Aston Villa boss Unai Emery called 'tactical genius' after triple sub inspires comeback win at Chelsea

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery called 'tactical genius' after triple sub inspires comeback win at Chelsea Reaction as Aston Villa come from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge; Unai Emery triple change just before the hour included match-winner Ollie Watkins, while Chelsea's own trio of subs 10 minutes later failed to have the same impact; Villa mull title bid as Blues sit fifth Image:Ollie Watkins celebrates after coming off the bench to equalise for Aston Villa at Chelsea Image:Aston Villa were transformed by a triple substitution on 59 minutes Image:The momentum chart shows how Aston Villa's triple change midway through the second half shifted the run of play Saturday 27 December 2025 21:03, UK For 59 minutes, Aston Villa were pummelled onto the ropes by Chelsea. Trailing 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, Unai Emery had to act. His triple sub transformed the game. Ollie Watkins was the hero, scoring twice in what Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp called "one of the great impacts of a sub in Premier League history". But Jadon Sancho and Amadou Onana, who were also sent on with Watkins, played their part as Villa's intensity and attacking thrust went to a new level. "Tactical genius," was the way Watkins described his head coach to Sky Sports afterwards. It certainly seemed like a masterful intervention from Emery. Villa had been a team seemingly heading for defeat but instead equalled a club record with 11 wins on the spin across all competitions. They could easily have scored more if it weren't for some sharp saves from Chelsea 'keeper Robert Sanchez. The gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal is three points and Villa have the chance to go level with the Gunners at the Emirates on Tuesday. Perhaps we should have seen it coming. Villa have won more points from losing positions than any other Premier League side this season. "We knew the second half was coming different," said Emery, hinting at a resilience and belief within his group of being able to fight their way back into matches. But it was still a remarkable comeback. Chelsea, meanwhile, have squandered 11 points when ahead at Stamford Bridge in league games this term. In fact, the success of Emery's triple change contrasted sharply with the way Chelsea's own trio of replacements, who came on 10 minutes later, failed to influence the game. If anything, Chelsea were blunted following the introduction of Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Malo Gusto. There was one shot between the three replacements during their 21-minute cameo. Striker Delap didn't have a touch in the box, although he did get booked 70 seconds after coming on. Cole Palmer was removed soon after, despite suggestions pre-game he'd play 90 minutes, and looked less than impressed. It summed up the frustration from the hosts with how this match had got away from them. Chelsea 1-2 Aston Villa - Match report and free highlights | As it happened | Teams Stats | Live Premier League table Watch FREE PL...

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