Aston Villa staged a dramatic second-half comeback to secure a crucial 2-1 victory over Chelsea, boosting their European qualification hopes.
Enzo Fernandez put Chelsea ahead early, finishing a pinpoint cross from Pedro Neto in the ninth minute. However, Villa’s new signings stole the spotlight after the break.
Marcus Rashford, introduced at halftime, set up Marco Asensio for the equalizer, with VAR overturning an initial offside call. The duo linked up again in the dying moments, as Asensio capitalized on a costly error from Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen to snatch a last-minute winner.
Despite an early lead, Chelsea failed to take control, with Cole Palmer missing a golden opportunity to restore their advantage.
Villa’s persistence paid off, as they climbed to seventh in the table, just a point behind Chelsea and two off fourth-placed Manchester City.
