Unai Emery’s team could not match the home side’s quality on a day when they again missed chances and made sloppy errors in defence.
Nicolas Jackson fired the hosts into an early lead which was doubled by Enzo Fernandez’s fine strike before the break.
Villa then lost goalkeeper Emi Martinez to injury before Cole Palmer curled in a superb late goal for the hosts.
Analysis
This was another miserable afternoon for Emery’s men who now sit 12th in the table having picked up just two points from their last five Premier League matches.
They also now sit six points behind third-placed Chelsea who, on this evidence, look the far more likely side to be challenging for Champions League football this season.
Villa had their chances with Ollie Watkins twice being denied by home goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who also saved from John McGinn early in the second half.
Yet in truth the hosts looked the sharper unit throughout. Having pierced Villa’s defence when their first meaningful attack brought Jackson’s seventh minute opener, they were gifted further chances to score before Fernandez eventually doubled the lead. Villa battled in the second half but lacked invention and saw any hopes of a comeback ended by Palmer’s late goal.
Villa now host Brentford on Wednesday and Southampton on Saturday in desperate need of a win to boost confidence. The status of Martinez, who went off at half-time following a collision with Jackson, will be monitored closely.
Emery handed a somewhat surprise start to Jaden Philogene, the winger who has done little of note since returning from Hull in an £18million deal during the summer transfer window.
Boubacar Kamara, as the manager has heavily hinted would be the case, kept his place following an impressive showing in Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with Juventus, making his first Premier League start since suffering a serious knee injury in February. Ezri Konsa returned in the heart of defence.
Villa’s clean sheet against Juventus had been their fourth in five Premier League matches but it is now just one in 18 Premier League matches dating back to April. Just six minutes was all it took for Chelsea to break the deadlock.
Philogene took a heavy touch as Villa looked to break and Cucurella nipped in, exchanged passes and then sent in a low cross which nicked off the boot of Matty Cash and sat up perfectly for Jackson to volley in his eighth Premier League goal of the season off the post.
Villa should have drawn level. Watkins did superbly to outmuscle Fofana but then shot weakly straight at Sanchez with only the keeper to beat.
For a brief period it then felt the visitors were determined to concede the daftest goal possible. Martinez conceded an indirect free-kick just seven yards from goal when, after saving from Palmer after Tielemans had lost the ball on the edge of the box, he picked it up after Torres had touched it.
Referee Stuart Attwell ruled it a backpass and Martinez redeemed himself by saving Palmer’s close-range shot but then nearly gifted Jackson a second when he passed to the striker in the box. Jackson’s slow reactions allowed the keeper to recover and Villa escaped again.
They would not be so lucky nine minutes before the break when Fernandez doubled the home side’s lead with a goal of real quality. The Argentina international found Palmer, controlled the return pass and with the next action fired a finish with the outside of his right boot into the bottom corner.
Watkins had a chance to pull one back before the break but Sanchez saved his effort low down at the near post. The striker then sent McGinn scampering away in the opening seconds of the second half but again the keeper proved equal to the shot.
By then Olsen had replaced Martinez off the bench and the replacement keeper was glad to see Jackson sky an effort over the bar after escaping the Villa defence.
There was a further escape when the Chelsea man ran right into Olsen, without getting a shot away, after a mistake by Konsa.
Emery introduced Jhon Duran, Leon Bailey and Ross Barkley off the bench and the latter would have pulled a goal back but for a fine block from Levi Colwill to keep out his header.
But any hope of a comeback was killed when Palmer curled into the top corner, with Olsen saving the team from further pain when he denied substitutes Joao Felix and Noni Madueke in quick succession.
Key Moments
7 GOAL Nicolas Jackson fires Chelsea ahead on the volley from Marc Cucurella’s deflected cross.
36 GOAL Enzo Fernandez doubles Chelsea’s lead with an excellent right-footed finish.
83 GOAL Cole Palmer puts the result beyond doubt with a superb curling effort into the top corner.
Teams
Chelsea (3-3-3-1): Sanchez, Fofana (Badiashile 59), Colwill, Cucurella, Lavia (Gusto 86), Caicedo, Fernandez, Sancho (Madueke 70), Palmer (Felix 86), Neto, Jackson (Nkunku 70) Subs not used: Adarabioyo, Mudryk, Veiga, Jorgensen (gk).
Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez (Olsen HT), Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Kamara (Barkley 62), Tielemans, Philogene (Bailey 66), Rogers (Duran 66), McGinn, Watkins Subs not used: Carlos, Mings, Maatsen, Bogarde, Buendia.