Chelsea secured a vital 4-1 comeback victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park on Wednesday night, significantly boosting their Champions League qualification hopes. Brazilian forward Joao Pedro was the standout star, netting a brilliant hat-trick to help the Blues secure their first Premier League win in four matches.
Okay News reports that the match began disastrously for Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior, as Douglas Luiz flicked home a Leon Bailey cross just two minutes in to give Villa an early lead past goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen. However, the Blues responded strongly.
Ten minutes before halftime, Joao Pedro tapped in an equalizer from a Malo Gusto cross, and just before the interval, he elegantly dinked the ball past Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to give Chelsea a 2-1 advantage.
Chelsea continued their attacking momentum into the second half in what was a thrilling, end-to-end affair. Ten minutes after the restart, Cole Palmer slammed home a rebound from a Reece James cross to extend the lead. Joao Pedro then sealed his hat-trick later in the half, finishing off a slick counter-attack orchestrated by Palmer and Alejandro Garnacho.
The crucial away win sees Chelsea leapfrog Liverpool into fifth place, now sitting just three points behind Unai Emery’s Aston Villa in the tight race for the top four.
