Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has insisted his side will keep blocking out the external noise, despite their remarkable title-chasing form continuing with a dramatic comeback victory at Chelsea.
Villa's incredible run continues at Stamford Bridge
Unai Emery's team secured an 11th consecutive Premier League victory on Friday, December 27th, 2025, coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. The win solidifies their position as genuine contenders at the top of the table.
Watkins, introduced as a substitute just before the hour mark, turned the game on its head with two crucial goals. The England international first levelled the score in the 64th minute, before sealing all three points with a powerful header past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
'A tactical genius' - Watkins hails Emery
Speaking to Sky Sports after the final whistle, Watkins was full of praise for his manager's decisive changes. "He changed it because Chelsea were going man for man," Watkins explained. "When I came on in the second half he brought Jadon Sancho and Morgan Rogers on the wing and put Youri Tielemans in the No 10 - so we had an extra man in there. He's a tactical genius."
The striker described the victory as "amazing", highlighting the significance of maintaining their winning streak at such a difficult venue. "For me personally to come on and score two goals is a great feeling - but to keep up this run and come here, a tough place, and beat Chelsea is amazing," he said.
Villa's title credentials and the 'next game' focus
When directly questioned on whether Aston Villa are now in the title race, Watkins gave a measured response, acknowledging the growing fear among opponents while maintaining the squad's grounded approach.
"I feel like teams are worried about us, even if we may not play the prettiest football at times," he stated. "We're taking each game as it comes and focusing on ourselves really. There's a lot of talk about us and people asking if we can win the title, but it's a long way away. We're just focusing on the next game."
That next game is a monumental New Year's clash against current league leaders Arsenal, a fixture that will test Villa's credentials like never before.
Watkins on his personal form and decisive goals
The brace at Stamford Bridge takes Watkins' league tally for the season to five goals, following another two-goal performance in the win at Brighton earlier in December.
Reflecting on his own performances, the forward admitted there is room for improvement. "I haven't been where I want to be but I can use this as a marker to push on for the end of the season," he confessed.
With characteristic humility, he joked about the quality of his first goal against Chelsea: "I can't say that's a classy finish at the end of the day, but I'll take it all day long." Describing his winning header, he added, "He wasn't marking me too tightly, so it's basically a free header. It's nice to see it float into the corner."
As the football world starts to believe in Aston Villa's title challenge, Ollie Watkins and his teammates are determined to keep their heads down, with all attention now fixed firmly on the summit meeting with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
