WHEN your Champions League hopes are fading away it’s handy to have a THREE TIMES Champions League winner to rely on.
Unai Emery‘s Villa were on the brink of running up the white flag on their chances of finishing in the top five as they trailed to Enzo Fernandez’s early opener.
ReutersMarcus Rashford twice turned provider as Marco Asensio scored his first goals for Aston Villa[/caption]
GettyThe Spaniard net a dramatic winner infront of the Holte End[/caption]
GettyEnzo Fernandez gave Chelsea an early lead at Villa Park[/caption]
GettyThe Argentine pounced following good work from Pedro Neto[/caption]
But Emery was able to get out of jail thanks to his two January jokers – and a choker in the Chelsea goal!
He sent on Marcus Rashford at half-time and the on-loan Manchester United forward set up fellow January signing Marco Asensio twice for a dramatic second half double.
The former Real Madrid man scrambled the ball home from a Rashford cross just before the hour to haul Villa level.
Then, one minute from the end, he got on the end of another Rashford delivery to hook the ball towards goal.
It should have been a bread-and-butter save for Filip Jorgensen but somehow the blundering Dane let the ball squirm through his gloves to gift Villa all three points.
Chelsea may have splurged a billion on signings in the Todd Boehly era – but their failure to sign a world class No.1 could cost them a Champions League place next season.
Villa moved to within a point of the Blues who could and should have had this game in the bag.
But in the end, their ambition in the January transfer market paid off as loan signings Rashford and Asensio showed their class to pull them through.
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Enzo Maresca sprang a surprise with his team selection as he moved Reece James into a midfield three beside Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
But it was his decision to play Pedro Neto as his lone striker which raised eyebrows.
It was a major change of position for the Portuguese winger.
However, the little guy loved it and had Villa’s back four chasing shadows as he ran them ragged from the start.
He wriggled free in the Villa penalty area after three minutes but his shot was desperately blocked by Tyrone Mings who slid in to block.
Chelsea suffered an early blow when Trevoh Chalobah hobbled off clutching his lower back following a clash with Asensio and had to be replaced by Tosin Adarabioyo.
However, Villa were sleepwalking into this crunch clash and they fell behind six minutes later after some more Neto magic.
This time the winger drifted out to more familiar territory wide on the right and fronted Ian Maatsen up with the ball at his feet.
A sudden shimmy and burst of acceleration saw him skin the Dutchman on the outside to get in behind the Villa defence.
And when he took out Martinez and Mings with a low cut back, Enzo Fernandez came steaming in to knock the ball into the empty net from close range for his fourth goal of the season.
ReutersChelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah was forced off injured early in the contest[/caption]
GettyFilip Jorgensen had a game to forget in the Chelsea goal[/caption]
It was knife-through-butter stuff for Chelsea who were calling all the early shots.
Mings had to block Neto who almost wriggled through on goal again.
Then Palmer picked out Fernandez’s brilliant late run between Cash and Konsa, only for the Argentine midfielder to glance his header wide when he should have hit the target at least.
It took Villa almost 20 minutes to show any threat at all as Jorgensen reacted instinctively to block Ollie Watkins‘ shot with his legs.
Two minutes later it was Marc Cucarella’s turn to frustrate Watkins when he blocked his attempt on goal.
Neto seemed to be everywhere and the wee man left towering Mings in a heap as he snapped at his ankles.
EPAAsensio bundled in Rashford’s cross to equalise early in the second half[/caption]
Villa were ragged and when Matty Cash stumbled over the ball Christopher Nkunku rolled the ball to Fernandez who curled his shot over Martinez and onto the roof of the Villa net.
Watkins could only get an outstretched toe to Tielemans’s low cross and Jorgensen saved the day with his outstretched right boot.
Palmer’s shot deflected off Mings to ripple the side net before Martinez got down low to smother Malo Gusto’s shot.
Reece James then gave the ball away to Watkins who blasted the ball into the side net from a tight angle.
Chelsea were well worth their half-time lead and Villa needed a shot in the arm.
Emery turned to his bench to provide it as he sent on Rashford for Jacob Ramsey to a huge roar of approval from Villa fans.
Boy, how it paid off!
Rash hadn’t even been on the park for 15 minutes before he made a major impact, setting up Villa’s equaliser to send the Holte End wild.
But it took a VAR check for offside before bedlam broke out.
Cash’s cross from the right was aimed towards the back post where Rashford was lurking.
Gusto desperately tried to clear the dropping ball but could only get a toe to it and Rashford did brilliantly to retrieve a seemingly lost cause.
He managed to dig the ball back across goal and, though it fell behind Asensio, the Spaniard somehow managed to claw the ball back and screw it across the line.
Standside assistant ref Stuart Burt flagged for offside.
But after a lengthy wait, VAR Paul Tierney at Stockley Park decided Fernandez had played Rashford onside.
Villa had to replace Mings with Lamare Bogarde on the hour after the England defender picked up another knee knock.
And as the game became heated there were bookings for Fernandez and Nkunku of Chelsea and Villa’s McGinn.
Chelsea thought they were going to grab a winner when Caicedo sent Palmer through on Martinez – especially when the ‘keeper lost his footing.
But Palmer slipped too and when he finally got his shot off Konsa had raced back to block on the line.
That turned out to be a major turning point as Asensio snatched that late winner.
Rashford worked a short corner with Tielemans and crossed for Asensio to test Jorgensen.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, the keeper spectacularly flunked it!
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