Action from Chelsea vs Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge
Action from Chelsea vs Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge
Sky Sports' coverage of the Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa fell foul to technical issues early on, forcing the studio team to offer up impromptu commentary.
Presenter David Jones apologised for the technical issues shortly after kick-off, bringing in former Villa defender Micah Richards to offer his thoughts on the first few minutes of play. Shortly before the third minute, though, commentary team Alan Smith and Bill Leslie returned to their duties.
Jones mistakenly referred to Anfield rather than the Blues' home of Stamford Bridge, though. The second televised game of the day is at Anfield, where Liverpool host Manchester City.
There was early drama in West London after the commentary was restored, as Nicolas Jackson gave the home side the lead inside 10 minutes to Enzo Maresca's men a chance of climbing back up above Brighton into third place. Ollie Watkins had a golden chance to equalise inside 20 minutes, only to place his shot too close to Robert Sanchez.
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Chelsea made some tweaks to their starting line-up after a midweek Conference League game against Heidenheim, with Jackson and Cole Palmer among those to return. Jadon Sancho kept his place after starting in midweek, though, with manager Enzo Maresca speaking about the loanee in the lead-up to the match.
"I said since we start, Jadon is very important for us," Maresca said. "He has to be fit, mentally and physically and he is going to help us a lot.
"Unfortunately we did not use him in the last few games but he is showing tonight how important he is. We need that quality in the last third against a low block. He is going to help us a lot."
Nicolas Jackson celebrating his opener for Chelsea against Aston Villa
Villa came into the game off the back of some European frustration. Morgan Rogers thought he had given the side a last-gasp victory over Juventus in the Champions League, only for the goal to be ruled out for a foul by Diego Carlos.
"With the last action, it is the interpretation of the referee," manager Unai Emery said. "In England, 80 per cent of those is given as a goal and it is not a foul. It’s very soft. We have to accept it.
"The last action is clear. It's the interpretation of the referee. For me it was harsh. In England, I know it's not a foul usually, because it was a very soft contact. But in Europe, it could be foul."
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