Aston Villa’s Marco Asensio scored a brace and new signing Marcus Rashford provided two assists as Villa staged a thrilling comeback to beat Chelsea 2-1 in a Premier League clash at Villa Park on Saturday.
The win boosted Villa’s hopes of securing a Champions League spot next season, with Unai Emery’s side climbing to seventh in the table with 42 points, just one behind Chelsea, who dropped to sixth.
Asensio’s 89th-minute winner came after a major error from Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen, who let the Spaniard’s shot slip through his legs.
“The team’s performance was incredible,” Asensio told Sky Sports. “We need to keep going, but the team is heading in the right direction. I’m really happy with my first goals and the win.”
Chelsea, who have not won an away league match since early December, took the lead when Pedro Neto raced down the right and delivered a cross that Enzo Fernández finished from close range.
Both teams had several close calls before Asensio equalized in the 57th minute, finishing off a cross from Rashford. Asensio then netted his second after another assist from Rashford to secure the win.
Asensio and Rashford both joined Villa on loan earlier this month, with Asensio coming from Paris Saint-Germain and Rashford from Manchester United.
The match was Rashford’s best performance in a Villa shirt so far, as he showed his eagerness to make an impact after falling out of favor with United manager Ruben Amorim.
Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans expressed the team’s satisfaction with their new signing, praising Rashford’s contribution.
“Marcus is someone who can take on anyone one-on-one, even two-on-one. He’s very important for us with his style of play, especially on the left-hand side,” Tielemans told Sky. “Every time he got the ball today, he was a threat.”
Both teams wasted several chances, with Chelsea registering seven shots on target compared to Villa’s six.
Emery felt his players might still have been feeling the effects of their midweek 2-2 draw with league leaders Liverpool.
“We started poorly today, conceded a goal, were second-best in duels, and were late and slow in pressing. We didn’t execute our plan well,” Emery said.
“However, we improved as the game went on. In the last two matches, we had chances near the end but didn’t score. Today, we had chances at the end and converted them.”
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer had several opportunities, including one that narrowly missed the target and another that went over the bar. He also had a great late chance when he beat keeper Emiliano Martínez, but defender Ezri Konsa made a crucial block.
“It was a tough one today because we were 1-0 up and had chances to score. Even after the equalizer, we had some great opportunities,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. “But in this league, you have to be clinical until the end because anything can happen.”
