We hesitate to overstate the case, but one must genuinely question if Aston Villa’s current form is fuelled by some form of dark magic, threatening the very fabric of sporting expectations and defying logic with every passing week.
Their recent 2-1 victory away at Chelsea was Villa’s sixth win this season achieved after falling behind. No other team in the league boasts more than three. Six wins from behind equals the total number of wins achieved by teams like Newcastle or Spurs throughout the entire campaign. Villa’s overall points per game (PPG) stands at an impressive 2.17; remarkably, this figure only slightly drops to 2.00 in matches where they concede the first goal. These statistics are already absurdly high.
It`s important to remember that Villa only registered their first victory in the sixth game of the season. This means their astonishing run encompasses six comeback wins in their last 13 Premier League fixtures. And, for even more ridiculous numbers: this was their fifth win achieved from a losing position in their last six Premier League away games.
We choose our next words carefully, acknowledging this is a team that has previously won 4-3 at Brighton after trailing 2-0, and 3-2 at West Ham having been behind 1-0 and 2-1 in the first half: this comeback at Stamford Bridge is arguably the most absurd victory yet for Unai Emery’s title-race-bothering challengers.
It is impossible to exaggerate how one-sided the first half of the match was. Chelsea exerted complete and absolute control, leaving observers with only two primary mysteries.
The first, more straightforward mystery: how Chelsea`s only goal came off Joao Pedro’s backside after goalkeeper Emi Martinez chose to engage in unnecessary aerial dominance rather than deal cleanly with a corner kick.
The second mystery: how on earth Villa, after such a dreadful opening half, were seemingly destined to win 2-1? The solution to that second riddle eventually presented itself.
Chelsea swarmed the visitors from the opening whistle. Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto were nearly uncontainable, and even Alejandro Garnacho was creating significant moments. Villa offered next to nothing in response. Their first-half showing was as poor as any we have witnessed this season. While Villa have spent months gleefully defying Expected Goals (xG), they were lucky to enter halftime with 0.00 xG while allowing the opposition 1.96. (Although, to be fair, six-inch backside deflections probably score highly with the data scientists.)
Villa has repeatedly proven that xG can be safely ignored, but even their statistical defiance usually doesn`t extend to the complete void that defined their first half: zero shots, minimal touches in the opposition box, and perhaps most damningly, only four completed passes in Chelsea`s entire attacking third.
This was the moment when the team looked like they were finally going to blink, unable to maintain the relentless winning pace set by their two more seasoned competitors in what is now undeniably a three-horse title race. We should never have doubted them.
The entire game spun around a trio of substitutions made by Aston Villa just before the hour mark. Off went the ineffective Emi Buendia, the invisible Donyell Malen, and John McGinn (who struggled throughout but made one vital contribution just before being withdrawn by sliding in to concede a corner and denying Garnacho a tap-in).
On came Ollie Watkins, who would score both goals, alongside Amadou Onana and Jadon Sancho. The speed and totality of the turnaround were dizzying.
In the 10 minutes that followed, Villa not only leveled the score through a rather fortunate ricochet off Robert Sanchez`s initial save but also registered five further attempts on goal, all of which forced Sanchez into action. They enjoyed 78 percent possession and accumulated more touches in the Chelsea box during this 10-minute spell than they had managed in the entire first half.
Yes, luck played a part in the equalizer. But the crucial point is that Villa had already earned that fortune simply by buying themselves a lottery ticket. Watkins’ goal wasn`t even the first clear chance he created in his opening minutes on the pitch.
His subsequent header for the winner—which had attained a sense of inevitability—was assured and true. This victory extends Villa’s current Premier League winning run to eight consecutive matches. This is the longest winning run managed by any team in the league throughout 2025, a statistic made even more interesting when noting that the second-longest run belongs to Wolves.
The sheer faith Villa retains in their proven ability to escape any dire situation, at any time, on any pitch, has never been tested more sternly than in this match. The first half was utterly miserable; the second was entirely majestic.
They are a baffling team achieving astonishing things, and they don’t look remotely finished with disrupting the status quo. Their trip to Arsenal to round out 2025 looks set to have vast repercussions for the shape of 2026. At this stage, you would rule absolutely nothing out.
As for Chelsea, they must feel punch-drunk. The speed with which total control of the game was snatched from them was confusing and overwhelming.
It is neither a novel nor particularly interesting observation to note that they desperately need a handful of older, more experienced players to prevent such incidents. While Chelsea collapsing from a winning position is not as frequent a sight as Villa exploiting a losing one, Enzo Maresca’s young squad has now dropped more points this season when leading than any other team.
What was a few weeks ago a genuine title fight is now a desperate scramble for a Champions League spot with Liverpool and any other team capable of holding themselves together for long enough—heaven help us, that might even include Manchester United.
For Villa, however, the reverse is true. Undignified squabbling over mere qualification for the ‘Big Cup’ is beneath them now. Ten points beneath them, in fact.
They still trail two formidable opponents, but if one thing is clear about this Villa team, it is that such a deficit is not something they will allow to concern them.
Mark Thompson
