olsen's crossbar, and later, the Swedish goalkeeper rushed out to eliminate another chance at Jackson's feet. Additionally, a deflected shot from Sancho went off target.

In truth, the outcome of the match was determined in the first half, as both goalkeepers had little to do for the rest of the game. There was a crucial moment when a deflection off Colwill redirected a header from Ross Barkley, preventing it from going in after a corner kick, but that was about the only time either keeper faced any serious challenge.

There was still a chance for Palmer to put the finishing touch on this easy win for Chelsea, and it was a delightful moment. We’ve grown accustomed to seeing flashes of brilliance from our No. 20, and this was certainly one of those instances. After a brief free-kick, Noni Madueke laid the ball back to him at the edge of the box. Palmer deftly sidestepped a defender before sending a curling shot into the top corner, leaving Olsen helpless and securing a 3-0 victory for the Blues.

This victory puts us on equal footing with Arsenal, both of us having 25 points, in second place in the Premier League standings, as we await Manchester City's match against Liverpool later today. Although Arsenal is currently listed as second, it's only because they have scored an away goal in our one match against each other this season; our records are identical at this point.

We're returning to Premier League play on Wednesday with a match against Southampton, starting at 7:30 PM. After that, we'll be on the move again for a London derby against Tottenham Hotspur at 4:30 PM on Sunday.

Chelsea's lineup (4-1-4-1): Sanchez; Caicedo, Fofana (substituted for Badiashile at 60 minutes), Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia (replaced by Gusto at 86 minutes); Neto, Palmer (switched with Joao Felix at 86 minutes), Fernandez (captain), Sancho (substituted by Madueke at 71 minutes); Jackson (replaced by Nkunku at 71 minutes). Unused substitutes: Jorgensen, Tosin, Veiga, Mudryk. Goalscorers: Jackson at 7 minutes, Fernandez at 36 minutes, Palmer at 83 minutes. Yellow cards: Madueke at 87 minutes, Joao Felix at 89 minutes.

Aston Villa's lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez (Olsen at halftime); Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara (Barkley in the 62nd minute), Tielemans; Philogene (Bailey in the 66th minute), McGinn (captain), Rogers (Duran in the 66th minute); Watkins (Buendia in the 84th minute). Players on the bench: Bogarde, Maatsen, Carlos, Mings. Yellow cards issued: Philogene in the 54th minute, Cash in the 61st minute, Torres in the 85th minute.