Chelsea maintained their impressive form with a commanding 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday evening in the 13th round of the English Premier League.
Chelsea secured the win with goals from Nicolas Jackson in the 7th minute, Enzo Fernandez in the 36th, and Cole Palmer in the 83rd.
The victory propelled Chelsea back to third place in the standings, bringing their total to 25 points, while Aston Villa remained in 11th place with 19 points.
Chelsea took an early lead in the 7th minute when Nicolas Jackson capitalized on a well-timed pass from full-back Marc Cucurella on the left. Jackson’s first-touch effort rebounded off the post and into the net.
In the 13th minute, Chelsea’s right winger Pedro Neto showcased his skill, advancing to the edge of the penalty area after bypassing Lucas Digne, only for his shot to miss narrowly wide of Aston Villa’s left post.
Aston Villa came close to levelling in the 15th minute when striker Ollie Watkins dispossessed Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana and found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. However, Sanchez made an excellent save to deny him.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a crucial save in the 25th minute, denying a strong shot from Chelsea’s Cole Palmer after the referee awarded an indirect free kick inside the penalty area due to Martinez holding a backpass from Lucas Digne. Martinez redeemed himself with a brilliant stop from Palmer’s powerful strike.
Five minutes later, Martinez had another nervy moment when he mishandled the ball inside the penalty area, gifting Nicolas Jackson a chance. However, Jackson, under pressure from the goalkeeper, failed to capitalize.
Chelsea doubled their lead in the 36th minute through Enzo Fernandez, who received a short pass from Palmer before calmly slotting the ball into the back of the net.
In first-half stoppage time, Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made a superb save, denying Ollie Watkins after a dangerous setup by Nicolo Zaniolo.
Aston Villa had to make a crucial change at halftime, substituting goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez with Robin Olsen after Martinez sustained an injury. Early in the second half, Enzo Fernandez set up Jackson on a counter-attack, but the forward fired his shot over the crossbar in the 52nd minute.
Chelsea suffered a setback when Wesley Fofana was forced off with an injury in the 60th minute, leaving the field in tears. Benoit Badiashile replaced him in defense.
Aston Villa pushed to get back into the match, and in the 73rd minute, striker Jhon Durán rose to meet a corner, but his header was blocked by Chelsea defender Levi Colwill.
Chelsea sealed the win in the 83rd minute when substitute Noni Madueke set up Palmer on the edge of the penalty area. Palmer unleashed a powerful strike into the far corner, scoring the third goal for his team.
In added time, Sanchez denied Durán again, narrowing the angle to make a crucial save. Moments later, Nkunku had a chance from distance but narrowly missed the far post, leaving Chelsea with a convincing 3-0 victory.
