Unai Emery proved once again why he's one of the shrewdest operators in the business as his Aston Villa side pulled off a stunning heist at Stamford Bridge, coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 and equal a 114-year-old club record.
For nearly an hour, Enzo Maresca's men had Villa exactly where they wanted them. The hosts dominated possession, created chances at will, and took a deserved lead through Joao Pedro's scrappy finish from a corner. Villa couldn't get out of their own half, managing precisely ZERO shots before the hour mark.
Then came the moment of magic from the Spaniard in the dugout.
The Triple Switch That Changed Everything
On 59 minutes, with Villa being outplayed, Emery rolled the dice. Off came John McGinn, Donyell Malen, and Emi Buendia. On came Ollie Watkins, Jadon Sancho, and Amadou Onana.
Within four minutes, Villa were level. Morgan Rogers slipped a pass through to Watkins, whose shot struck Robert Sanchez before rebounding off the striker and into the net. Lucky? Perhaps. But fortune favours the brave, and Emery's changes had completely shifted the momentum.
Chelsea threw on their own trio of substitutes, but Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, and Malo Gusto couldn't turn the tide. Cole Palmer was withdrawn looking thoroughly fed up – and who could blame him?
Then came the killer blow. Seven minutes from time, Youri Tielemans' corner found Watkins rising highest to power a header into the corner. Stamford Bridge fell silent. The visiting Villa fans went absolutely barmy.
'Tactical Genius'
Watkins didn't hold back when describing his gaffer's intervention. "He's a tactical genius," the England striker told Sky Sports. "He changed it because Chelsea were going man for man. When I came on, he put Morgan Rogers and Jadon Sancho on the wing and Youri Tielemans in the No.10 – so we had an extra man in there."
The stats don't lie. Villa had 71% possession in the first half with 1.93 xG. In the second? They looked like title contenders. Which, let's face it, they absolutely are.
"To beat Chelsea here is very difficult," said Emery, ever the diplomat. "How the players responded on the field was really fantastic. In the first half we struggled, but we needed to defend and we were brilliant defensively."
History Makers
This was Villa's 11th consecutive victory in all competitions, matching a club record set back in 1910. They've now taken 18 points from losing positions this season – more than any other Premier League side.
Sitting just three points behind leaders Arsenal with a trip to the Emirates up next, the question has to be asked: are Aston Villa genuine title contenders?
Alan Shearer certainly thinks so. "We are nearly halfway through the season, and you have to say that Aston Villa are genuine title contenders," the Match of the Day pundit declared. "Do I think they'll win it? No, but that is purely because the depth of their squad isn't quite there. But anything is possible under Unai Emery."
Chelsea's Nightmare Before New Year
For Maresca, this was a brutal lesson in game management. His side battered Villa for an hour, created enough chances to be out of sight, and ended up with nothing. The Italian watched from the press box due to a touchline ban, powerless to stop the collapse.
"We struggle to deal with setbacks within a game," Maresca admitted afterwards. And ain't that the truth. Chelsea have now won just two of their last seven Premier League matches and find themselves as close to Leeds in 16th as they are to Villa in third.
The January transfer window can't come soon enough for the Blues.
