Chelsea vs Aston Villa LIVE! Premier League match stream, latest ...
Chelsea are desperate for a win as they return to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this afternoon. It’s been a tough start to the new Mauricio Pochettino era in west London, with poor results played out against the backdrop of another ongoing injury crisis. The goal-shy Blues sit 14th with just one win from their opening five games after following a shock home defeat by Nottingham Forest with a bore draw at Bournemouth last time out.
And they could find the going tough again today against a Villa team that tend to score plenty, occupying seventh spot in the early top-flight table after three wins including a stunning late show to see off Crystal Palace last weekend. Unai Emery’s side will be hurting after dropping their Europa Conference League opener in Warsaw on Thursday, going down 3-2 after making five changes that are all reversed here.
Villa won 2-0 on this ground back in April and will be targeting successive league triumphs over today’s opponents for the first time in 30 years, though Pochettino is boosted by the returns of Moises Caicedo and Armando Broja. Follow Chelsea vs Aston Villa live with our blog below, featuring analysis from Dom Smith at Stamford Bridge.
Standard Sport’s Dom Smith at Stamford Bridge
Just a few hints in the first 25 minutes of the game here that it could be another frustrating day at the office for Nicolas Jackson.
A few moments ago, he picked the wrong option when running forward with the ball, and now he is thwarted by Martinez when through one-on-one.
Must impose himself more.
25 mins: Chelsea’s best chance of the game so far as Mudryk picks out the run of Jackson with a lovely reverse pass from the left flank.
Jackson times his run to perfection and tries to toe poke in at the near post, but Martinez steers it wide.
23 mins: The feisty Zaniolo, on loan at Villa from Galatasaray, leaves one on Fernandez there and the Argentine stays down for a few moments.
Chelsea can ill-afford to be without their £107m signing, who is now up on his feet and back amongst the action.
22 mins: Chelsea have been pressed into action by that Digne effort as Jackson is released on the counter-attack but he’s eventually seen off by Konsa and the offside flag goes up anyway.
Sterling then slaloms into the box at pace but looses his footing at the crucial moment.
19 mins: Some nice touches from Zaniolo early on here and he does very well to earn Villa a corner that is hacked away by Gusto at the front post.
Digne then catches it flush with a vicious left-footed volley that is tipped over acrobatically by Sanchez.
What an effort!
16 mins: Wonderful play from Kamara to muscle Jackson off the ball and then glide away from Fernandez to stop a useful Chelsea counter in its tracks.
Villa then look to set Diaby away with a ball over the top, but it’s solid defending from Colwill.
14 mins: Some defending for Chelsea to do now as Gusto blocks a cross from Digne down the Villa left.
A throw-in causes issues inside the Blues box and Fernandez eventually concedes another after rather hacking at a clearance that doesn’t go very far.
11 mins: Villa have had a few forays forward early on here, but nothing to trouble Robert Sanchez at all so far.
All the endeavour and intensity is coming from Chelsea, who are piling on the pressure at pace.
A couple of Mudryk crosses are repelled before superb work from Colwill, who gets out wide to the left and delivers another dangerous ball that skips up off Kamara before hitting the arm of Jackson.
Free-kick Villa inside their own box.
9 mins: Chelsea are looking nice and bright so far here and an early goal would do them the world of good.
Replays show that ball did hit the hand of Kamara inside the box, but a penalty for that would have been extremely harsh.
7 mins: Brilliant link-up play between Sterling and Jackson has Chelsea streaming through on the counter after Cash’s low cross at the other end is nudged away by Colwill.
However, Sterling’s touch is heavy and it allows Pau Torres to get across and make a crucial challenge inside the Villa box.
Chelsea’s subsequent corner is cleared amid shouts of handball from the fans behind that goal away to the left.
Australian referee Jarred Gillett is not interested in the appeal against Kamara.
