Pre-match speculation of a formation change didn’t quite turn out to be true, but the slight tweaks in roles and personnel did pay dividends almost immediately, with the front-four proving a right handful for Villa to handle. Enzo tapped in a Neto cross inside the first ten minutes, and we could’ve easily had a few more, with Chelsea creating danger seemingly at will inside the opening 15 minutes.
Villa would start to wake up and start playing at that point, with the match turning into a flowing and rather open sort of affair. Jörgensen made a couple excellent stops with his feet while at the other end, Nkunku tested Martínez, Palmer saw a shot trickle just wide of the net, Enzo missed the top corner by inches, and James hammered a volley wide of target … but we would reach half-time still at just 1-0.
Chelsea had a couple good looks early in the second half, especially while Tyrone Mings was struggling with a knock to his left knee, but we couldn’t cash in.
As in the first half, Villa then started to exert themselves on proceedings, and this time they did get their reward, with Marco Asensio bundling in the equalizer just before the hour-mark, after a miscued clearance led to a defensive scramble.
Neither team wanted to settle for a draw, but it took a while — and several missed chances, including an especially shocking one from Cole Palmer — despite all the sloppiness from both teams to find a winner. But eventually it were Villa who found paydirt, with Asensio’s first-time shot squirming through the otherwise excellent Jörgensen in the final minute of regulation.
Carefree.
- Not a back-three but rather James as the second midfielder alongside Caicedo and Enzo pushed forward into the front-four. Neto as the nominal center forward, but switching with Palmer on the right. Nkunku full-time left.
- We have now failed to win any of our last six games in which we had scored first and taken the lead inside of the first 15 minutes (four defeats)
- Chelsea stay sixth but would drop to seventh if Newcastle beat Nottingham Forest tomorrow
- Next up: Southampton at home on Tuesday
- KTBFFH
