Chelsea came from behind to shock Aston Villa 4-1 on Wednesday night. Brazilian striker Joao Pedro scored a stunning hat-trick that put Liam Rosenior’s team in the top five and only three points behind a Villa team that have struggled for form while in fourth.
The first few minutes were a disaster for the visiting Blues. Leon Bailey raced past stand-in left-back Jorrel Hato, and Ollie Watkins smartly let the cross run through. This gave Douglas Luiz a close-range flick, timed at just one minute and 59 seconds, making it Villa’s earliest goal and Chelsea’s earliest goal conceded in the Premier League this season.
However, the Blues did well to respond in remarkable fashion. Enzo Fernandez freed Malo Gusto, whose great cross let Pedro score from close range on the 35th minute to tie the game. The Brazilian then scored again deep into stoppage time in the first half, taking Fernandez’s pass and lifting a delicate finish over Martinez to finish off a stunning turnaround in the first half.
Ten minutes after the restart, Palmer took advantage of a mistake by Martinez. The goalkeeper palmed Reece James’ cross right to the England midfielder, who shot it home to make it three. In the 64th minute, Pedro got the match ball after Alejandro Garnacho raced down the left side to set up his teammate, who couldn’t miss from close range.
The numbers show that Chelsea clearly won the night. Pedro scored three goals and assisted on one, making him the first player this season to do that in a single Premier League game. He also became the eighth Brazilian to score a hat-trick in the competition. The forward has scored 14 goals in the Premier League this season and 17 in all competitions since he moved from Brighton last summer.
Champions League Race Heats Up as Chelsea Close Gap on Struggling Villa
Villa have only won one of their last six games, and they are in real danger of missing out on a spot in next season’s most prestigious club competition. After losing on Wednesday, they are now only three points ahead of Chelsea, who have moved up to fifth place, and the most important part of the season is now upon them.
Villa will go to France on Thursday, March 12, for the first leg of their Europa League last-16 match against Lille. They will then come back to Villa Park to play Manchester United on March 15. Meanwhile, Rosenior and his team can use this momentum to prepare for their FA Cup match against Wrexham on Saturday and then for their tough trip to Paris for the Champions League the next week.