An Ollie Watkins brace helped Aston Villa beat Chelsea 2-1 in a Premier League match at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, December 27. Unai Emery‘s men thus remain in contention for a Premier League title triumph by being in third position with 39 points in 18 matches.
Arsenal and Manchester City have 42 and 40 points, respectively, at the moment, which makes it a three-horse race for the Premier League title. The Ollie Watkins brace was crucial, as it helped Aston Villa come back from behind to win the match.
Ollie Watkins Brace Off The Bench
Watkins came off the bench in the second half, as did Jadon Sancho, and the two of them terrorised the Chelsea defence with their speedy runs from counter-attacks. They did not give the Royal Blues’ defence enough time to react. Watkins’ first goal was a result of some quick and adroit passing and the second goal came from a perfectly-placed header from a corner.
Prior to that, Chelsea had dominated the first half, enjoying 75% ball-possession at one stage. Their goal came from a Reece James corner, as Joao Pedro managed a touch to put the ball into the net past a clumsy Aston Villa defence.
Villa played off a low block mostly in the match, with their centre-back pairing of Ezri Konsa and Victor Lindelof staying back even in the second half, when their full-backs went into overlapping runs more frequently than in the first half. There were simply not enough men in Villa’s attack in the first half, and Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen were often outnumbered. In addition to that, the combination of Pedro Neto and Reece James gave Villa’s left-back Ian Maatsen a torrid time.
Morgan Rogers once again had a good match and seemed to make a difference whenever he got the ball. He registered an assist by playing the pass to Watkins for Villa’s equaliser. Villa absorbed pressure in the second half and launched counter-attacks one after another, mainly inspired by the trio of Rogers, Sancho and Watkins, to test the Chelsea defence repeatedly in the second half.
Robert Sanchez had to make a few very crucial saves to keep the home side in the game. However, he could not prevent the Ollie Watkins brace.
Watkins, who will turn 30 in a couple of days, has not enjoyed a rich vein of form this season, but made amends on Saturday. Watkins has now scored five goals this season and has 92 goals for Aston Villa in 248 matches.
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Aston Villa To Play Arsenal Next
Villa will visit the Emirates Stadium next to play the Premier League table-toppers. An outright victory in the match could take Emery’s side to the top. Villa beat Arsenal at home a few weeks ago and will want to repeat the act at Emirates.
The Ollie Watkins brace against Chelsea paved the way for Aston Villa’s 11th win in their last 12 matches. The Birmingham club are now flying high and must have their eyes firmly on the league title. However, the pressure will now start to intensify with the beginning of the second half of the season.
It remains to be seen whether they can live up to the huge expectations of their supporters, who have had reasons to celebrate frequently of late.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Xinhua
Recording Date: 27.12.2025
