🔗 Share this article The Villans Defy Gravity Again as Winning Run Continues at Chelsea It simply cannot continue. The logic defies sense for it to persist. Yet, persist it does. A Historic Victory Defying Expectations Aston Villa entered Saturday's top-flight clash at Chelsea looking to equal a historic record of 11 consecutive wins, matching runs set in the distant past. For the opening hour, achieving it seemed highly unlikely, as Chelsea controlled proceedings, took the lead, and could have added to their advantage. However, Chelsea are frailty with a lead, particularly at home, while Villa now possess a baffling habit of securing wins on the road from losing positions. First, the striker leveled the scores, the ball cannoning in off his shin and the post after his first effort was blocked by the goalkeeper. Subsequently, he nodded in the decisive goal with a precise header. This marked just his fourth and fifth league goals of the campaign. Watkins might feel some fortune was due, and it's undeniable the first goal had a significant element of good fortune. Currently, however, Lady Luck seems to be favoring Villa. The Statistics Of an Unlikely Streak The last nine of these 11 straight wins have been by a single goal. They have managed a shutout in only one of those games. Their expected goals (xG) have been superior in only six of those encounters, and in a couple of those, the margin was 0.2 or less. Their last five away Premier League victories have all come after conceding first. This pattern should not, yet observers have been saying that for weeks, and Villa continue winning. The key question is whether their outcomes will eventually align with their performances or if their level of play can rise to match the points haul. This seems unsustainable be possible, but everyone has been stating that for a while and Villa continue winning. A Defining Characteristic: Resilience Coming from behind is not just a feature of the current campaign. Over the past 3 seasons, no side has gained more points from losing positions than Villa's fifty-four; 18 of those were secured this season, fifty percent more than the next best team, Sunderland. This season, Villa players from the bench have scored 9 goals. Two key observations can be made about Villa under Unai Emery. First, they possess a deep-rooted self-belief that means no deficit ever feels insurmountable. This is, in part, self-perpetuating: the more they come from behind, the more they are convinced they can do it once more. Secondly, Emery has proven very adept at changing games with his use of the bench. A Masterful Change While Chelsea won the expected goals 2.1 to 1.4, Villa were dominant from the moment, just before the hour mark, when Emery made a triple change. Ollie Watkins came on for Donyell Malen, who had struggled with limited service. Suddenly, the ball began to stick, and Watkins's movement behind the defensive line caused problems. Onana and Jadon Sancho also entered, bolstering the center and adding the width they had eschewed earlier. Chelsea had 10 shots to Villa's none before the changes; following them, Villa had eleven opportunities to Chelsea's 4. By the end, Villa were commanding and could have won by a greater margin. Once again, opposing manager Enzo Maresca struggled to respond as the game turned against him; the impression remains that he is more proficient at devising a game plan with time to prepare than adapting in the moment. Individual Brilliance Villa have also developed a welcome habit of players producing pieces of sensational quality to turn games. Rogers has scored crucial goals at Leeds, West Ham, and against Manchester United. The sight of him working the ball onto his right foot and curling a finish into the top corner has become a seasonal leitmotif. It was Malen who transformed the game from the bench at Leeds. The striker changed the game at Stamford Bridge. The performances of players such as Konsa and Lindelof on Saturday were also vital. At present, it's seldom the whole side playing brilliantly, but enough players within it stepping up to earn the victories. The Road Ahead Will they be able to maintain this run? They now sit three points behind Arsenal, and as the season nears its halfway stage, they have to be considered as in the title race, certainly more so than club world champions Chelsea or defending champions Liverpool. Tuesday's away fixture at Arsenal will be a major examination of that status. Villa defeated Arsenal earlier this month, a match in which they not only won the xG but posted an xG forty percent higher than any other side has managed against Arsenal in the league this season. The Gunners have since put together their own sequence of single-goal victories, winning 3 in a row without ever being wholly convincing. The upcoming clash will be a challenge for both teams – and if Villa win a 12th game in a row, it would become increasingly difficult to dismiss their championship pedigree.