Chelsea boosted their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League with an emphatic 4-1 win at Aston Villa on Tuesday night. The Blues had gone three games without a Premier League win to significantly weaken their chances of a top-five finish, but answered plenty of critics with a superb comeback victory in the West Midlands.
Chelsea fell behind inside three minutes. Leon Bailey ran past Jorrel Hato and rolled a slow cross into the box, which saw Ollie Watkins hold off Wesley Fofana and allow Douglas Luiz to ghost in ahead of Reece James to convert.
But the visitors eventually had their leveller after the half-hour mark. Enzo Fernandez picked out Malo Gusto on the right wing, and the Frenchman delivered a pinpoint cross for Joao Pedro to tap in at the back post.
Just before the break, Villa thought they had nipped back in front. Chelsea committed too many men forward, with James' loose pass cut out which allowed the hosts to break at pace, with Watkins tucking away after running in behind. However, he was deemed offside by a matter of inches after a VAR check and the Blues were let off the hook.
In the last of eight added minutes at the end of the first half, Chelsea pulled in front for the first time. The lively Alejandro Garnacho kept the ball well down the left before finding Fernandez inside, and he dinked a ball into Pedro - onside by the slimmest of margins, contrasting with Watkins' earlier effort - to convert from a tight angle.
After the interval, Cole Palmer added Chelsea's third. James' ball into the box was pushed away by Emiliano Martinez, but the Blues' No.10 was on hand to smash back in the rebound and extend the visitors' advantage.
Pedro wrapped up his hat-trick on 64 minutes. Palmer exploited Villa's high line with a delicious through ball for Garnacho, and he selflessly squared for Pedro to roll into an empty net. Fortunately for Villa, that was the end of the Blues' scoring for one night.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Villa Park...