Unai Emery insisted Aston Villa are ‘not really’ in the Premier League title race despite this comeback victory over Chelsea – and would not be drawn on whether beating Arsenal on Tuesday would change his mind.
Ollie Watkins scored twice as a substitute to turn this game around, taking them up to third behind Manchester City and Arsenal and making it 11 consecutive wins in all competitions.
Emery’s side face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium next and can go level on points with Mikel Arteta’s team if they win, but it would seem Villa are not getting ahead of themselves.
‘Not really,’ Emery said when asked if he believes Villa can challenge for the title. ‘Not really. I have a feeling that we are competing very well, and we are now third in the league with two teams in Manchester City and Arsenal – wow, fantastic teams.
‘We have to play 38 matches. We have played 18 and still have 20 to play. Teams like Liverpool, like Chelsea, like Manchester United – we must compete against them. We have to try to be consistent over 38 matches.’
Asked if beating Arsenal might make him think otherwise, Emery answered: ‘You are asking me now about the match against Arsenal? It’s very, very difficult. Now it is ‘wow’.
Unai Emery insisted Aston Villa were not in the title race despite their 2-1 win at Chelsea
Chelsea star Cole Palmer appeared visibly frustrated at being substituted in the second half
‘In the Emirates they are so, so, so strong. The next challenge is the biggest we will face because they are the best team now. They are playing fantastic in the Premier League and Champions League. We have very good players and I try to set our demands high for everything.’
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, who watched this loss from the press box while serving a one-game touchline ban, said his side need to learn how to manage games better.
The Blues took the lead through Joao Pedro – and should have led by more than one goal at half-time – only to then crumble in the second half. ‘The goal we conceded was the turning point,’ Maresca said. ‘Until that goal, we were completely in control of the game.
‘It’s not the first time that has happened. When we concede a goal, even if we are winning and we concede a goal, we struggle a little with the management of the game. It’s something that for sure we need to improve. In this moment it’s difficult to analyse because we need to understand again why when we concede a goal, we struggle to manage the game in a better way.’
Cole Palmer did not look pleased to be substituted after 72 minutes, with the Chelsea playmaker now fit enough to handle a full 90. Maresca said he did not have an issue with his response to being replaced by Estevao Willian, which included smacking the back of his seat.
‘He was working very good,’ Maresca said on Palmer. ‘He was on the ball and off the ball, pressing, he was very good. We have another game now in 48 hours (against Bournemouth), so he was good and we are happy that he’s back.’
Meanwhile, Chelsea are set to investigate after a plastic water bottle was thrown towards the Villa away dugout following the full-time whistle. The visiting side reported the incident to the referee, Stuart Attwell. It is not known where the bottle was thrown from.
