Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea

A virtuoso performance from Kepa Arrizabalaga helped Chelsea see off a valiant Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday.

After Mason Mount volleyed the Blues ahead after six minutes, the goalkeeper stole the show with a series of stunning stops in the first half to keep the hosts at bay.

A superb triple save denied John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey and Danny Ings before he leapt across goal later in the half to keep out the latter’s point-blank header.

Chelsea, who were on the back foot for much of the contest, managed to net a second when Mount’s swerving free-kick deceived Emi Martínez on 65 minutes.

Steven Gerrard opted to make two alterations from the side that battled back to draw against Nottingham Forest last time out, picking Ings and Leon Bailey in place of Philippe Coutinho and Emiliano Buendía.

The changes almost had the desired impact inside the first 60 seconds when Ings fired Ezri Konsa’s knockdown across the face of goal, forcing Mateo Kovacic to clear from the goalmouth. Seconds later, Douglas Luiz’s volleyed effort called Arrizabalaga into the first of many saves he would make during the contest.

However, the home side’s bright start was quickly dimmed when Chelsea converted their first sight of goal after six minutes. Ben Chilwell cut inside from the left and saw his pass loop up off Ramsey, with Tyrone Mings misjudging his header and leaving Mount to coolly volley home from close range.

Having steadied themselves after the early setback, Villa came within inches of restoring parity when Bailey nodded McGinn’s chipped cross against the frame of the goal.

Sensing frailties in the visitors’ backline, the hosts pushed forward again, and this time only the heroics of Arrizabalaga kept them at bay during a frenzied piece of play.

Ollie Watkins outpaced Trevoh Chalobah and pulled the ball back to McGinn, with the Spanish ‘keeper first denying Villa’s captain before producing a stunning one-handed stop to tip Ramsey’s follow-up on to a post. The loose ball fell to Ings, who attempted to slam home from a tight angle but saw a combination of Arrizabalaga and a post deny him.

Chelsea’s No.1 continued to frustrate Villa Park with further saves from McGinn and Ings before conjuring up his finest stop of the day after 31 minutes.

Bailey dropped a pin-point cross onto the head of Ings, who was seemingly set up with a straightforward finish from four yards out. But just as the striker prepared to wheel off in celebration, an acrobatic reflex save saw Arrizabalaga divert the ball over the crossbar.

For all Villa’s domination and chances, the home side could have been heading in for half-time two goals behind when Raheem Sterling struck the crossbar after being teed up by Kai Havertz shortly before the interval.

In an attempt to shore up his backline, Graham Potter brought Cesar Azpilicueta and Kalidou Koulibaly on at the break in place of Marc Cucurella and Havertz.

The tactical tweaks and personnel changes did little to alter the flow of the game as Villa continued to create openings and look dangerous, with Watkins glancing a header wide as the home side looked for a leveller.

Martínez, who had been a bystander for most of the contest, was suddenly picking the ball out of his net when Chelsea scored their second after 65 minutes.

The Blues had barely threatened from open play, but Mount beat the Argentinian once again when his vicious, swerving free-kick deceived Villa’s No.1.

The playmaker’s second of the afternoon took the wind out of Villa’s sails as hopes of extending their four-game unbeaten run slipped away.