Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa: Cole Palmer scores again as Blues cruise past struggling visitors to move third – with Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez also on target

For so long we used to look at Chelsea as a one-man team. Those days are disappearing from memory and yet Cole Palmer still has ways of reminding us all that his ceiling reaches different heights.

We should provide a bit of context before getting into the beauty of what he did here. Because by the time he accepted a short ball with 83 minutes on the clock, Chelsea were 2-0 up and just about home.

And that was a story about the ensemble.

It was about the tackles of Marc Cucurella, the saves of a maligned goalkeeper and the first-half strikes of Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez. It was also about the momentum and confidence of a young team and the innovations of a manager in Enzo Maresca, who has applied a handbrake turn on the narratives around this club.

In among all that, Palmer was having a decent game and not a spectacular one. He had assisted Fernandez’s goal, but spent much of the rest of it avoiding the targeted violence that comes with his level of talent.

And then he did something rather special, which is to say he gathered a pass from Noni Madueke, sidestepped Leon Bailey with a devilish swivel and curled into the top corner from the edge of Aston Villa‘s box. 

Cole Palmer scored again as Chelsea beat Aston Villa to move third in the Premier League

Palmer bent a superb effort into the top corner after letting fly from the edge of the box

Enzo Fernandez doubled the Blues’ lead on a comfortable afternoon at Stamford Bridge

It was his eighth league goal of the season and it was utterly sublime. He might not have to do all the heavy lifting anymore, but no one lifts quite as elegantly as he does. 

To reiterate, he is not alone, and Jackson’s eight goals this season are ample proof of the point, as is the striker’s habit of scoring early in games, as he did here.

But it is Palmer’s presence that inspires faith that Chelsea’s current standing in the table can be maintained, along with the subtle touches of his manager.

For now, Maresca can do no wrong. That extended to a few tweaks of his structure and personnel here, which saw three changes to the side which beat Leicester. By bringing in Romeo Lavia, Chelsea’s manager found a way of fielding the Belgian in the same XI as Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, but presented himself with the puzzle of needing a new system to accommodate them.

His answer worked a treat. Out of possession, Caicedo went to right back in a 4-2-3-1 – a spot he occasionally filled at Brighton – and with the ball that switched to a 3-5-2, allowing the Ecuadorian to step forward into more natural surroundings. In both configurations, Villa’s midfield was left outnumbered and over-run.

Having two natural wide men in Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho helped Maresca sustain a near relentless pressure from multiple angles, and Villa didn’t take long to crack.

Jaden Philogene will draw blame for taking an extra touch on the edge of Villa’s area, but that risks a disservice to Cucurella – he was alert to the possibility of a loose ball and ruthless in the challenge that won it. 

From there he centred to Jackson at the near post and the striker’s volley in off the frame told a story about his form and confidence.

Nicolas Jackson tucked home from Marc Cucurella’s cross to open the scoring

The forward celebrated after beating Emiliano Martinez via a deflection off the post

Fernandez produced a neat flick after Palmer’s pass and smashed into the corner

A pass back handed Chelsea an indirect free-kick in the box but Martinez smothered well

The hosts loudly appealed after Martinez scooped up a pass from defender Pau Torres

Martinez bravely dived at the feet of Jackson as Villa crumbled under pressure

Ollie Watkins forced Robert Sanchez into a simple stop during the first half

Robin Olsen was introduced at half-time and prevented Jackson from notching his double

The opposite would be said of Villa. Once so sure of themselves, they currently have the look of a side never too far from an error. The goal was one example, but another two came from Emi Martinez, whose brilliance and eccentricity were living a little too closely together.

The first instance came when he made an excellent save from Palmer, only to inexplicably pick up a back pass from Pau Torres, conceding an indirect free-kick eight yards from goal. Flipping back to elite mode, he smothered the subsequent strike from Palmer.

A few moments later, he regressed again, this time by rolling a ball directly to Jackson, who was stood five yards away and applying no pressure. The striker was so caught out by the gaffe that he mis-controlled and allowed Martinez to smother the chance.

In among the acts of self-sabotage, Villa did create a one-on-one for Ollie Watkins, but Robert Sanchez, maligned as a weak link in a blossoming squad, saved well. The cost of that miss was underlined in the 36th minute when Palmer fed a pass to Fernandez and he half-volleyed off an awkward bounce for 2-0.

Martinez, who had hurt his back upon a hard landing earlier in the half, was clearly struggling with his movement by that stage and did not reappear after the break.

That was a blow for Emery, but he had some traces of the hope on the pitch when John McGinn got the better of Caicedo and drew another good stop from Sanchez. A second chance for Jhon Duran was then cleared off the line by Levi Colwill.

Coupled with an injury for Wesley Fofana, who has had so many already, Chelsea were being drawn back into a fight. 

But they aren’t so brittle these days and Palmer is just as good as he ever was. His finish proved one point and the 3-0 scoreline demonstrated the other.