The Blues were nowhere near their best and should have dropped points if not for the individual brilliance of two of their star players.
Chelsea travelled to Villa Park to face Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, October 16, 2022 in the Premier League.
The Blues were hoping to continue their unbeaten record of five games without defeat in all competitions since Graham Potter’s appointment.
Villa on the other hand were looking for their second win in their last six games in all competitions under manager Steven Gerrard.
The visitors were quick to open the scoring just six minutes into the game after Mason Mount latched on to a loose clearance from Tyrone Mings before slotting past Emi Martinez to give Chelsea the 1-0 lead.
However, the hosts fought back moments later and could have been four or five goals ahead had it not been for the brilliance of Blues goalkeeper Kepa Arizzabalaga who had made arguably the save of the season among other saves.
In the 15th minute Villa came close to levelling matters after Leon Bailey’s header clipped the Chelsea crossbar to deny the Jamaican winger.
On the other end the Blues also came close to doubling their advantage after Raheem Sterling’s curling effort hit the crossbar in the 39th minute.
But the hosts put up a serious fight in search of a response to Mount’s opener but were ultimately denied by the brilliance of Kepa who ensured Chelsea went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Chelsea who looked out of sorts defensively in the first period made some changes in the second half with Kai Havertz and Marc Cucurella making way for Kalidou Koulibaly and Cesar Azpilicueta respectively.
The second half resumed and the contest continued with Villa coming close once again in the 53rd minute after Ollie Watkins’ header from a corner went just wide of the Blues’ left post.
Watkins had another chance shortly after but blazed his shot wide again in the 56th minute.
The Blues were still under immense pressure forcing Graham Potter to make another change in the 58th minute, withdrawing Pierre Emerick Aubameyang for Conor Gallagher.
In the 62nd minute, Villa came knocking again after a rebound fell to John McGinn on the edge of the box but his goalbound shot was saved by the brilliant Kepa.
In the 64th minute, Tyrone Mings was penalized for a foul just outside of the Villa box, presenting the Blues with a goalscoring opportunity.
And the visitors obliged as Mason Mount whipped a beautiful effort into the back of the net in the 66th minute to bag his brace.
The Blues had another chance in the 71st minute after Conor Gallagher found Raheem Sterling whose shot from the edge of the box flew a whisker wide of the right post.
Villa continued to press when they had the chance but the Blues’ defense looked way better than it was in the first, dealing with the threats accordingly but conceding corners for fun.
In the end, Chelsea held on for a 2-0 as Steven Gerrard’s four-game unbeaten run came to an end on Sunday.
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Following the result, fans have once again hailed the brilliance of Blues shot-stopper Kepa and goalscorer Mason Mount who were actually the reasons Chelsea didn’t drop points on Sunday afternoon.
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