Chelsea's chances of finishing in the top

Chelsea's chances of finishing in the top four in the Premier League

The game started quickly, as Chelsea took the lead with the first shot of the game. Marc Cucurella scored the goal with a powerful challenge, beating Jaden Philogene to the ball. The Aston Villa players had hoped for a free kick, but Cucurella instead picked up Nicolas Jackson, who swept in from close range for his eighth Premier League goal of the season.

Ollie Watkins had Aston Villa's first chance, and he did an excellent job of beating Wesley Fofana to it. The England striker was closing in on goal, but goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was quick off his line to make a great block.

Chelsea had the opportunity to expand their lead after Emiliano Martinez scooped up the ball following a touch by Pau Torres. Referee Stuart Attwell whistled for a pass back, awarding Chelsea an indirect free kick from about eight yards away. With all of the Villa players back on the goal line, the ball was touched to Cole Palmer, whose powerful effort was well saved by Martinez.

In a crazy few moments, the Villa goalkeeper almost gave Chelsea a second goal when he strangely handed the ball straight to Jackson, but the Chelsea striker's heavy touch allowed the Argentina international to recover.

Chelsea's dominance continued, and they ultimately extended their lead right before halftime. Enzo Maresca's team won possession high up before Palmer's silky pass found Enzo Fernandez, who finished forcefully from the edge of the penalty box. Villa generated another opportunity for Watkins in stoppage time at the end of the first half, with Philogene putting the striker through on goal, but he was stopped again by Sanchez, sending Chelsea into the interval with a deserved two-goal lead.

Sanchez was involved early in the second half as Villa, who were forced to make a change at halftime with goalkeeper Martinez replaced by Robin Olsen, passed the ball to John McGinn. The Villa captain bent a shot towards the far corner, but Chelsea's goalkeeper moved the ball to safety, and the offside flag ultimately came up against McGinn. The second half lacked the intensity of the first, and the game began to fizzle as Villa's rally failed to materialize.

That was until Palmer's stunning strike into the top corner sealed a massive win for Chelsea, who went up to third place and are equal on points and goal difference with Arsenal. Chelsea now has a six-point lead over Villa, while Emery's side drops to the bottom half of the table in 12th.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca on whether his team is in contention for the Premier League title: "I've mentioned several times that I disagree with that. I believe we are not ready to compete with Liverpool, Arsenal, and City for a variety of reasons, and even though we won today, I will not change my opinion. We are not prepared for that. But the good news is that we're progressing, and perhaps we'll be there soon."

What are the reasons Chelsea can't contend for the title? Maresca responded, "We need to fix several things. We can attack and defend better. But what we need is for you to go through certain experiences to improve. "These types of athletes, some of whom have only played one final for a championship in their lives. Probably last year's Carabao Cup was the most crucial game they've played. So you need to experience moments to improve, and when we start having these moments, we will most likely improve and be able to compete.

"Arsenal, Liverpool, and City players are all in finals, competing for titles, so we'll be there shortly. But this is one of the reasons why we are still far behind and not prepared to compete with those teams."

Chelsea's performance under head coach Maresca remains impressive. Aston Villa were comprehensively defeated as the optimistic emotions at Chelsea continued to grow, who are quietly going about their business.

The Blues are currently unbeaten in five games across all competitions, including the Premier League. They are now third in the league, level on points and goal difference with Arsenal, who many believe will win the Premier League. Maresca will not talk about a title challenge, as he has consistently downplayed his team's possibilities, but the statistics are unavoidable. The Blues are one of the top teams in the division, competing with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City.

This Chelsea club, who kept its first clean sheet of the season at Stamford Bridge, has momentum. They are a team on the rise, and their win over Villa boosted their chances of finishing in the top four. That is what Chelsea fans, who are re-connecting with their team, would have asked for at the beginning of the season, and the manager and players are giving.

Aston Villa appeared deflated at Stamford Bridge, and manager Emery confessed to Sky Sports that his team has to recover confidence. "The analysis is not limited to this match. We moved here two years ago and have steadily improved since. This encounter will allow us to see where we stand in comparison to teams like Chelsea and Liverpool from a few weeks ago. At the start of the season, we could tell which teams were better than us, and one of them was Chelsea. Try to maintain equilibrium and avoid becoming upset. We'll strive again to regain our confidence on Wednesday against Brentford."

During the losing streak, Emery stated, "We believe in our effort. We're loving the Champions League, but we're still a little behind where we were. Our challenge is to face Brentford on Wednesday and assess where we stand against them. There are still matches to play, and we will aim to regain our confidence while also building the team. We need to try to be better than we are now. We can each do better."

Aston Villa's troubles have only gotten worse since the defeat to Chelsea. Not only have they gone eight games without a win in all competitions, dropping them to the bottom half of the Premier League, but they may also have a big injury problem to contend with when goalkeeper Martinez was substituted at halftime.

It's just another worry for Villa manager Emery to cope with. In his post-match press conference, the Spaniard stated that his team "are not a surprise like last year" and that their top-six rivals Chelsea and Tottenham, whom they defeated last season, "don't have doubts like last year." Aston Villa has the joint-longest winless streak in the Premier League, with five games, along with Everton and Leicester. But Emery is "keeping calm" and believes he can turn things around soon, with their next two games, both at home, looking to put an end to their poor streak.

The 53-year-old continued: "Now the opportunity is Brentford at home on Wednesday and I am confident we can recover again our good form." Southampton, who are in danger of relegation, will follow at Villa Park. If Emery's dismal streak continues, he will lose his cool.