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Ange Postecoglou hailed Tottenham’s bravery at Arsenal, but expressed his bemusement at the handball rule and joked “armless defenders” will be required after Cristian Romero gave away a penalty in the 2-2 draw. Spurs grabbed a share of the north London derby spoils after captain Son Heung-min struck either side of half-time. An own-goal from Romero in the 26th minute broke the deadlock at the Emirates, with the Argentina defender deflecting Bukayo Saka’s shot beyond team-mate Guglielmo Vicario. Son fired home before half-time from James Maddison’s cross, but Arsenal made the perfect start following the restart when Romero was penalised for handball after he blocked Ben White’s shot from close proximity. Saka rolled home the 54th-minute spot-kick but 108 seconds later Tottenham were level when Maddison won possession from Jorginho and played in Son, who netted his 150th Spurs goal. “It’s not about being happy with the result, for me it was about the performance,” Postecoglou said. “You can get a result here, a draw, and like I said before you can walk away knowing that ‘you know what, we escaped’, but I don’t have that feeling now. “I think we went toe-to-toe with a top team and at times I thought we really asserted our dominance on the game. At times they did but that’s what happens when you face top sides. “Even if we had lost today, and I don’t like losing, but for me to keep pushing these guys, they need to feel that out there that what we talk about and work on, they can see it come to fruition and when it does against a top team, being brave with our approach, that’s the key thing. For me I’m pleased.” Postecoglou was less enthusiastic about the decision to award a penalty for Romero’s close-range block on White and likened it to the handball given against Wolves’ Joao Gomes at Luton on Saturday. He added: “I’ve got no idea about the handball rule. I really don’t. I saw the one yesterday at Wolves and it just seems if it hits your hand it’s a penalty and then other times if it hits your hand, it isn’t a penalty. “I’ve got no idea. It is the one rule in the game I just don’t understand. “Unless we start developing armless defenders I don’t know how you are supposed to block things and be in a natural position. “It is what it is. You kind of hope these things even themselves out over the course of a year but I don’t understand the handball rule. “I think any clarity would be good because I have got no idea.” Opposite number Mikel Arteta was disappointed Arsenal failed to make it three wins in a row over their rivals. A key moment occurred after Romero’s own-goal when Gabriel Jesus won back possession from Maddison inside the area, but his 14-yard effort was blazed over the crossbar. Arteta said: “We are very disappointed not to earn the three points, that’s for sure, and especially when you go in front twice in the game and have the opportunity to win it. “We had control of the game, could have made it 2-0 with Gabi and then you concede the goal and you have to bounce back. We did and scored the goal but it’s a shame that within a minute you concede the other one. “I think that affected the team emotionally quite a lot and we lacked some composure to make more passes in the final third.” Arteta also leapt to the defence of Jorginho, who was introduced at half-time in place of the injured Declan Rice, after the ex-Chelsea midfielder was robbed of possession by Maddison for Tottenham’s second goal. “What happened is I love him and we love him,” the Arsenal boss insisted. “Errors are part of football. They’re allowed to make errors because they play and we don’t play. We are all with him.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Roberto De Zerbi critical of Brighton’s performance despite win over Bournemouth Ajax’s match with bitter rivals Feyenoord suspended by protesting fans Kaoru Mitoma sparks Brighton’s comeback win over Bournemouth

Mauricio Pochettino said his Chelsea players need to grow up as a team after they were beaten 1-0 at Stamford Bridge by Aston Villa to fall to their third loss of the season. The game turned with the sending off of Chelsea’s Malo Gusto after 58 minutes when the score was still 0-0. His challenge on Lucas Digne was late and caught the Villa defender on the ankle, and after a pitchside VAR review referee Jarred Gillett upgraded the initial yellow card to a red for dangerous play. Pochettino brought on Ben Chilwell and moved Axel Disasi to right-back, but the dismissal did not much alter Chelsea’s attacking intent as they continued to seek out a winner. It was a decision that would come to haunt them, as with the home side committed inside Villa’s half Moussa Diaby broke with the ball and fed Ollie Watkins, who after seeing his first shot blocked by Levi Colwill scored with his second, angling the ball beyond Robert Sanchez and in off the far post. It was the second time in two seasons that Watkins has netted in a Villa victory at Stamford Bridge, as Unai Emery’s side took full advantage of Chelsea’s ongoing inability to turn promising situations in the final third into goals, before pouncing when their own moment came. Striker Nicolas Jackson, who has scored just once since his £31million summer move from Villarreal, again cut a frustrated figure as he picked up his fifth booking of the season for attempting to block a Villa free-kick, incurring him a one-game ban. Pochettino refused to criticise the officials and said it is the players that must take the rap for the team’s poor start to the season. “It’s our responsibility and the players’ responsibility,” said Pochettino. “We can’t blame the VAR or the referee. The situation, we need to act different, in a different way. I’m not going to blame or say anything against Malo Gusto. Situations happen in football and they affect the game and the team in a negative way. “We need to grow up like a team, not only in an individual way. A player like Nico (Jackson) that is so young, feeling the Premier League and he’s learning, he needs time. In this type of game, we’re competing and we want to win. But players, when they are young, need to learn with experience. “That’s why we feel disappointed because we are playing too many situations like this. Another small detail and in the end we are losing the game. We are in a situation we need to change as soon as possible.” Chelsea largely dominated up until the red card with Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk particularly lively attacking down either flank. But the team were dogged by a familiar failure to turn pressure and possession into gilt-edged chances as their scoreless run in the league extended to three games. “It was a little bit unlucky,” said Pochettino. “How many chances did we have like Aston Villa? They shoot, we block, then they shoot and it touches the post and goes in. For us, how many one v one against (Emiliano) Martinez? We were a little bit unlucky but that happens. “We need to accept the reality. But it was unlucky because how many chances did they create? Not many. With 10 men we were forcing them to go back. We need to grow up like a team, not only in an individual way. In this type of game, we’re competing and we want to win. But players, when they are young, need to learn with experience. Mauricio Pochettino “That is unlucky. We need to be aware about what is going on but in some way we need to be calm because the team is creating, the team is alive, the team is fighting every single action. “We cannot say anything about the players, we cannot say that they gave up after 70 minutes. They were fighting until the end with one player less.” Villa boss Emery reflected on a performance that he said was proof of his side’s powers of recovery after their 3-2 loss to Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League on Thursday. “Overall I think we are progressing,” he said. “We changed some players, we had some difficult injuries. The most important thing, we tried to create our style and ideas as quick as possible with the players we added this season. “The first way to get it I think is to be consistency defensively, be competitive like we were today. “We’ve been strong at home, playing really good and winning a lot of matches. But away we have to try to get the same performances and the same structure. “Today, to win here at Chelsea, 90 minutes everything that happened today was something normal. To win here is not easy. If the match had gone different we could have lost as well. I’m very happy. We felt strong defensively, better than the last match we played away.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sam Hain reveals sleepless night before impressive England debut Jurgen Klopp hails ‘massive steps’ made by Darwin Nunez after win over West Ham I don’t understand handball rule – Spurs’ Ange Postecoglou bemused by penalty

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed the “massive steps” striker Darwin Nunez has made already this season after his key contribution in the 3-1 win over West Ham. The Uruguay international’s fourth goal of the season – which keeps him level with Mohamed Salah, who netted the opening penalty – was pivotal in turning the match the hosts’ way after Jarrod Bowen’s diving header had restored parity. Substitute Diogo Jota’s late goal made sure of a fifth successive Premier League victory to move the Reds into second place in the table, but it was Nunez’s all-round display that particularly caught the eye, his brilliant volley the game’s standout moment. “He has made massive steps in the last few weeks. He is a threat. You all saw the goal, that was probably pretty good, right? That was really strong,” Klopp said. “Incredible. Everybody is looking at me when I talk about the goals but these eyes – I saw it only once – can’t wait to see it properly back. “He was always available. It’s super-important for us now that we have a ball player: chip the ball (into him), get it on the chest and play from there. “That’s how we scored the third goal at Wolves, super-important for us. The defensive work he puts in is probably the main difference. “He always wanted (to do it) but it was less coordinated. Now that looks much better. “We have found a way to do it around him, Curtis (Jones) and Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai) help a lot, how flexible they are in that way. It’s really good, absolutely.” In the end the result was comfortable but for long periods that was not the case as a resilient West Ham always posed a threat and were good at breaking up Liverpool’s momentum. “It was expected. A difficult game; some very good moments in the first half but we were not enough in control to deny them completely. “I really thought we played good in different phases, lost some balls we shouldn’t have lost, but we scored our goal which was a super counter-attack. “When they scored, I was not completely surprised. We should have defended it better, that’s clear. The most important is you stay in the game and that’s what we did in the second half. “We controlled much better and gave them a proper challenge. We really caused them some problems and we scored some super goals.” West Ham manager David Moyes, who has yet to win in 20 career visits to Anfield, was frustrated his side could not hold on for longer at 1-1. “We did a pretty good job in first half. We created a few chances in the first half,” he said. “We were probably trying to offer them problems and until the penalty I thought we had a really good grasp of the game. “I thought Liverpool counter-attacked us more than we did to them because we had really good control of the game. “You might come here and only get three chances and they will get 10 and have to hope they will miss nine and we take two. “I was disappointed with the second goal. Lots of positives to take but more disappointed with the second and third goal, probably more the third.” Moyes has also dismissed the chances of re-signing former midfielder Jesse Lingard, who trained with the club after leaving Nottingham Forest as a free agent in the summer, with the player now seemingly destined for Saudi Arabia. “I am quite comfortable, more than relaxed with it,” he added. “We like Jesse a lot, I just don’t know if we need another player in the position.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sam Hain reveals sleepless night before impressive England debut Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea need to grow up as a team after fresh setback I don’t understand handball rule – Spurs’ Ange Postecoglou bemused by penalty

Paul Finebaum believes that Notre Dame's complete defensive meltdown in the final seconds vs. Ohio State will undoubtedly cost them a spot in the final four-team College Football Playoff.

Roberto De Zerbi claimed Brighton’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth was one of their worst performances since he took charge. The Seagulls trailed to Dominic Solanke’s opportunist strike but went in level at half-time thanks to a Milos Kerkez own goal. Boss De Zerbi, who had made nine changes to his starting line-up from Thursday’s Europe League defeat by AEK Athens, sent on Ansu Fati and Kaoru Mitoma at half-time. And the pair had an instant impact, combining for an exquisite goal just 15 seconds into the second half, with Mitoma applying the finishing touch. Japan winger Mitoma then wrapped up the victory with a late header as Brighton leapt up to third in the Premier League. “Today we played one of the worst games in my time. In two, three or four situations we were lucky,” said De Zerbi. “Bournemouth played a great first half. In the second we played better but not our best level. But we knew before the game it was one of the most difficult games of the season. “Today was the first time we played after playing in the Europa League. I changed a lot of players, maybe too many. “We need to adapt as we are not used to playing three games a week. This season we will play three games every week. I am really pleased because we won with character and patience and not the style and quality of play. Character is maybe the most important part of football.” Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola felt his side should have had a penalty before the equaliser when Marcus Tavernier was caught by the flailing arm of Simon Adingra. “He slaps Tavernier in the face. People watching on TV can see what happened and they wonder why it’s not a penalty – it’s pretty obvious,” he said. “We were winning 1-0 at the time and those decisions are very important. When you are winning you have to make more damage.” Bournemouth remain winless under Iraola six games into the season. Iraola added: “I think it was a tough one, this game. Especially the way we played the first half, to end the half 1-1 was difficult. We were in control of the game. “Then after the first play of the second half we were losing the game and we had been playing well. “We had chances after that. But it is much more difficult to play Brighton when they are winning and don’t need to attack.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ajax’s match with bitter rivals Feyenoord suspended by protesting fans Brighton secure comeback win over Bournemouth thanks to substitute Kaoru Mitoma Ireland report clean bill of health after bruising South Africa showdown

Sheffield United paid a poignant tribute to Maddy Cusack ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match against Newcastle. The 27-year-old, who was the longest-serving player in the Blades’ women’s side and also worked in the club’s commercial department, died earlier this week. Boss Paul Heckingbottom said on Friday that the club were “suffering” following the tragic news and they paid a fitting tribute ahead of Sunday afternoon’s game at Bramall Lane. The Blades, who worked with Cusack’s family over how they could commemorate her, redesigned their matchday programme to put a picture of their midfielder on the front and the flag at Bramall Lane flew at half-mast. There was a eulogy read out, accompanied by a video tribute on the big screen, before kick-off, with United great Tony Currie and women’s captain Sophie Barker accompanying Cusack’s mum and sister when laying a wreath on the centre circle. United entered the pitch wearing shirts with Cusack’s name and number eight on the back and also wore black armbands, while club staff were dressed in black ties. There was a minute’s silence before kick-off, impeccably observed by all four sides of the ground, while Newcastle chief executive Amanda Staveley also laid flowers outside the stadium before the game. In the eighth minute fans stood for a minute’s applause to remember Cusack. Read More Maddy Cusack: Sheffield United ‘devastated’ by death of longest-serving player at 27

Ajax’s Eredivisie clash with rivals Feyenoord at the Johan Cruyff Arena was suspended after home fans threw fireworks on to the pitch. The match had been halted twice before being officially suspended as Ajax fans hurled flares on to the field in protest as their club trailed 3-0. After the referee had led the players off for a second time in the 55th minute it was announced shortly after that the fixture was “permanently stopped” as it was considered unsafe for the players to continue. Ajax said on their official website’s live blog in the 56th minute: “De Klassieker has been permanently stopped after fireworks ended up on the field twice.” The club announced shortly afterwards on X, formerly known as Twitter: “The match has officially been suspended.” The Eredivisie posted a short social media statement on X, which read: “De Klassieker is permanently stopped after repeated fireworks on the field. “More information about how to complete this match will follow later.” Ajax supporters first hurled flares after Igor Paixao scored Feyenoord’s third goal in the 37th minute. Two earlier strikes from Santiago Gimenez had put the visitors in control. It has been reported that Ajax fans had fought among themselves and some supporters began vandalising the stadium after the game had been halted. Ajax have made a poor start to the season, winning only one of their first four league games and currently sit 13th in the table, 10 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Sheffield United paid a poignant tribute to Maddy Cusack ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match against Newcastle. The 27-year-old, who was the longest-serving player in the Blades’ women’s side and also worked in the club’s commercial department, died earlier this week. Boss Paul Heckingbottom said on Friday that the club were “suffering” following the tragic news and they paid a fitting tribute ahead of Sunday afternoon’s game at Bramall Lane. The Blades, who worked with Cusack’s family over how they could commemorate her, redesigned their matchday programme to put a picture of their midfielder on the front and the flag at Bramall Lane flew at half-mast. There was a eulogy read out, accompanied by a video tribute on the big screen, before kick-off, with United great Tony Currie and women’s captain Sophie Barker accompanying Cusack’s mum and sister when laying a wreath on the centre circle. United entered the pitch wearing shirts with Cusack’s name and number eight on the back and also wore black armbands, while club staff were dressed in black ties. There was a minute’s silence before kick-off, impeccably observed by all four sides of the ground, while Newcastle chief executive Amanda Staveley also laid flowers outside the stadium before the game. In the eighth minute fans stood for a minute’s applause to remember Cusack. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

All square at Arsenal, with one side much happier about it. Everyone else would at least have been greatly entertained by it. This was yet another north London derby that swung back and forth in such absorbing fashion to add to its archive of classic games but, once it settled into a 2-2 draw, it was Tottenham celebrating more. They have been given huge encouragement for the future, after displaying adventure and resilience in a match many might not have considered them quite ready for. That is the effect of Ange Postecoglou, which was all the more impressive given how Arsenal had posed the most testing questions for the first half-hour. Mikel Arteta’s side, however, might again be feeling the effects of a title race with Manchester City. They already find themselves four points behind by 24 September, and with the champions to come here in two weeks. That might be without Declan Rice, who went off with a calf injury that proved decisive. If it is again ludicrous to be talking about this at such an early stage, just as it was with the victory over Manchester United, these are the stakes of the Premier League right now. This is maybe the state of the Arsenal team right now, so promising but still missing a few elements. One is depth, as could be seen with how easy their defence was to get at for both of Son Heung-Min’s goals. Another is real extra-level quality in attack. For all that this draw ultimately came down to Arsenal failing to keep their lead, a large part of that was the encouragement Spurs enjoyed from their attack being able to extend it. It already raises the question over whether they will go big in January. They could have had a substantial lead here. That is what will be so frustrating. Spurs and Postecoglou, however, were rewarded for their bravery. That could well be a theme going forward. It has already been a theme of the season, as Spurs again defied expectations. They shouldn’t have been ready for this north London derby against a side that finished second last season. They were instead prepared to pounce on any Arsenal slip. That is what this whole game amounted to. Arsenal could really have killed the game before any semblance of a contest had even developed. It was set up for them. Postecoglou’s approach initially seemed rather naive given how nascent his team is, and it left Destiny Udogie constantly exposed on the left. Saka consistently had 15 metres of space around him and it of course wasn’t long until he made use of that. Having turned Udogie again, Saka saw the space open up and looked to curl the ball into the far corner. Romero intervened and turned it into the near corner. Arsenal were by that point in complete control and had the chance to take full command. Gabriel Jesus couldn’t seize it, though, blazing one key effort over. It does perhaps raise one of the final questions in the formation of this Arsenal team. Are they still lacking that finisher? Jesus is a brilliant link forward but he lacks that ruthlessness. It allowed Spurs back in. To give Postecoglou his due, though, they also forced their way back in. With the manner that Saka had got at Guglielmo Vicario’s defence in the opening half-hour, the Spurs manager could have been forgiven for altering formation and tightening up. He did the opposite. In a move that feels like it’s going to be symbolic about what is to come under Postecoglou, he doubled down, ensuring his left flank always had at least two in attack rather than defence. It started to make trouble for Arsenal, and made the difference. In a five-minute flurry, Brennan Johnson forced two big saves from David Raya - one of them a brilliantly instinctive response, that Mikel Arteta will feel vindicated his decision - before Spurs eventually forced their way in. This was a turnaround in more ways than one. It was suddenly Saka given a tough time as James Maddison so easily got around him to set up Son. It was not the last time that the duo made such a testing occasion look easy. Before then, though, Arsenal had contrasting developments. Declan Rice went off with a calf injury. Saka scored a penalty from a Romero handball. Both contributed to what next. With Arsenal seeming like they were still celebrating the goal, and substitute Jorginho so casual on the ball, Maddison just stepped up and took it off. It was reminiscent of the way Germany just cut through Brazil in that 7-1 in how simple it was, which was all the more surprising given Arsenal were apparently in a relatively secure position. They were anything but. Son was put clean through, almost no one around him, to just slide the ball past Raya for his second. Spurs didn’t quite settle for that but Arsenal did ensure they couldn’t set foot beyond the halfway much late on. For all the pressure, though, there was no big chance. There was no difference-maker to bring on. Arteta threw on Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith-Rowe but both felt hopeful shows of faith rather than any display of superiority. So it proved. It was an early-season derby that may say a lot about both for the season - and potentially influence a lot. Read More Arsenal vs Tottenham result and player ratings as Son Heung-min and James Maddison lead Spurs fightback Son Heung-min and James Maddison lead Tottenham response to claim Arsenal point Phil Foden admits Rodri will be a ‘big miss’ during his three-match suspension Pep Guardiola unhappy at Rodri for red card in Man City win

Darwin Nunez’s evolution into a genuine number nine for Liverpool continues as his brilliant fourth goal of the season proved vital in securing a 3-1 home victory over West Ham. The Uruguay international scored in back-to-back games for the first time since February as Jurgen Klopp’s side made it five successive Premier League wins to move into outright second spot, behind champions Manchester City, with Arsenal and Tottenham drawing at the Emirates. Captain Virgil van Dijk had spoken of the 24-year-old turning his potential into quality after the midweek Europa League win over LASK, in which Nunez scored a penalty but could have had a couple of others. His rasping 60th-minute volley from an exquisite Alexis Mac Allister lofted pass restored their lead after Jarrod Bowen’s diving header in the first half had cancelled out Mohamed Salah’s penalty, his 12 goal in his last 13 appearances at Anfield. Substitute Diogo Jota made the points safe late on as Liverpool scored at least three goals in their opening three home league games for only the second time in the last 43 years. But it was Nunez who caught the eye with his improving integration into a team which for so long played with a false nine in Roberto Firmino. His hold-up play gets better and, after that helped Liverpool take the lead in Austria in midweek, he was at it again in the build-up to Salah’s penalty. He launched a rapid counter-attack on the left after holding up the ball on the halfway line before releasing Luis Diaz and then charging 60 yards into the area in an attempt to get on the end of the return pass. He failed to do so but Salah was following up behind him and, having nicked it past Nayef Aguerd, he was tripped by the West Ham centre-back, who looked suitably sheepish having given away such a soft spot-kick. West Ham could have been two goals up by that point as Alisson had to scramble low to his right to keep out a Tomas Soucek header and was then relieved to see Michail Antonio wastefully direct a header wide from 10 yards. From another counter-attack Mac Allister dragged a shot wide and Salah miscued a shot from Van Dijk’s diagonal pass but almost inadvertently found Nunez. Liverpool were threatening to take the game away from the visitors, who have won only once at Anfield in 50 visits, and, had Salah slotted home after Mac Allister, Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai combined, it would have been their goal of the season so far. But David Moyes’ side are made of stern stuff, with their physical approach often infuriating the majority of those at Anfield, and when Soucek’s scuffed shot was deflected wide it showed danger was still present. They equalised three minutes from half-time from a goal which came almost out of nothing. Bowen won the initial header from an aimless aerial ball and Vladimir Coufal swung in a cross which the Hammers forward dived low in front of Van Dijk to direct inside the far post. A delightful Szoboszlai chip over the top saw Curtis Jones volley home only to be denied by the offside flag while another counter-attack saw Salah slide in Nunez, whose angled shot was claimed at the second attempt by Alphonse Areola. After the break West Ham reduced the game to a level Liverpool were uncomfortable with but the hosts still created chances, Nunez’s snap-shot going wide after Salah managed to find space between two markers to pick him out 12 yards out. It was the sighter the Kop’s new cult hero needed as he then lashed home Mac Allister’s delicate 15-yard chip which dropped invitingly somewhere near the penalty spot. Jones’ deflected shot was acrobatically tipped over by Areola, who then saved at the feet of Diaz, before Jota extended Moyes’ win-less career run at Anfield to 20 visits by stabbing home from close range after Van Dijk’s knockdown from an 85th-minute corner. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ollie Watkins winner sees Aston Villa down 10-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge Brighton secure comeback win over Bournemouth thanks to substitute Kaoru Mitoma Ireland report clean bill of health after bruising South Africa showdown

Chelsea went down to a third Premier League defeat of the season as Aston Villa won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge after Malo Gusto was shown a second-half red card. Villa broke away and scored through Ollie Watkins 17 minutes from the end, and though the 10 men laboured gainfully to get back into the game their goalless run in the league under Mauricio Pochettino stretched to three matches as they remained 14th. Chelsea were on top and looking far the likelier to score when a pitchside VAR decision just before the hour mark turned proceedings against them. Gusto had slid in on Lucas Digne and caught the defender on the ankle, and a yellow card was quickly upgraded to red for dangerous play. Pochettino’s side continued to attack in numbers and it would prove their undoing, Watkins outfoxing Levi Colwill to score on the rebound after the 10 men had poured forward, as Villa won for the second season running in front of an audibly frustrated home support in west London. Chelsea opened with a greater attacking purpose than they had shown in recent scoreless outings against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth. After four minutes, Moises Caicedo took a chance and drilled low and hard from distance into the gloves of Emiliano Martinez, a comfortable enough save for Villa’s goalkeeper but an early show of intent from the home side. Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk were heavily involved during the opening 15 minutes, finding space without the ball and attacking Villa down either flank when in possession. Nicolas Jackson too showed pace and power through the middle as Chelsea threatened from all angles. But it was Villa, increasingly stretched at the back, who nearly took the lead and in the most spectacular fashion after 20 minutes. Douglas Luiz’s corner was only partially cleared, and the ball dropped out of the air to the waiting Digne who whacked an audacious looping volley from all of 35 yards that Robert Sanchez brilliantly tipped over the bar. Chelsea had not scored in the league since August but here they played through Villa with a confidence that belied their modest goal return of five under Pochettino. Mudryk tucked a superb ball in behind the defence for Jackson to run on to, the striker’s cunning to find space matching the brilliance of his teammate’s vision. Jackson went for the near post and Martinez turned it behind, but it was as fine an attacking move as Stamford Bridge had witnessed this season. Enzo Fernandez should have broken the deadlock when he shot first time from Gusto’s pull-back, the Argentinian failing to make the best of a good opening after Gusto had stretched every sinew keeping the ball in play. Sanchez saved acrobatically from Nicolo Zaniolo’s volley as Villa came on strong late in the half. At the other end Mudryk capped a lively first period when he raced away from Matty Cash and zipped the ball low across goal only to find that nobody in blue had gambled. Sterling began the second period as he had ended the first, racing away from Villa down the right and trying to tuck the ball inside Martinez’s near post. The goalkeeper spread himself well to smother, but Chelsea’s threat was growing. Then came a moment to turn to the tide of that pressure. Gusto’s challenge on Digne was late and caught the Villa defender on the ankle. The initial decision was yellow card, but a pitchside VAR review saw it upgraded to a red as boos rained down on the referee from home fans. The sending off did not drastically alter the course of things at first, Chelsea’s pressure on Villa’s defence remained. Yet it was ultimately to be their undoing. There seemed to be little on when Villa won the ball back high in the Chelsea half. One ball released Moussa Diaby who dashed into the space left by Gusto’s departure, and in a flash he fed Watkins. Colwill seemed to have things under control when he slid to block Watkins’ initial shot, but before he could recover and clear the Villa striker had taken up the ball and lashed his second effort past Sanchez from an angle and in off the far post. Ben Chilwell on as a substitute missed when one-on-one with Martinez, then moments later Axel Disasi, now moved out to right-back, burst into the box and skewed horribly wide as he lashed at his shot. Jacob Ramsey tested Sanchez when he stepped inside and curled towards the bottom corner, this time the goalkeeper finger-tipped the ball to safety. By then, Chelsea’s attacking rhythm had been critically disrupted, and Villa saw the win out amid a chorus of discontent around Stamford Bridge. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Darwin Nunez on target again as Liverpool topple West Ham at Anfield Son Heung-min brace earns Tottenham a point at Arsenal Brighton secure comeback win over Bournemouth thanks to substitute Kaoru Mitoma