Chelsea dominated Aston Villa for the vast majority of the contest but missed opportunities and an incredible second half collapse saw them fall to a 2–1 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.
João Pedro gave Chelsea before half-time after the hosts bombarded Emiliano Martínez’s goal and emphatically nullified Aston Villa in the opening 45 minutes. The feeling inside Stamford Bridge was that it was a matter of time before the Blues doubled their advantage.
But Chelsea capitulated after the hour mark, Ollie Watkins entered the game and took over, scoring Villa’s equaliser and then completing his brace with a powerful header in the dying minutes to secure the win—Villa’s 11th in a row to set a new club record.
After such a promising start, Chelsea’s second half performance is nothing short of a dramatic collapse. Aston Villa have now won seven-straight in the Premier League alone, meanwhile Enzo Maresca’s side have won just one of their last six league games and sit fifth as a result.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—7.5: Was another spectator for the majority of the match but did well to capture Villa set-pieces in the air and had a number of crucial saves, including in the action of Villa’s equaliser, but there was nothing he could to to stop the unlucky rebound.
RB: Reece James—8.4: The best Chelsea player on the pitch by a considerable margin. Inverting into midfield, his distribution was flawless and seemingly recovered every single loose ball that was near his vicinity. Continues to make a case as one of the best players in the Premier League this term.
CB: Benoît Badiashille—5.6: The Frenchman was aggressive and tight in his marking, completely shutting down Morgan Rogers in the first half. A careless giveaway led to Villa’s equaliser and wasn’t able to recover after the mistake, staining what was a fine performance until that point.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—6.1: Nullified Donyell Malen with impressive ease to celebrate his 100th Premier League appearance. Still, he arguably could have done more to deny Watkins’s equaliser and looked nervous in the final exchanges.
LB: Marc Cucurella—7.1: Fully dominated Chelsea’s left flank, containing any potential Villa incursion on that side and venturing forward with intent. Was mysteriously substituted in the second half after being one of Chelsea’s bettert players on the night, a decision Maresca would likely want back given how disappointing replacement Malo Gusto was.
DM: Moisés Caicedo—6.6: A quietly decent showing from the Ecuador international, who had double digit recoveries in midfield but also quarterbacked Chelsea’s attack, displaying his underrated quality as a distributor. Still, he wasn’t able to complete the match without earning a yellow card.
CM: Enzo Fernández—6.8: Although he crashed the box routinely as has become the norm for him under Maresca, the Argentine operated from a deeper position and helped Chelsea look more fluid on the ball. Did well defensively as well with a handful of recoveries.
RW: Pedro Neto—6.4: An erratic night from the recently in-form Portuguese winger. He tried to take on defenders with his speed but was uncharacteristically wasteful in his deliveries from the wing.
AM: Cole Palmer—6.3: Another rather anonymous performance from the usual Chelsea difference-maker. He had a couple of chances but failed to truly test Emiliano Martínez and disappeared for periods of the match until he was replaced.
LW: Alejandro Garnacho—6.8: Often found himself in acres of space to threaten but his final pass was deficient more often than not. A trademark, frustrating Garnacho performance.
ST: João Pedro—7.8: One of his best performances in a while. Led Chelsea’s press and generated multiple dangerous turnovers, participated positively in link-up play in the final third and was rewarded with a goal.
| Substitute | Rating |
|---|---|
| Malo Gusto (69’ for Cucurella) | 6.6 |
| Liam Delap (69’ for Pedro· | 6.5 |
| Jamie Gittens (69’ for Garnacho) | 5.8 |
| Estêvao (72’ for Palmer) | 6.1 |
Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Josh Acheampong, Jorrel Hato, Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Andrey Santos.
Aston Villa (4-4-2)
Starting XI: Emiliano Martínez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Victor Lindelöf, Ian Maatsen; John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía; Morgan Rogers, Donyell Malen.
Subs used: Ollie Watkins, Jadon Sancho, Amadou Onana, Lucas Digne, Lamare Bogarde.
Chelsea Player of the Match: Reece James
Player of the Match: Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Chelsea 1–2 Aston Villa: How It Unfolded at Stamford Bridge
Enzo Maresca made two changes to the Chelsea side that earned a hard-fought point against Newcastle United last time out. With the Italian manager watching from the stands as he served his one-match suspension, the Blues aimed to get all three points against the most in-form team in Europe’s top five leagues.
It was a positive start from Chelsea, who dominated possession and had Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernández been more accurate, they would have found the breakthrough inside the opening 20 minutes. João Pedro, too, was frustrated by an excellent Emiliano Martínez save from short range.
Chelsea’s dominance was absolute and in the 37th minute, the hosts finally broke the deadlock from a corner. Reece James whipped in a cross into a crowded six-yard box. Initially it appeared James had scored an Olimpico, but further review showed the ball deflected off Pedro and into the back of the net.
The hosts continued their sensational opening 45 minutes but couldn’t extend the advantage before the break. Still, Robert Sánchez didn’t face a single shot in the first half.
Reece 🔗 Joao Pedro.#CFC | #CHEAVL pic.twitter.com/BqrMEUgitZ
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 27, 2025
The script didn’t change much after the break and John McGinn made a crucial intervention to deny Alejandro Garnacho a tap-in after a great combination between Pedro and Palmer.
Chelsea’s inability to extend their lead proved costly, as Unai Emery turned to the bench and his substitutions instantly made an impact. Ollie Watkins was played through on goal and after his initial shot was saved by Sánchez, the ball rebounded on his leg and into the back of the net to bring the visitors level just past the hour mark.
Maresca’s men completely lost control of the game after conceding the equaliser, looking like a shadow of the side that had dominated the opening hour of the contest.
When it seemed like Chelsea had finally re-established some control, the visitors landed the knockout blow. Watkins won the ball in the air from a corner and emphatically hammered a header into the net to give Aston Villa the lead inside the final ten minutes.
Chelsea didn’t create a single chance to equalise and the final whistle blew to complete what was an absolute gut-punch of a collapse for the hosts, one that could prove significant in their season’s aspirations.
Chelsea vs. Aston Villa Half Time Stats
| Statistic | Chelsea | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 71% | 29% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.93 | 0.00 |
| Total Shots | 10 | 0 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 0 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 0 |
| Pass Accuracy | 91% | 72% |
| Fouls Committed | 8 | 6 |
| Corners | 1 | 0 |
Chelsea vs. Aston Villa Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Chelsea | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 63% | 37% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 2.14 | 1.05 |
| Total Shots | 14 | 11 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 8 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 4 |
| Pass Accuracy | 89% | 80% |
| Fouls Committed | 16 | 8 |
| Corners | 6 | 7 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Aston Villa: Wasteful Blues Suffer Major Second Half Collapse.
