JOAO PEDRO HAT-TRICK FIRES CHELSEA PAST VILLA.

Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick as Chelsea came from behind to beat Aston Villa 4-1
and boost their push for Champions League qualification.
Villa made a flying start when Douglas Luiz scored from close range after two
minutes, his first Premier League goal in more than two years.
But Chelsea responded strongly as Joao Pedro levelled from Malo Gusto’s pass
before striking twice more to complete his treble. Cole Palmer also scored for the
visitors.
The victory lifted Chelsea to fifth place, three points behind Villa in the race for a
Champions League spot, just a day after head coach Liam Rosenior warned his side
was running out of time to close the gap.
Villa thought they had regained the lead when Ollie Watkins finished a swift
counterattack, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Rosenior praised his team’s reaction after falling behind, saying they showed strong
character and quality in attack, with Joao Pedro producing an outstanding
performance.
The defeat was Villa’s heaviest home loss in two years and means they have now
lost three of their last five Premier League matches at Villa Park.