Chelsea vs Aston Villa: Premier League preview, team news, stats and head-to-head – BBC Sport

Cole Palmer shone in a comfortable Chelsea win against an Aston Villa side whose worrying winning streak stretched to eight games.

Nicolas Jackson gave Chelsea the lead in the seventh minute, firing past Emi Martinez for the first time after Marc Cucurella forced Jadon Philogene into a mistake on the edge of his own penalty area in front of the cross.

Enzo Fernandez then scored the second volley in the 36th minute.

The Argentine midfielder finished with his right foot after an excellent touch with his left foot following a good ball from Palmer, with Moises Caicedo winning the ball in midfield.

In the 83rd minute, Palmer scored a sensational left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area to seal the win.

Like Jackson, the England international has now scored eight goals this season for Chelsea.

Chelsea were dominant with more than 64% possession and could have scored more goals – Jadon Sancho threatened, while Palmer missed a chance from eight yards out from an indirect free-kick following a mistake from Villa duo Martinez and Pau Torres.

For Villa, Ollie Watkins had a frustrating day as he missed a good chance in the 15th minute and just before half-time following a mistake from Fernandez.

It was a day to forget for the visitors as Villa goalkeeper Martinez had to leave the pitch at half-time due to an injury.

In the second half, where Chelsea continued to dominate, the only setback was an injury to Wesley Fofana. John McGinn and substitute Ross Barkley had half chances but the visitors couldn’t come back.

Chelsea have moved up to second place in the Premier League table with 25 points, while Villa have fallen to 12th with 19 points.

Unai Emery is currently enjoying the longest winless streak of his Villa tenure, having failed to win eight games since a 2-0 Champions League win over Bologna in October.

More to follow.