Chelsea’s Premier League season got off to a rocky start with a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa, thanks to a superb goal by Ollie Watkins.
This marks the first time in 30 years that Villa has secured consecutive league wins against Chelsea. Additionally, under the management of Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues are enduring its worst start to a top-flight season after the first six games since the 1978-79 season.
Similar to previous games this season, Chelsea had opportunities to score but were unable to capitalize, with Emiliano Martinez making several impressive saves.
The West Londoner’s struggle to find the back of the net continued, as they have now gone three consecutive Premier League matches without scoring.
Must Read: Chelsea keeping tabs on Boca Juniors’ left-back Valentin Barco
13 – Chelsea have failed to score in 13 Premier League matches in 2023, more than any other side. It’s the most times they have failed to score in a single year in the league since 1995 (14 games). Dismal. pic.twitter.com/opqUryrWbz
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 24, 2023
On the other hand, Aston Villa also had their chances and managed to convert one when Ollie Watkins scored in the 73rd minute from a challenging angle after a well-executed pass from Moussa Diaby.
The goal came 15 minutes after Malo Gusto received a straight red card. Initially, it was a yellow card for a tough tackle on Lucas Digne, but referee Jarred Gillett upgraded it to a red card after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Following this outcome, Chelsea finds themselves in 14th place with a mere five points accumulated this season.
On the other hand, Aston Villa displayed no signs of weariness from their recent European football adventure midweek, and they now sit in sixth place, just two points away from the top four places in the PL.
Manager’s verdict after the match:
As quoted by Sky Sports, Mauricio Pochettino said:
“We need to grow up like a team, not only in an individual way. A player like Nicolas [Jackson] is so young and is feeling [into] the Premier League and learning.”
“He needs time, and in this type of game, we are competing and want to win. But the players, when they are young, need to learn with experience and make a mistake.”
“Things like this is another small detail and in the end, we are losing the game. We are in a situation we need to change as soon as possible.”
Our Verdict:
The situation at Chelsea is quite chaotic. Despite breaking the British transfer record twice this year with the signings of Enzo Fernández for £106.8m and Moises Caicedo for £115m to strengthen their midfield, they seem further from challenging for a top-four spot than ever before.
Defeating Chelsea doesn’t require extraordinary effort. Aston Villa didn’t particularly stand out in their performance and had limited opportunities until Ollie Watkins scored his first goal of the season.
He capitalized on a mistake by Thiago Silva to break the deadlock in the 73rd minute.
Also Read: Chelsea preparing an offer for Borussia Dortmund star Youssoufa Moukoko
Unai Emery’s team initially lacked cohesion, and Villa seemed fatigued from their recent Europa Conference League loss to Legia Warsaw on Thursday. Chelsea had a chance to exploit this situation but failed to do so.
There is a lot of work to do for the manager and the pressure has started to build up at this point.
