The last thing Steven Gerrard needed was to encounter a goalkeeper who chose this occasion to produce the best performance of his Premier League career. Kepa Arrizabalaga has not had too many afternoons such as this over the past four years but he denied Aston Villa with an outstanding exhibition of his art.
Two first-half saves from Jacob Ramsey and Danny Ings took the breath away. Those were far from his only interventions and they meant Graham Potter, whose side put in the worst performance of his tenure to date, could hail a fifth successive win even if Chelsea hardly deserved it.
