Aston Villa have lodged a complaint with Chelsea following an incident at the end of their Premier League clash on Saturday. The issue occurred after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge.
Despite the incident, there were jubilant scenes for Aston Villa. The comeback victory moved them to within three points of Arsenal at the top of the table.
Villa had struggled in the first half. However, the game changed just before the hour mark. Unai Emery made a triple substitution, which shifted the momentum.
One of those changes proved decisive. Ollie Watkins came off the bench and scored twice. His goals secured Villa’s 11th consecutive win in all competitions.
The celebrations that followed were briefly overshadowed by the bottle incident. A bottle of water was thrown toward the Aston Villa bench during celebrations.
It was not immediately clear whether the bottle came from the crowd or from the Chelsea dugout. The Blues have since confirmed they will cooperate fully with any investigation, as per The Telegraph.
After the match, Emery played down talk of a title challenge. He refused to look too far ahead before Villa’s upcoming trip to Arsenal.
Watkins described Emery as a “tactical genius” after the game. However, the manager stressed that there is still a long way to go this season.
Villa’s ability to come from behind continues to stand out. They have now earned 18 points from losing positions. That contrasts sharply with Chelsea’s home form.
Chelsea have dropped 11 points from winning positions at Stamford Bridge this season.
Enzo Maresca, who watched from the stands due to a touchline ban, admitted his side did not manage the game well enough.
However, Maresca said he had no issue with Cole Palmer reacting angrily after his substitution. He also confirmed that he had to take Marc Cucurella off due to a hamstring injury in the second half.
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