Aston Villa recorded their 11th consecutive win in all competitions with a 2-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday, putting them firmly in the EPL title race although manager Unai Emery remains cautious about their chances.
Villa had defeated Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United over the course of their magnificent run and faced another tough test when they visited Stamford Bridge.
However, it was Chelsea who dominated proceedings and had the better chances to find the breakthrough in the first half.
Reece James in-swinging corner kick touched Joao Pedro on the way into the net as the Blues took a first half lead as the visitors struggled in the game.
“On day 34, we will speak about it. Now we are on day 18. The next match is day 19 and we are going to play against Arsenal and the Nottingham Forest the next week”, Emery said after the win.
“If the league was finishing against Arsenal, we are in the title race, but there are teams like Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea who are contending more than us.”
Unai Emery then delivered a tactical masterclass when he made a triple substitution in the second half.
Ollie Watkins, one of the players who came in, benefited from an error from Benoit Badiashile to equalize for Aston Villa.
The Englishman completed the comeback in the 84th minute, heading home a corner kick from Youri Tielemans.
Villa sealed their 11th straight win and move to within three points of league leaders Arsenal, reigniting a shock title challenge.
“We are competing very well and are getting better. Two months ago, we were speaking about a different moment and we were worried. Now, we are happy. We learnt a lot from the process two months ago and now we are humble and realistic and we know how we can do in each game and each competition”, the Villa boss added.
Aston Villa face league leaders Arsenal in their final match of the year on Tuesday and a victory at the Emirates could pull them level on points with the Gunners.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
