Cole Palmer Shines as Chelsea Ease Past Villa 3-0

Cole Palmer was the standout performer as Chelsea secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Aston Villa, who extended their winless run to eight matches. Chelsea took the lead early when Nicolas Jackson finished past Villa’s goalkeeper Emi Martinez in the seventh minute, following a mistake by Jadon Philogene. Enzo Fernandez doubled the lead in the 36th minute, volleying in after a fine assist from Palmer. In the 83rd minute, Palmer sealed the victory with a brilliant left-footed strike from outside the box, making it 3-0.

Chelsea were dominant throughout, enjoying over 64% possession and creating several chances with Palmer and Jackson both showing their scoring touch. Jadon Sancho also posed a threat and Palmer missed a good opportunity from close range after a mistake by Martinez and Pau Torres. For Villa, Ollie Watkins had a frustrating game, missing two good chances while goalkeeper Martinez was forced off at halftime due to injury.

Chelsea rose to joint-second in the Premier League table with 25 points while Villa dropped to 12th with 19 points. Villa manager Unai Emery is now enduring the longest winless streak of his tenure with his side struggling to balance domestic and Champions League demands. Under new manager Enzo Maresca, Chelsea are no longer overly reliant on Palmer with Jackson, Fernandez and others stepping up.

Jackson now has 18 goal involvements in his last 21 games while Fernandez has scored in consecutive matches. The team’s attacking depth was on full display with Maresca opting to bench Noni Madueke and Joao Felix. Chelsea are a team with multiple threats and Cole Palmer’s quality remains an important asset. For Villa, Martinez’s hand injury adds further concern as they aim to turn their form around.