Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 4: Unai Emery's team thumped at home by rivals

That’s certainly just as well.

Villa are still, theoretically, in pole position to secure a top-five Premier League finish and Champions League football but after this chastening 4-1 defeat to rivals Chelsea, it does not feel like it.

The London club are now just three points behind Emery’s team with nine matches to play and there will be few, on this evidence, betting against them overhauling the gap before the season’s finish.

This was Villa’s third defeat in five home league matches and the first time they had been beaten after taking the lead in a home league fixture for more than two years.

Douglas Luiz gave Emery’s men the perfect start with a goal inside two minutes but after that a night which was supposed to represent a re-set following Friday’s defeat at Wolves, fell horribly flat.

Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick, with Cole Palmer also finding the net as Villa suffered their heaviest home defeat since losing 4-0 to Tottenham two years ago.

It might have been different. Ollie Watkins saw a goal which would have put Villa 2-1 up and ended a drought at seven matches ruled out by the most marginal of VAR offside calls.

The striker also missed a hat-trick of other chances as Villa failed to take advantage of some slack visiting defending.

At the other end, Pedro and Chelsea were far more ruthless as a Villa backline which had ranked as the Premier League’s best in 2026 crumbled.

For Emery, who had used his programme notes to issue a rallying cry, the answers to his team’s stuttering form seem further away than ever.

If you had any doubt this was a big match, Villa Park had the fireworks to remind you, the teams emerging to a cacophony of bangs and accompanied flamethrowers.

Too often of late Villa have failed to follow up the big entrance but here they were ahead inside two minutes.

Bailey, back in the starting line-up in place of Jadon Sancho, drove to the byline and sent in a low cross which Watkins dummied, allowing Luiz to flick home his first goal in more than two years.

It was precisely the start the home side wanted but it required a fine save from Emi Martinez to deny the visitors a swift response. Alejandro Garnacho crossed from the left and Joao Pedro looked certain to score, Martinez keeping the header out at close-range.

For large stages of the first half this looked like Villa playing against a version of themselves.

Chelsea hogged the possession but it was the home side who had the best chances.

When Wesley Fofana slipped, Watkins suddenly found himself through on goal. Trevoh Chalobah got back across to make the shot difficult but the striker should have done better than sent it straight at Jorgensen.

Watkins got another sight at goal when slipped in by Buendia but again sent the strike too close to the keeper, who beat it away with his left arm.

Jorgensen also saved from Morgan Rogers but while Chelsea were always a threat, their equaliser still came somewhat out of the blue.

Ian Maatsen seemed to lose the run of Malo Gusto, who drilled in a low cross for Pedro to slide home from inside the six-yard box.

That quietened Villa Park, yet five minutes later it was alive again, briefly, when it appeared Watkins had broken his drought.

Villa broke four-on-two and when Rogers played in the striker, he sent a powerful finish beyond Jorgensen.

The celebrations which followed seemed a release of frustration until they were cut short, a VAR check revealing Watkins had strayed maybe a kneecap offside before receiving the pass.

In stoppage time the millimetres again worked in Chelsea’s favour. Fernandez slipped in Pedro, Mings’ toe kept him onside and he lifted a finish over Martinez.

Villa suddenly had it all to do and things only got worse after the break.

Buendia lost the ball in midfield, Palmer played in Reece James and was there in the right place to hammer in a finish after Martinez could only punch the ball back into a dangerous area.

It still felt as though Villa were in the game, simply because Chelsea also seemed in the mood to offer gifts. Buendia won the ball 20 yards from goal and found Watkins, who somehow could not score.

Emery made a triple change to try and rediscover some momentum but within minutes Pedro had his hat-trick.

Lamare Bogarde, who had replaced Cash off the bench at the break, was left in no-man’s land as the ball sailed over his head and Garnacho set up the striker to tap home.

Martinez denied Garnacho a goal of his own with a point-blank save, while Tammy Abraham sent a header against the bar late on.

Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Cash (Bogarde HT), Konsa, Mings, Maatsen, Luiz (Alysson 63), Onana, Bailey (Sancho 63), Rogers, Buendia, Watkins (Abraham 71) Subs not used: Lindelof, Digne, Torres, Bogarde, Barkley, Sancho, Abraham, Alysson, Bizot (gk).

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen, Gusto (Lavia 75), Chalobah, Fofana (Adarabioyo 79), Hato, James, Caicedo, Palmer (Santos 85), Fernandez (Cucurella 79), Garnacho, Pedro (Delap 85) Subs not used: Badiashile, Sarr, Guiu, Sanchez (gk).