Chelsea lose again to another goalkeeper error as Aston Villa end winless run - reaction
Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea: Marco Asensio’s shot squirmed under goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen in a huge result for Unai Emery’s side
Chelsea’s miserable run under Enzo Maresca continued as the Blues paid the price for their latest goalkeeper error in defeat at Champions League chasing Aston Villa.
Enzo Fernandez had fired Chelsea into an early lead but it was cancelled out by Marco Asensio after the break, with the on-loan Spaniard bundling in from Marcus Rashford’s cross.
And with the game heading towards a draw, Villa’s on-loan pair combined again as Rashford crossed for Asensio to direct a volley under Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen, who should have done better.
It was another costly error from a Chelsea goalkeeper and Maresca’s side now have four defeats from their last five games in all competitions.
The result was a huge boost for Villa, however, as Unai Emery’s side won in the Premier League for the first time since January.
Follow all the reaction from Villa Park here:
Chelsea’s goalkeeping woes continue as Aston Villa grab late win
Filip Jorgensen’s late howler in the Chelsea goal handed Aston Villa a Champions League qualification lifeline as they won 2-1 at Villa Park.
The Blues’ goalkeeping problems continued as Jorgensen inexplicably let Marcos Asensio’s saveable shot straight through his grasp in the 89th minute to give Villa a vital three points in the race for the top four.
Unai Emery’s men looked like falling short and drawing a third home game in a week as Asensio’s 57th-minute strike cancelled out Enzo Fernandez’s early opener.
Chelsea’s goalkeeping woes continue as Aston Villa grab late win
Up next
Both sides have midweek games next week, with Aston Villa facing Crystal Palace on Tuesday, 26 February at 7.30pm.
Chelsea’s next match is against Southampton on the same day – that one kicks off at 8.15pm.
Tomorrow’s matches
There are two more matches in the league tomorrow, with of which could be vital in the race for top four.
Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest - 2pm
Manchester City vs Liverpool - 4.30pm
Maresca reacts
Enzo Maresca is last to speak to Sky, and he says that he thinks “the performance was good”.
“Today it’s a tough one because we didn’t deserve [to lose].
“We had some great chances, but in this league you have to be clinical otherwise anything can happen.
“It’s tough because the team was good, they gave everything, but we lost. We are not happy.
“If we carry on in the same way, we can play an important part until the end [in the race for top four].
On Cole Palmer, he says that he’s a “top player”, but today he missed a great chance, but “we are very happy with him”.
Emery reacts
Villa boss Emery is happy after that, mentioning that Villa “were speaking before the match, in the meeting, about starting off [well]”.
“We have to identify how to improve, and we needed more.
“Again we started very bad. We weren’t playing like we planned. Then we were getting better. We played fantastic in the second half.
“We were getting tired. We needed players to have a good impact and they did.
“We needed to improve the squad and to have more players helping.
“We are trying to be in the top five and to compete in the Champions League, and we got those players thinking they’d improve us. Their impact in the second half was fantastic.”
Tielemans reacts
Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans also speaks to Sky, and he calls it “a big, big win against one of our rivals. It is so important. I can't put it into words”.
On his own performance, he said: "The manager has improved me a lot. His tactical analysis of the game has helped me to improve my game and has helped em to express myself and improve on the details.
On January signings, he added: "It helps us a lot when you seem them tow linking up for both goals. We know they are only loans but hopefully we can get more from them if they play well and stay fit and help us to reach our goals."
On being in the race for Champions League places: "We have to enjoy tonight but there is still a long way to go. Hopefully we can get some momentum going towards the end of the season and get there in the end."
Premier League results
Here’s a brief rundown of the day’s results in the Premier League then.
Everton 2-2 Manchester United
Arsenal 0-1 West Ham
Bournemouth 0-1 Wolves
Fulham 0-2 Crystal Palace
Southampton 0-4 Brighton
Ipswich 1-4 Tottenham
Asensio reacts
Marco Asensio is first to speak to Sky, and he says that he is “so happy, the performance was incredible”.
“We have to continue, the team is in the right way, so I’m very happy for these goals and the win.
“We know that today was an important day, we had to win and we did. We have to continue.
“The mentality we have to have is to win every match.
On the goal: “Marcus said he was not offside! We all know his quality, he’s helped us a lot – thanks to him for the two assists!
“We are working hard, we have new teammates so we’re building something new. We have to keep working.
“It’s a step forward because the club and Unai trust me, and that important for a football player.”
How the table looks
That result means that Villa move to within a point of Chelsea, with Emery’s side in seventh on 42 points.
Chelsea miss a chance to move into the top four, and they’re in sixth on 43 points.
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