Aston Villa staged a dramatic comeback to secure a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Villa Park, with Marco Asensio netting twice in the second half, both set up by Marcus Rashford.
Chelsea struck early through Enzo Fernandez, who found himself unmarked and capitalized on Pedro Neto’s delivery to put the visitors ahead in the ninth minute.
However, the game took a turn when Rashford was introduced at halftime, replacing Jacob Ramsey.
It didn’t take long for the Manchester United loanee to make an impact. In the 57th minute, he stretched to direct the ball to Asensio, who slotted home his first goal in claret and blue.
With the momentum shifting in Villa’s favour, the pair combined again in the 89th minute. Rashford’s pass found Asensio once more, whose strike slipped under Filip Jorgensen to complete the turnaround.
Both players arrived at the club on loan during the January transfer window, and their growing influence under Unai Emery is proving invaluable.
Their contributions lifted Villa to within a point of sixth-placed Chelsea, who squandered an opportunity to break into the top four.
