Chelsea are reportedly set to launch an investigation into a bottle being thrown towards the Aston Villa bench following Saturday night's clash, which ended 2-1 in favour of Unai Emery's men after an Ollie Watkins double off the bench, between the two Premier League sides.
Enzo Maresca's Blues have won just one of their last six Premier League matches after dropping points on the weekend. Joao Pedro opened the scoring in the 37th after Reece James' corner into a congested six-yard box caused utter chaos. The Brazilian got the final touch.
Maresca, spotted in the stands serving a one-match suspension, would have rued his side missing a host of chances to extend their lead after Watkins bagged twice – in the 63rd and 84th minute – to complete a statement comeback for Villa, who remain third in the table.
Chelsea Set to Launch Investigation Following 2-1 Loss to Aston Villa
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A 2-1 defeat on home soil now leaves Maresca's Chelsea languishing down in fifth, just three points adrift of reigning champions Liverpool, whose gritty 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers jumped them up into the top four. Villa, as mentioned, continued on their upwards trajectory.
Tempers flared on several occasions across the west London encounter but none more when Stuart Attwell blew his whistle for the last time. The players, elated, celebrated with one another as they picked up a club-record 11th win on the bounce – but there were issues on the side of the pitch.
Once the full-time whistle was blown and Villa had picked up all three points in the west of the capital, The Telegraph have reported that a plastic bottle was chucked towards the away team dugout. Villa staff and substitutes were, as a result, showered in water.
With emotions running high, it has been reported that one figure from the away bench even signalled the direction the bottle came from. It appeared to be tossed from the side of the Chelsea dugout, but there was no confirmation of where exactly it was thrown from.
There are photos (as seen below), however, that clearly capture the moment the bottle flew through the air and towards those on the Villa bench.
chelsea bottle
The report states that Chelsea will do all they can to co-operate with their Villa counterparts to find out exactly where the bottle was thrown from, while they are also keen to track down the identity of who threw it. They are yet to comment on the incident but have reportedly taken a dim view.
Whether the bottle-throwing incident was included in referee Stuart Attwell’s post-match report remains to be seen, but Stamford Bridge's CCTV set-up is likely to be reviewed as a way of finding out what actually happened upon the full-time whistle.
Emery On Whether Villa are Premier League Title Contenders
Unai Emery
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal remain at the top of the Premier League and Manchester City are also keeping pace on their rivals – but Villa are proving why they deserve to be in the title-winning conversation, too. Boss Emery believes it's far too early to suggest that his side can win the title come May 2026. "Not really," he said when asked whether Villa can lift the trophy.
"I am feeling that we are competing for Europe, not competing in the league with Manchester City and Arsenal. We have played 18 matches and have 20 to play.
"Teams like Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United – we must compete with them. We must be consistent over 38 matches," Emery continued as he didn't address the bottle-throwing antics in his post-match interview, instead focusing on what was a statement victory on away soil.
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Up next for the Spaniard is perhaps their biggest test yet: he and his side are to visit the Emirates Stadium to face his former side, the Gunners, on Tuesday 30 December. Looking to round off a rather brilliant 2025, Villa will be wishing to extend their winning streak.