Marco Asensio’s Aston Villa debut turned into a dream as his two goals punished a costly error from Chelsea’s Filip Jorgensen, securing a dramatic 2-1 victory at Villa Park on Saturday.
Chelsea had taken an early lead through Enzo Fernandez’s close-range finish, but the Blues’ defensive frailties once again proved costly. Asensio, signed on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, equalized after halftime, with his goal initially ruled offside before being confirmed by VAR.
Just when it seemed Chelsea might hold on for a point, disaster struck in the 89th minute. Asensio’s shot slipped through Jorgensen’s fingers, sealing a comeback win for Villa and piling more pressure on Chelsea’s shaky season.
The defeat marks Chelsea’s fourth loss in five games, leaving them outside the top four and raising further doubts about their Champions League aspirations. Meanwhile, Villa, fresh from their spirited draw against Liverpool, reignited their own top-four hopes, sitting just one point behind Chelsea in the table.
For Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, this was another painful setback after last week’s woeful performance against Brighton. Despite a promising start, the Blues crumbled under pressure, with wasted chances from Cole Palmer and costly defensive lapses proving their undoing.
Villa, on the other hand, showed resilience, with Ollie Watkins constantly testing Chelsea’s backline and Marcus Rashford making an immediate impact after being introduced at halftime.
As the final whistle blew, the spotlight remained firmly on Jorgensen’s howler—another goalkeeping nightmare in a season full of Chelsea errors. With the race for the top four heating up, Villa’s win could prove to be a defining moment in their campaign.
