Cole Palmer was back to his best as Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea kept their faint title hopes alive with an easy 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea made light work of Unai Emery’s men, and in the process extended the Villans’ winless streak to eight games.
Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring with a clinical strike in the seventh minute, and Enzo Fernández doubled the lead with a well-crafted goal.
Villa’s struggles continued, with Ollie Watkins missing a glaring chance to equalize, and they were made to regret such wastefulness as Chelsea’s pressure paid off.
Cole Palmer sealed the win with a superb long-range shot in the 83rd minute, capping a wonderful performance.
The victory moves the Blues up to third in the table, while Villa sits 12th, having gone five successive Premier League games without a win.
Chelsea’s Reece James ruled out with injury until 2025
