EPL: Watkins double stuns Chelsea as Villa extend winning run

Chelsea were booed off at Stamford Bridge after substitute Ollie Watkins scored twice to hand Aston Villa a 2-1 comeback victory, stretching the visitors’ winning streak to 11 matches and exposing the Blues’ recurring failure to protect a lead.

The hosts looked on course for a morale-boosting win after João Pedro’s fortuitous first-half goal capped a dominant opening spell.

However, Unai Emery’s second-half changes flipped the contest, with Watkins and Morgan Rogers combining decisively to turn the game on its head.

Chelsea dominance undone by missed control

With Enzo Maresca serving a touchline ban and watching from the stands, Chelsea controlled possession and territory in the first half.

Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernández both passed up presentable chances before the breakthrough arrived via a corner that deflected off João Pedro and wrong-footed Emiliano Martínez.

Villa offered little attacking threat before the interval, with Chelsea’s central defenders comfortably containing Rogers and Donyell Malen.

Despite their control, the Blues failed to build a cushion, a pattern that would prove costly.

Emery’s substitutions change the game

The turning point came just before the hour mark when Emery introduced Watkins as part of a triple substitution.

The impact was immediate. Rogers slipped Watkins through for the equaliser, with the striker showing sharp instincts to convert after Robert Sánchez’s initial save rebounded off him and into the net.

Villa’s confidence surged, while Chelsea’s grip loosened. Watkins went close again moments later, and the visitors began to dictate the tempo.

Watkins delivers decisive blow

The comeback was completed when Rogers delivered a precise corner and Watkins rose unchallenged to power home a header, silencing Stamford Bridge and sending the away end into raptures.

Chelsea attempted to respond with changes of their own, but the momentum had gone, while Villa managed the closing stages professionally.