The Villans Defy Gravity Once More as Winning Streak Rolls On at Stamford Bridge

This surely should not continue. It makes no rational sense that it persists. Yet, persist it does.

A Record-Chasing Victory Against the Odds

Aston Villa entered the weekend's Premier League clash at Chelsea looking to equal a club record of 11 consecutive wins, matching runs set in the distant past. For the opening hour, this feat seemed highly unlikely, as Chelsea controlled proceedings, took the lead, and might have added to their advantage. However, Chelsea have shown frailty with a lead, especially at home, while Villa now possess a remarkable habit of snatching away victories after falling behind.

First, the striker equalised, the ball ricocheting in off his shin and the post after his first effort was blocked by the goalkeeper. Subsequently, he nodded in the winner with a deft header. This marked just his fourth and fifth league goals of the campaign. Watkins might feel some fortune was due, and there's no question the equalizing goal had a significant element of luck. Currently, however, fortune is smiling on Villa.

The Numbers Behind an Unlikely Run

Nine of these eleven straight wins have been by a solitary goal. They have kept a clean sheet in only one of those matches. Their expected goals (xG) have been superior in only six of those encounters, and in two of those, the margin was 0.2 or less. Their last five away Premier League victories have all come from behind. This pattern should not, but observers have been claiming that for weeks, and Villa keep on winning. The key question is whether their outcomes will finally align with their displays or if their level of play can rise to match the results.

This should not be possible, but everybody's been stating that for a while and Villa keep on winning.

A Defining Characteristic: Resilience

Fighting back is not merely a feature of this season. Over the past three seasons, no team has gained more points when trailing than Villa's fifty-four; 18 of those have been secured this season, 50% more than the next best team, Sunderland. This season, Villa players from the bench have contributed 9 goals. Two key observations can be made about Villa under their manager.

• Firstly, they possess a profound self-belief that means no deficit ever feels beyond them. This is, to an extent, a virtuous cycle: the more they achieve comebacks, the more they believe they can do it once more.
• Second, Emery has proven very skilled at changing games with his use of the bench.

A Masterful Change

While Chelsea had the better of the expected goals 2.1 to 1.4, Villa were dominant from the moment, around the hour mark, when Emery executed a triple change. Ollie Watkins replaced Donyell Malen, who had found it difficult with limited service. Suddenly, the ball began to stick, and Watkins's movement in behind created issues. Amadou Onana and Jadon Sancho also came on, bolstering the midfield and providing the width they had lacked earlier.

Chelsea had 10 shots to Villa's none before the substitutions; afterwards, Villa created eleven opportunities to Chelsea's 4. By the final whistle, Villa were in control and could have won more comfortably. Once again, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca seemed unable to react as the game turned against him; the impression remains that he is better at devising a game plan with preparation time than making adjustments in the moment.

Individual Brilliance

Villa have cultivated 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 image of him shifting the ball onto his favored foot and whipping a finish home has become a recurring theme. It was the winger who changed the game after coming on at Leeds. The striker swung the game at Stamford Bridge. The performances of players such as Konsa and Lindelof on Saturday were also vital. At present, it's not always the entire team playing brilliantly, but enough players within it delivering to secure the victories.

What Comes Next?

Can they maintain this run? They now sit three points behind the league leaders, and as the season nears its halfway stage, they have to be considered as in the championship conversation, arguably more so than teams like Chelsea or reigning title holders Liverpool. Tuesday's away game at Arsenal will be a significant test of that status. Villa beat Arsenal on the first weekend of December, a match in which they not only won the xG but registered an xG 40% higher than any other side has achieved against Arsenal in the league this season.

Arsenal have since put together their own run of narrow victories, winning three in a row without ever being wholly convincing. Tuesday will be a challenge for both teams – and if Villa secure a twelfth game in a row, it would become almost impossible to deny their title credentials.