Think of James Bond’s taste for a lukewarm martini, a mixture of brilliance and blunders that have been a cocktail of a season for Aston Villa. Unai Emery gave it a seven out of ten, but fans will push it down to a six and a half, adding time on as well. That run in the Europa League has been great but what about the Premier League campaign? Basically, people saw Ollie Watkins trying to do some ballet – elegant and graceful, with occasional stumbles.
But Aston Villa were up against a moment that could help explain their entire season against Chelsea. The 89th minute came and went as another draw looked inevitable for a third straight match. They were favourably repaid by then Chelsea’s Filip Jörgensen gifting them a lifeline with a simple save being broken up and Marco Asensio’s tame volley squeezing through. It was the unexpected and mildly painful version of dropping your phone on your face while scrolling in bed.
Aston Villa’s Resilience: Rashford’s Spark Ignites Hope
Things immediately spiced up once Marcus Rashford came on at halftime—bringing in the chili flakes to a bland pasta. Rashford was the man responsible for the last-second winner, and helped Asensio dish out the equaliser. It was a much needed adrenaline shot for a team that had, for four of their last five games, snatched just four points.
However, Villa’s push for Champions League now starts to look slightly more plausible. They are just behind Bournemouth and Chelsea in seventh place and within striking distance. But the catch? The ‘games in hand’ for any teams above them—the worst sports drama is sitting on the edge of your seat for your rivals to land face first.
Chelsea’s Chaos Helps Villa Climb
However, Chelsea remain stuck in a Shakespearean tragedy, we produce some beautiful build-ups to only have them end in a tragic fashion. The Blues blew early and allowed pressure to drain the life out of them early as Enzo Fernández opened the scoring. The tipping point of their meltdown sundae was Cole Palmer’s comedic slip while one on one with Emiliano Martínez.
The fact is that Chelsea have dropped 15 points from winning positions this term, proof sometimes if it is not how you start, then it is how spectacularly you can mess up.
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