Aston Villa came from behind to beat Chelsea

BBC News, February 23 — New signings Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford combined twice as Aston Villa came from behind to beat Chelsea, grabbing a valuable three points in their push for European qualification.

An excellent piece of play out wide from Pedro Neto fashioned a ninth-minute opener for Chelsea, with the winger skipping past Ian Maatsen before drilling a low delivery across the face of goal which only required a slight prod from Enzo Fernandez to turn it past Emiliano Martinez.

But Chelsea did not seize control and half-time introduction Rashford - who was initially ruled offside before the video assistant referee system overturned the decision - helped Aston Villa to level when he tapped a Matty Cash delivery across the six-yard box for Asensio to bundle home.

After once again being fed by fellow mid-season recruit Rashford, Asensio then netted a 90th-minute winner thanks to a huge mistake from Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who allowed a first-time strike to slide underneath him.

Villa started slowly but eventually clicked and made the most of Chelsea's poor defending, getting in behind through good passing play from John McGinn and Youri Tielemans, but the hosts lacked the precision to equalise in the first half as Ollie Watkins failed to convert any of his four efforts.

Cole Palmer's recent underwhelming form continued as he squandered an glorious chance to restore Chelsea's lead at 1-1, taking too long to shoot as goalkeeper Martinez slipped twice, giving Ezri Konsa time to rush back and clear his effort.

Asensio's late winner means Villa rise to seventh in the table, a point behind Chelsea and two points off fourth-placed Manchester City.

Mid-season arrivals make difference as Villa battle back

Villa's energy and confidence was fantastic - Emery

Chelsea's mishaps in defence and failure to close down gaps gave Villa ample chances to find a way back into the game despite the visitors going ahead early.

The momentum was firmly in the hosts' favour for much of the first half, producing regular good passing routines to get in behind the visitors' back line, but they struggled for a clinical edge.

Unai Emery tipped the balance in his side's favour at the break when he brought on Manchester United loanee Rashford, who brought a newfound energy and impetus to Villa's attack to combine with their precision passing.

His intent was pivotal for the opener, timing his run perfectly to snatch the ball as Malo Gusto failed to hook clear Cash's delivery.

While Chelsea still managed to threaten Villa's depleted defence on occasion, the hosts were in the ascendency after equalising and pushed incessantly for a winner.

In the end, their claiming of the three points owed a great deal to a bad error from Chelsea's goalkeeper, but Villa would not have won but their persistence and the difference made by Rashford's introduction.

Sloppy Chelsea let lead slip

Chelsea were looking for a response after a 3-0 defeat by Brighton in their previous fixture, which boss Enzo Maresca described as the "worst" game of his tenure.

This was a much better performance, but still a long way from perfection. They could have cemented their lead further against a Villa side who took far too long to get into gear, but did not manage to do so.

Their flexible front line shifted positions and caused problems for Villa, with Neto the main troublemaker as he tormented Maatsen on the wing, but in truth few players, bar Neto and Fernandez, did much positive in the final third.

The Blues left gaps behind their midfield line, which Villa made sure to exploit, and were often open at the back.

Reece James, playing in an unorthodox position on the right of midfield, showed some good glimpses in terms of recovering the ball and playing passes forwards, but he did not manage the space behind him well enough.

The impact of having to replace defender Trevoh Chalobah - who had a back injury - with Tosin Adarabioyo early in the game was evident as Chelsea's backline never looked entirely solid.

They had ample opportunities to punish Villa at the other end, but did not take them, with Palmer once again far from at his best.