Calum Chambers is here to stay – Three things learned in Aston Villa win v Chelsea
Aston Villa launched themselves into the race for European football following a terrific 2-0 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (1 April).
Goals from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn on either side of half-time gave Unai Emery’s side their third win from their last four Premier League outings and left the club just two points off Brighton in 6th.
Chelsea dominated large portions of the encounter – registering 27 attempts on goal compared to Aston Villa’s five – but were denied by a mixture of poor finishing and superb goalkeeping from Emi Martinez.
Here Villa News look at three things we learned from the crucial win and clean sheet against Graham Potter’s side.
Chambers is here to stay
Calum Chambers might not have stolen the headlines with his 45-minute cameo against Chelsea, but he made a telling impact on the crucial victory.
With the score standing at a nervy 1-0 and influential midfielder Boubacar Kamara subbed off at half-time on his injury return, Chambers slotted into midfield seamlessly and, if anything, outperformed Douglas Luiz.
The ex-Arsenal player completed more tackles than Luiz (5 v 1), more clearances (2 v 1) and produced one key pass, which also trumped Villa’s Brazilian maestro.
With Chambers’ future under Emery still up for debate, this was a timely reminder of the 28-year-old’s utility across the back line and in the middle of the park.
Ramsey displays all-round growth
Jacob Ramsey has long been touted as Aston Villa’s next big thing, but his performance against Chelsea highlighted that he has the talent to match the hype.
Over the past 18 months, fans have become accustomed to seeing Ramsey surge into the final third and glide past defenders effortlessly, but it was the defensive aspects of his game which shone through on Saturday evening.
According to WhoScored, Ramsey completed a joint team-high five tackles, as well as two interceptions and two clearances.
His last-gasp clearance off the line was also pivotal to Villa maintaining their third clean sheet in their last four outings, while he ticked over proceedings in possession of the ball, completing one key pass and two successful dribbles.
Away day monsters
Since Unai Emery’s arrival at Aston Villa, the club have recorded five wins from seven away matches, with the only blemishes on the Spaniard’s notebook being a 1-1 draw against West Ham and a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.
Wins over Brighton, Spurs, Southampton, Everton and now Chelsea have left Emery’s side eyeing up a late surge for European football – a thought that was a distant dream under previous manager Steven Gerrard.
Over the course of these five wins, Villa have scored nine goals and conceded just a single goal, which was an individual error from Boubacar Kamara against the Seagulls when caught trying to play out from the back.
The defensive organisation that Emery has instilled at Villa is a remarkable transformation from the side who were shot of confidence and shipping an alarming amount of goals before the New Year.
In other Aston Villa news, a first-team player is expected to return after the international break with a protective brace after what happened in 2023.