16 October, Birmingham, England (Reuters) – Mason Mount scored twice to lead Chelsea to a 2-0 Premier League victory over struggling Aston Villa on Sunday, continuing Graham Potter’s strong start as Chelsea manager.
Chelsea are unbeaten in six games since Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge and the win at Villa was their fifth in a row in all competitions.
Their hosts assisted them, as Mount capitalised on Tyrone Mings’ terribly erroneous defensive header in the sixth minute.
Villa responded well and created several good chances before the break but were frustrated by Chelsea’s keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga who made a series of saves including a miraculous one to deny Danny Ings an equaliser.
When Mount’s dipping free kick fooled goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the 65th minute, any chance of Villa salvaging anything from the game vanished.
With 19 points from nine games and a win, Chelsea moved up to fourth place, four points behind London rival Tottenham Hotspur.
Villa are 16th, one point above the relegation zone, with pressure mounting on manager Steven Gerrard who was taunted by Chelsea fans throughout the game.
The day could not have been more different for Mings and Mount if England boss Gareth Southgate had been in the stands monitoring some of his team.
When Mings gave Mount Chelsea the lead, he lost his spot in the England team and did little to increase his chances of being called back for the World Cup in Qatar.
Ben Chilwell’s pass was deflected up in the air and Mings got his clearing header all wrong, glancing it backwards towards his own goal where Mount pounced to volley home.
After that, Chelsea’s goal seemed to have a lucky escape as Arrizabalaga made superb stops on shots from John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey as Villa pressed forward with vigour.
His biggest effort, though, came when he leaped through the air to block a direct Ings header.
Raheem Sterling was denied by the woodwork as Chelsea looked dangerous going forward but rocky at the back.
Mings’ day took a turn for the worst when he committed the foul that allowed Mount to evaluate a free kick.
Martinez ought to have done more to keep the ball out despite the England midfielder’s considerable movement on it.
While there were jeers at the final whistle and Villa were quieted after that, Gerrard would have been inspired by the difficulties his team gave Chelsea.
Mount scores twice as Chelsea defeats Villa to continue their winning streak.
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