Chelsea’s stuttering start to the Premier League season took another turn for the worse as Aston Villa piled more misery on the 10-man Blues with victory at Stamford Bridge.
Ollie Watkins fired home an unerring winner between the legs of Robert Sanchez from an incredibly tight angle as Villa capitalised on Malo Gusto’s dismissal for dangerous play.
Mauricio Pochettino’s hosts fashioned plenty of chances before Gusto’s red card for a poorly-timed tackle that caught Lucas Digne on the ankle but, as so often this season failed to take any of them.
Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling were both denied one-on-one by excellent Emiliano Martinez saves while Enzo Fernandez sliced another glorious opportunity wide.
Chelsea had been equally indebted to their own goalkeeper as Sanchez made a pair of flying fingertip saves to thwart beautifully-struck volleys by Digne and Nicolo Zaniolo.
There were chances at both ends even after Gusto was sent off but Villa, who climb to sixth, took one of theirs via Watkins, while Chelsea failed to score for a third successive game to stay 14th.