BirminghamLive brings you the talking points from Aston Villa's win over Chelsea in the Premier League
Aston Villa continued their winning streak against Chelsea
Aston Villa continued their winning streak against Chelsea(Image: George Tewkesbury/Shutterstock)
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You’d have to be 111 years old to remember the last time Aston Villa won 11 football matches in a row.
Unai Emery’s side have enjoyed a remarkable run of form over the past three months, despite sitting in 18th place without a single victory after the fifth Premier League matchday.
Now, after beating Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, since matchday six, Villa have won more games (12) and accumulated more points (36) than any other side.
Having dropped just three points in the league since defeating Fulham at the end of September, Villa now head to Arsenal with the chance to create history if they secure a 12th consecutive win.
Here are the talking points from Villa’s win in west London…
Eleven in a row doesn’t tell the full story
There’s little detailed context needed to explain the incredible streak Villa are enjoying, though some may argue they’ve benefited from luck, or point to expected goals figures that don’t suggest a title-winning side, or possession stats that aren’t as dominant as Man City’s. But in this case, little else matters.
When you have characters and mentality in abundance, belief becomes a critical ingredient that cannot be undervalued. The difference between the two teams on Saturday was Ollie Watkins’ goals, but Villa’s experience and courage also shone through against Chelsea’s youth.
For all the hundreds of millions of pounds which Chelsea have spent in recent transfer windows, they still have plenty of work to do to build a title-winning team - whereas Villa, despite their market limitations, appear further ahead. That’s the brutal truth.
Since Emery’s arrival, Villa have won the fourth-most Premier League points and are now as many as 10 points ahead of Chelsea in the table, creating a huge gap between the two sides.
After 18 matches, Villa’s points total of 39 matches the tally they achieved two years ago when they finished fourth - their best league campaign in some time.
What makes Villa’s winning run even more impressive is their ability to overcome losing positions: all five of their away league wins this season came after going 1-0 down.
Across the last three Premier League seasons, Villa have won more points from losing positions than any other side (54), while this season they are responsible for 45% of all away wins by teams conceding first (5/11).
In Premier League history, only Manchester United in 2020-21 (9) have won more away games after going 1-0 down in a single season than Villa’s five this season (2025-26).
"We kept the same game plan we had at the first half, but the first half they were playing fantastic. They were dominating,” Emery admitted on BBC Match of the Day.
“We couldn't get the ball easily. We were defending low, we were defending well. We didn't concede corners, only one corner and they scored. But we needed to be passionate and try to keep being resilient and we were speaking after the first half in the dressing room.
“Normally we could improve like we did because they were pushing a lot in the first half and in the second half we knew we could have our momentum, as well to control the game better than the first half.
"We were getting better but we needed to change some fresh legs and different players. And of course every play in the second half after they win the match their impact was very fantastic and necessary."
That's why you don't count him out
Emery turned to Watkins, Amadou Onana, and Jadon Sancho in the 58th minute, and the triple substitution changed the game in Villa’s favour.
Just minutes after coming on, Sancho played a key role in the Villa goal, combining on a counter-attack that Watkins eventually finished, having been set up by Morgan Rogers.
Watkins has now scored in three of his last four Premier League appearances at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, and since the start of 2020-21, only Erling Haaland (24) has scored more away Premier League goals in London than Watkins (18).
The striker is also only the second player this season to score a brace as a substitute against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, alongside Brighton’s Danny Welbeck. Between 1992-93 and 2024-25, this had only occurred once before, when West Brom’s Callum Robinson did so in April 2021 during a 5-2 win.
It has been a difficult campaign for Watkins, so his teammates made a point of celebrating with him during and after the win.
After Watkins put Villa ahead in the 84th minute, Rogers grabbed the corners of his shirt and held it up in front of the travelling supporters. Then, after the final whistle, Onana pulled Watkins over to perform his customary three cheers - a ritual he carries out after every win. Including Watkins in that moment spoke volumes about the midfielder’s team spirit.
Sancho plays his best game for Villa
Sancho delivered his best performance in a Villa shirt during the 30 minutes he was on the pitch on Saturday night.
Linking play effectively in the final third, the winger was secure in possession while remaining creative and incisive.
Having played on loan at Chelsea last season, the 25-year-old may have had extra motivation this time around. Interestingly, some of Sancho’s strongest performances this season have come against Villa’s toughest opponents, having impressed against Manchester City, played a key role in the late winner against Arsenal, and now made a significant impact at Stamford Bridge.
Sancho operated from the right side against Chelsea, a position he has rarely occupied during his loan at Villa, as Emery has often deployed him on the left wing.
Earlier this week, Sancho shared a cryptic post on social media, including messages such as: “You gotta serve a purpose to be around me in my new season. It’s real personal,” along with “On a mission” and “Distance. Silence. Peace.”
Arsenal test awaits with key duo missing
Up next for Villa is the team Emery considers favourites for the league title: Arsenal.
The Gunners lost at Villa Park earlier this month, thanks to a last-gasp Emi Buendia winner, with the Argentine scoring with the final kick of the game.
However, Villa will be without both Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash for the trip to the Emirates after they received their fifth yellow cards of the season. Serving a one-match suspension against Arsenal is a blow, but Emery will be confident that his side can execute their game plan without them.
Villa will need to improve on their performance against Chelsea, particularly in the first hour, given the quality of Arsenal’s squad.
In the first half at Stamford Bridge, Donyell Malen touched the ball just five times in 20 minutes, while John McGinn only had 11 touches in the same period. Villa managed only three touches in the Chelsea box during the first half, compared to the Blues’ 28.
Having suffered late heartache in matchday six not long ago, Arsenal are unlikely to show Villa the same leniency on Tuesday night and will be determined to move six points clear at the top of the league.
Claret & Blue verdict
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