Aston Villa just silenced Wayne Rooney after statement comeback vs Chelsea
Aston Villa continued their incredible charge towards the Premier League title on Saturday evening with a comeback win against Chelsea.
After Arsenal secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Brighton and Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest by the same scoreline, all the pressure was on Unai Emery’s men to beat Enzo Maresca’s side at Stamford Bridge.
Joao Pedro’s first-half strike gave the hosts an initial lead, but Ollie Watkins scored twice from the bench to complete a remarkable comeback against Chelsea and leave the Villans three points behind the Gunners.
Wayne Rooney commented on Watkins’ performance on Match of the Day, claiming he needed to see ‘more’ from the Englishman this season after the 29-year-old scored for the first time since a brace against Brighton at the start of December.
Aston Villa silence Wayne Rooney’s Premier League title doubts
Watkins’ two goals from the bench saw Villa set a club record for 11 successive wins in all competitions as they truly laid down a marker on their title ambitions.
Meanwhile, the Midlands giants proved Rooney wrong in the process after the former Manchester United striker gave Emery’s side ‘no chance’ of winning the Premier League.
Speaking on December 15 after Aston Villa’s 3-2 win over West Ham, the 40-year-old was asked if they were in the title race and replied: “No, no. If we’re realistic.
“What the manager is doing is incredible, and I think you have to give credit to the players as well. But in terms of a title race, there’s no chance they’re going to be above Man City or Arsenal.”
Whilst Rooney’s verdict was doubtful two weeks ago, Alan Shearer labelled Aston Villa as title contenders after their statement win at Stamford Bridge, although he claims squad depth will prevent them from beating Man City and Arsenal to the punch.
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Aston Villa have most points after falling behind
Emery has drilled an unstoppable mindset into this Villa side, and they never know when they’re beaten.
For the fifth game in a row, Aston Villa have come from either a drawing or a losing position to claim all three points, and that level of belief can carry any team to the title.
| Club | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points |
| Aston Villa | 5 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| Sunderland | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Brighton | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| West Ham | 2 | 2 | 11 | 8 |
Unsurprisingly, Villa have claimed the most points (15) after falling behind in the Premier League this term, with Sunderland and Brighton running them so close.
There is a feeling, however, that Aston Villa can’t continue going behind in matches if they want to finish in the first position, but momentum is certainly with them ahead of their mouth-watering showdown against Arsenal on December 30.
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