Chelsea significantly strengthened their ambition to win a ticket to the UEFA Champions League next season by defeating Aston Villa 4-1 at Villa Park. The main character of the match was Joao Pedro with his first hat-trick in the Premier League.
The victory helped coach Liam Rosenior's team rise to the top 5 and narrow the gap with Villa to 3 points. In addition to Pedro, Cole Palmer also scored in a memorable match for the London team.
Villa started promisingly when Douglas Luiz opened the score after only 2 minutes. From Leon Bailey's right-wing combination, the ball was returned back for Luiz to easily finish and score.
Chelsea then gradually regained the game. Emiliano Martinez had to fly to save after Pedro's header, before continuing to block Palmer's dangerous long-range shot.
Villa almost doubled the gap in the 23rd minute when Ollie Watkins had a chance to face the goal after Wesley Fofana's mistake, but his shot could not beat goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.
The turning point of the match occurred in the 35th minute. Enzo Fernandez slotted a through ball for Malo Gusto to rush down before crossing for Joao Pedro to finish close range to equalize 1-1.
Before the first half ended, Pedro continued to shine when he received a pass from Fernandez and then finished delicately into the low corner, helping Chelsea take a 2-1 lead.
In the second half, the away team continued to increase the gap. In the 55th minute, Martinez's mistake when clearing the ball from Reece James' cross created an opportunity for Palmer to unleash a decisive shot to increase the score to 3-1.
Chelsea completed the victory in the 64th minute when Alejandro Garnacho accelerated on the left wing and then assisted Joao Pedro to tap the ball close range, completing a hat-trick.
The 4-1 victory is Chelsea's most impressive performance in two months under Rosenior. Meanwhile, Villa continues to decline with only one win in the last 6 matches and faces the risk of being knocked out of the Champions League race.
This victory is only really meaningful if we continue to maintain our form. We need to be stable. The upcoming important match in the FA Cup, then the away trip to Paris, and then the clash with Newcastle.
We need to focus on our performance instead of looking at the meaning of each match. If we play at the right level, we will have a good position" - Rosenior shared.
Meanwhile, coach Unai Emery also admitted Villa's difficult situation at the moment: "Currently we are in a difficult time, really very difficult. Chelsea is very happy and they deserve to win.
We must understand the current situation. However, we are still leading by 3 points. However, it is clear that the team is lacking stability at this time.
