Emery 'not feeling' Villa's title tilt but praises his mentality monsters after blitzing Bridge

Victory in west London, earned through two goals in the second half from substitute Ollie Watkins, was Villa's 12th in 13 league games

Sat, 27 Dec, 2025 - 21:22

Robert O'Connor

Unai Emery said he is "not feeling" his Aston Villa side can win the Premier League after they beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge to equal a club record of 11 wins in a row.

Victory in west London, earned through two goals in the second half from substitute Ollie Watkins, was Villa's 12th in 13 league games and kept them within three points of Arsenal ahead of Tuesday's meeting with the leaders at the Emirates.

They trailed 1-0 at the break after being outplayed in the first half but three substitutions just before the hour changed the game, Amadou Onana and Jadon Sancho sent on alongside Watkins, as Villa's remarkable winning run continued.

Asked whether he believed his team could challenge the top two of Arsenal and Manchester City, Emery said: "Not really. I'm not feeling it. I'm feeling that we are competing very well. We are third in the league with two teams, Manchester City and Arsenal, fantastic performances they are getting.

"We have to play 38 matches. We are today on 18. There are 20 matches to play, teams like Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United...we must compete against them and try to be more or less consistent like we are now.

"But even being consistent and performing like we are now, there are Arsenal and Manchester City in front of us."

It was the fourth away league match in a row in which Villa had come from behind to win.

Joao Pedro had given given Chelsea a deserved lead in the first half, applying the deftest touch to Reece James's corner to turn the ball home and Enzo Maresca's side could have been out of sight with the chances they created.

The triple change though stirred Villa and within moments they were level. Morgan Rogers' pass through the middle was beautifully calibrated to put Watkins through. He held off Trevoh Chalobah and shot against the legs of Robert Sanchez but fortune was on the Villa striker's side as the ball rebounded back off him and in.

A draw might have been fair, but Watkins had other ideas, his late header from Youri Tielemans' corner sparking rapturous scenes amongst visiting fans in the Shed End.

"It's the mentality," said Emery. "They are mature players, responsible players and they have quality."

Watkins was a surprise omission from the start with Donyell Malen and Rogers preferred as a front two, but the England striker gave a timely reminder of his value to Emery.

The 54-year-old continued: "He is getting mature and understanding he is a very important player. He is always doing his tasks but sometimes not getting numbers. He is understanding sometimes I decide (for him) to be on the bench and play 30 minutes. Sometimes through 30 minutes he can get the victory."

Maresca, whose team slipped to fifth after a fourth game this season at home that they had led and failed to win, reflected on the game's obvious turning point.

"The (equaliser) changed the dynamic of the game," he said. "Until then we were in control. We should have scored two or three.

"We have to be clinical. But it's how we can improve after we concede.

"The goal we conceded was the turning point. We were completely in control."

Maresca added that he had "no problem" with Cole Palmer's reaction to being substituted at 1-1, the England forward visibly showing his frustration before walking away down the tunnel.