Villa's stunning Stamford Bridge comeback as Watkins fires Emery's men to 11 straight wins

Aston Villa don't knock anymore. They kick the door down.

Unai Emery's side did it again - this time at Stamford Bridge - coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 and extend their astonishing run to 11 straight wins in all competitions! Ollie Watkins was the executioner twice as Villa sent another unmistakable warning to Arsenal and Manchester City.

City have already fallen. Arsenal have been hurt. Now, Chelsea have been dragged under. Villa may trail in the headlines, but on the pitch, they are relentless and fearless even when chasing the game.

For an hour, it looked like this would finally be the night the Villans were stopped. Chelsea dominated, swarmed forward and created enough chances to bury the visitors. Reece James' corner, deflected in by Joao Pedro in the 37th minute, felt like the natural consequence of Villa's absence. No shots. Just 29% possession. Survival mode.

Then Emery made his move, and the match exploded.

Watkins, Onana and Sancho all came on. Suddenly, Chelsea shrank and Villa attacked. Sanchez denied Watkins twice in quick succession, but the third time proved fatal - the ball bounced off the striker's knee and into the net. Stamford Bridge began to tremble, and Chelsea never recovered.

Wave after wave followed, until the killer blow arrived in the 84th minute: Tielemans' corner, Watkins' touch, and silence in west London.

It was vintage Villa. The team that wins when it shouldn't. The team that punishes hesitation. They now boast 18 points won from losing positions, while Chelsea have thrown away 13 from winning ones - a brutal contrast that decided the night.

Watkins may not be scoring every week, but his quality remains decisive. And Villa will need every ounce of it at the Emirates on December 30, and with City idle, Emery's men could welcome 2026 from the summit.

Eleven wins. Growing belief. And a title race that suddenly feels very real.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 18

Friday

Manchester United - Newcastle 1-0 (1-0)

/Dorgu 24/

Saturday

Nottingham Forest - Manchester City 1-2 (0-0)

/Hutchinson 54 - Reijnders 48, Cherki 83/

Arsenal - Brighton 2-1 (1-0)

/Odegaard 14, Rutter 55 og - Gomez 64/

Brentford - Bournemouth 4-1 (2-0)

/Schade 7, 51, Petrovic 39 og, 90+6 - Semenyo 75/

Burnley - Everton 0-0

Liverpool - Wolverhampton 2-1 (2-0)

/Gravenberch 41, Wirtz 42 - Bueno 51/

West Ham - Fulham 0-1 (0-0)

/Jimenez 85/

Chelsea - Aston Villa 1-2 (1-0)

/Pedro 37 - Watkins 63,84/

Sunday

17.00: (2.60) Sunderland (3.15) Leeds (2.85)

19.30: (2.35) Crystal Palace (3.35) Tottenham (3.05)

***odds are subject to change***