Olivier Giroud fired Chelsea to victory in a second-half comeback at Aston Villa to close in on a Champions League place.
The Blues dominated the majority of the first half, without creating many clear-cut chances as Mason Mount fired a shot from range and Ruben Loftus-Cheek failed to direct a header on target from 10 yards.
Villa edged back into the contest, with Anwar El Ghazi’s fierce strike beaten away by Kepa Arrizabalaga before Kortney Hause reacted first to scoop home from close range two minutes before the break.
The Blues responded well after the restart though, first through substitute Christian Pulisic arriving strongly at the far post to equalise, before Olivier Giroud swivelled and fired past a sea of bodies in front of Orjan Nyland, confirming a second assist of the game for the tireless Cesar Azpilicueta.
The win moves Chelsea to within three points of Leicester in third, while extending their lead over Manchester United in fifth to five points. Villa meanwhile remain inside the drop zone and a point from safety. Here are the player ratings from Villa Park:
Aston Villa
Orjan Nyland – 6: Much more assured today after his clanger against Sheffield United.
Ezra Konsa – 4: Allowed Barkley to get ahead of him and failed to track Politic for the equaliser, then struggled to cope with the movement down his side in the build-up to Giroud’s goal.
Kortney Hause – 7: Scooped in the opener with a quick reaction after Kepa rebounded a shot and could have had a second with a glancing header, attacks the ball well at set-pieces.
Tyrone Mings – 6: Strong at the back and mostly dealt well with Giroud.
Matt Targett – 6: Coped well enough with Willian, mostly forcing him inside.
John McGinn – 5: Failed to contain the runs from deep from Mount.
Douglas Luiz – 6: Wonderful whipped cross in build-up to the opener
Conor Hourihane – 5: Superb delivery from free-kick almost saw Hause equalise, but little else.
Anwar El Ghazi – 6: Great shot from range forced Arrizabalaga into a decent save.
Keinan Davis – 6: Worked hard after earning start following impact against Blades without much help.
Jack Grealish – 5: Lacked the spark Villa needed at times after soaking up so much pressure.
Chelsea
Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6: Could have pushed Hause’s initial effort further away from danger.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 8: Surged forward with purpose, producing two assists inside a few minutes. Man of the Match.
Andreas Christensen – 5: Too slow to sense danger for Hause goal.
Antonio Rudiger – 5: A bit shaky and uncertain at times, mostly recovered well though.
Marcos Alonso – 6: Failed to discover much joy going forward, but contained any threat from Villa down his side.
Mateo Kovacic – 6: Fierce strike flashed wide just before the break but otherwise struggled to dictate tempo like he can.
N’Golo Kante – 7: Restrained today, but still valuable at the heart of the midfield for Chelsea, denying many openings for Villa to counter.
Mason Mount – 8: Lively on the ball, creating and going close with a long-range strike, excellent give-and-go in build-up to Giroud’s goal.
Willian – 6: Neat and tidy while attempting to unlock the Villa defence without a lot coming off, faded a bit in second half before finishing strong with a powerful strike just over the bar.
Olivier Giroud – 7: Turned well to finish and put Chelsea ahead after a tough shift without a lot of support.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 5: Lethargic off the ball in his first game of the season, but understandable in circumstances.
Christian Pulisic – 7: Instinctive finish at the back post, immediate impact off the bench.
