(Premier League 2023/2024): Highlights Chelsea - Aston Villa

Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge with the Blues hoping to take advantage of the visitors' midweek excursion to Poland. Villa in European action on Thursday night, hence today's Sunday service. Like Chelsea, the visitors have had a mixed start to the new campaign, particularly on the road. That said, they're yet to lose in London under Unai Emery and were victorious here in April, so even if they arrive fatigued, it's likely to be a closely fought contest this afternoon. Let's take a check on the teams then. Just one change to the Chelsea side from that which started against Bournemouth. Moises Caicedo fits again after being injured on international duty. He takes the place of Leslie Ugochukwu. Thiago Silva plays days after turning 39 and Mikhailo Mudrik starts successive games for just the second time in his Chelsea career. There's a welcome return to the bench for fit again Armando Breuer. He hasn't played a competitive game since November. Well, having made five changes for the midweek European game, Unai Emery reverts to the 11 that started last weekend's league win against Crystal Palace. Record signing Moussa Diaby is fit after an injury scare. Nicolo Zaniolo makes just his second Premier League start, whilst Olly Watkins is looking to rediscover his goalscoring touch, having found the net just once in his last 12 appearances. Lucas Luiz under pressure from Fernandes. Jackson won it back. Here's Caicedo. Might be tempted to shoot. He is Moises Caicedo. Caught it on target. Pretty straightforward for Martinez but well worth having a go. Caicedo with the first real strike in anger. Just a little bit too straight. Somewhat fortuitously landed at the feet of Fernandes. Now Sterling. Jackson. Sterling's carried on his run. Can Jackson make his way into the middle to support him here? Sterling's slightly heavy touch allowed Torres to get back in his way. And the end result of that is that Chelsea get the first corner of the game. Yeah, good break. It's a lovely little offer from Nicholas Jackson here. Just pulls off a little bit. Konza gets done by that little bit of movement. Nice exchange between him and Sterling down the right-hand side. And as you said, that touch just allows Torres to come over and make the intervention. ...in blue. Comes to the near post instead. He's still got something on it. As far as Didier! What an effort that was. Great save as well from Robert Sanchez. Well, Luka Didier scored in Warsaw in midweek. That was with the aid of a deflection. This was all his own work. And the stop was just as good as the strike. Yeah, very similar position to which he scored in the week as well. It's a fantastic drive, isn't it? I think a couple of yards either side. That's probably a goal. Gusteau. And Fernandes. Jackson. Is he on site here? He's got the ball. He's got Sterling square as well. And Jackson goes down. An offside is a decision. That is the third time that that has happened for Chelsea in this game. Yeah, it looked offside to me. I mean, the referee did point penalty, didn't he? Then the arm went up instantly for the offside, which seemed a little bizarre. I did feel he'd gone slightly too early. Didier is the Aston Villa player. He's taking his line off. I think he's just beyond him. Sorry, it's Torres, wasn't it? I think that was in a left-back position. But yeah, it looked offside. Mudric. Pointed where he wanted it. That's a brilliant ball from Mudric. But Nicolas Jackson. And Martinez makes the saves. And that would have counted. Flag didn't go up that time. Fantastic pass from Mikhailo Mudric. Needed a good stop from Martinez to deny Chelsea the opening goal. It's a brilliant ball. It's the best moment of the match so far. It's the disguise of it. It looks like he's just going to play square. And he sees that little dart from Jackson. Great movement as well. That's a big part of it as well. Jackson's willingness to get him beyond. Tough finish, I think, once he gets in. Maybe could he have taken that left-footed? He had a stronger left side. Tries to poke it into the near post. And Martinez makes the stop. De Zazie. Got just enough on that for Malagusto. Cut back for Enzo Fernandez! Well, it was such a good opportunity. Maybe just opened his foot a little too wide. Head in hands, the Argentine. He knows that was a great chance to open his account in the Premier League. Yeah, exactly the pass he's called for here. Little bit of spin on it as well. It's perfect. Holds up. Malagusto's played three of those now. From McGinn, deep toward the back stick. Headed back across to Zaniolo! Another brilliant save from Robert Sanchez. Really well worked set piece from Aston Villa. Zaniolo found himself in some space. Took the volley on. And Sanchez again equal to it. Yeah, completely free on the far post. Kamara to head it back. And when that's travelling towards him, he must recognise that's a fantastic opportunity. Good contact on the left side. Brilliant stop once more. Well thought this time. Sterling. Oh, De Zazie! Flag is up. At least it won't stand from the Frenchman. They're absolutely queuing up as well at the far post. And when it was travelling, I was thinking De Zazie was going to be too much on the stretch. Maybe it was just going to evade him or skim off the top of his head. Raheem Sterling with a brilliant ball in. Yeah, there's certainly one. Maybe two, maybe three. Definitely De Zazie's in an offside position when he finishes. Ball over the top. Sterling's in behind. Likudinia here. Raheem Sterling, can he get the shot away? Martinez able to smother it at some cost to the Aston Villa goalkeeper. Angle wasn't great for Sterling. No, it wasn't. But I'm glad he took the chance on himself. It's inch perfect from Thiago Silva. Not pressurised. It's perfect the way it drops beyond De Zazie. Just tempts Raheem Sterling to do exactly that. Cut across him. Therefore, the Villa player can't make a touch otherwise it's a penalty. And worse, it's a really good save from Martinez. Stays big, doesn't he? Doesn't allow Raheem Sterling to thread that through his legs. Straight into Ezra Konzer. Colwell was trying a Hollywood pass out to Gusteau. Macedo with it back. Here's Fernandes. Oh, that's a great ball for Nicholas Jackson. The flag had gone up. It wouldn't have counted. Yeah, perfect pass really from Enzo Fernandes. It's a difficult one to execute. Once more, Jackson's in an offside position but they recover the ball really well after Levi Colwell had given it away. That's such a tough ball to play. Oh, it's marginal to say the least. I think the Gardenias may be playing him onside. In any case, he's just on the stretch. Nicholas Jackson will see better from this angle. Yeah, it's a tough header. Did well actually to get firm enough contact on it. Fernandes looking for the run of Sterling. Is he onside here? Raheem Sterling. Through for now. Sterling against Martinez. And the goalkeeper makes the save and then the flag goes up anyway. As we all inside the stadium suspected that it would. Yeah, relief really for Raheem Sterling because I'm sure as he sucked Amy Martinez out there he could have just played square to Nicholas Jackson. Jackson does get himself onside. Sterling's onside, isn't he? As he comes up. Looks to have stepped up a little too late and Raheem Sterling had the opportunity just to play to the right there. Jackson would have had the unguarded net. Cousteau has gone in there and led to a big yelp of pain from Lucadene in the yellow card for now. Yeah, it was certainly a hefty challenge. Difficult to tell how much of Lucadene he got. Yeah, a little high. VAR looking at this as a possible red card. I thought they would, Matt. Just articulated to you up here but I thought they may do that just because there was a bit of contact on the shin. He's going to get the red card out and Malagusto is sent off and Chelsea are down to 10 men. Gallagher. Oh, beautiful from Conor Gallagher. The worst cutback. Gallagher's up. Villa are playing on and Diaby has found Watkins. One-on-one with Levi Colwell. Watkins looking for space to shoot. Brilliant first time from Colwell. Oh, and then he's put it in, Olly Watkins. Unbelievable. Looked as though the opportunity had gone but Watkins gobbled it up when it came back to him second time around. On the break. Aston Villa lead. Watkins scores here for the second season in a row and the 10 men trail. Yeah, Conor Gallagher just getting to his feet at the opposite end. It was one of those challenges just as he released the pass. Got caught by Torres. Nothing doing from the officials. And then it's Thiago Silva with a little mistake. They break through Diaby into Watkins. I never felt he had the beating. Here we go. Conor Gallagher. No. Don't think there's anything there. Thiago Silva tried to read the play. Miscontrolled. Then Diaby feeds it into Olly Watkins. At this point, I think Levi Colwell's going to clear up here. No problem at all. Really good defending. And you've got to say it's a great strike through the legs of Sanchez from a really acute angle. I think he'll be disappointed but credit Olly Watkins for the second part of this. Great defending from Levi Colwell. That's just unfortunate for the defender that Olly Watkins has produced this. You don't expect it probably to get through there. For Chilwell. In behind here. Ben Chilwell with a clear run of goal. Makes the save. And an opportunity straight away for Chelsea to hit back and Chilwell couldn't take it. It's been a good five minutes from Chelsea making a number of chances. Here's Diaby in behind there and there's no flag. Diaby, can he cut it back? He went for goal himself. And maybe he could have killed the game there if he'd picked the pass instead. And here come Villa on the counter. This is where they can make the extra man count because look at this space for Jacob Ramsey. Good save from Robert Sanchez. Yeah, it was arrowing into the corner, wasn't it? Leon Bailey moving it from right to left. And Ramsey always trying to open up the space to find it. And then work it into that far corner. It's going to go in there as well. Sanchez is in the mix for this. Breuer's header. Flag's up. Went right anyway. Yeah, it's the right header. He's attempted there to try and head it into that far left-hand corner. But unfortunately, once more, we can see it up here. They're starting in offside positions. Actually, Breuer comes from an onside position but too eager to get beyond that Aston Villa back line. I can understand it. It's happened too many times today. And there is the final whistle. It's defeat for Chelsea. Aston Villa wins successive league games here for the first time since the 1930s. But that doesn't tell you half the story of a strange old game where Chelsea created numerous chances. A red card which was questionable to say the very least.