Chelsea moved to within three points of Aston Villa in the Premier League after João Pedro's hat-trick secured a 4-1 victory at Villa Park. The Brazilian striker took his season tally to 17 goals, scoring twice in the first half and completing his treble after the break as the visitors dismantled Unai Emery's side.
Villa had taken an early lead through Douglas Luiz, but Chelsea equalised in the 35th minute when João Pedro tapped in Malo Gusto's cross. The visitors then turned the game around in first-half stoppage time with another simple finish from the Brazil international. Cole Palmer added a third from inside the box before João Pedro struck again to complete his hat-trick, with all outfield Chelsea players joining in his anime face-mask celebration.
Liam Rosenior, the Chelsea head coach, praised his side's performance but urged consistency. 'It's only significant if we back it up,' he said. 'We have a massive FA Cup game, then a huge game in Paris and against Newcastle. If we perform at that level, we're going to be in a good place.' He also lauded João Pedro's second goal as world-class, noting the striker has nine goals in his last nine games.
Villa had an Ollie Watkins goal ruled out for offside just before half-time, a decision that frustrated the home crowd. Emery admitted his side are in a 'bad moment', having won only one of their past five home league matches. 'We are accepting that we are in a bad moment,' he said. 'If we lost something in the past two months, it is my responsibility.'
The defeat leaves Villa three points ahead of Chelsea, who climbed to fifth, with Manchester United also in the chasing pack. Villa next face a crucial run of fixtures as they aim to secure Champions League football.
