Chelsea slipped into the bottom half of the Premier League table as John McGinn’s brilliant 30-yard strike helped Aston Villa to a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge and heaped pressure back onto Graham Potter.

The Villa captain struck 10 minutes after half-time to double his side’s lead in front of a frustrated home crowd who made their displeasure heard after Ollie Watkins had pounced on a mistake by Marc Cucurella in the first half to stun Potter’s side.

Chelsea had been their usual enterprising selves going forward up to that point, but their struggles in front of goal showed no sign of resolution in a game that showed yet again their lack of bite in the opposition box.

At the final whistle, boos rang around Stamford Bridge, as some supporters behind the dugout again called for Potter to go.

Villa almost handed the hosts the perfect start. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez rolled the ball short to Boubacar Kamara, who dithered in possession and allowed Mykhailo Mudryk to nick it. Stamford Bridge sensed a first Chelsea goal for the Ukrainian, but Martinez got the better of his one-on-one duel with the forward to smother the ball to safety.

Chelsea were nearly made to pay instantly. Their defence, with Reece James dropped back into a central three in place of the injured Wesley Fofana, parted allowing McGinn to release Watkins running clear. With only the goalkeeper to beat, he pulled his shot badly wide.

McGinn went closer still on 15 minutes when his curling effort smacked the crossbar. Chelsea, suddenly on the back foot, had received two early warnings. Neither would be heeded.

The opening goal was a calamity for Cucurella. Douglas Luiz’s hopeful ball forward looked an easy mop-up job for Kalidou Koulibaly, but the back-peddling Cucurella took it away from his defensive partner and helped it into the path of Watkins. This time the Villa striker was not so profligate, lifting it over Arrizabalaga for 1-0.

The hosts rallied. Joao Felix showed quick, delicate feet inside the box to make space for a shot that Martinez did well to beat behind at his near post. Mudryk’s moment looked finally to have arrived when he found space and broke Villa’s back line, but shot too early, too close to Martinez to bring an equaliser.

Soon Chelsea’s pressure was relentless. Ben Chilwell came close when he pulled away from McGinn down the left and struck a post, before Felix blasted wide following a goalmouth scramble.

Martinez was required again, this time diving low to his left to keep out Kai Havertz’s clipped effort towards the bottom corner. Potter’s team were on top but following a familiar pattern, fluid football yielding plenty of chances but nothing besides frustration to show for it at the break.

McGinn’s goal after 55 minutes deepened the home side’s woes. The Villa captain’s whipped effort from 30 yards was hit crisply as Chelsea failed to clear a corner. The blue shirts that flung themselves in front to try and block the shot did so in vain, and the ball dropped beyond Arrizabalaga’s dive into the bottom corner.

From there on, Chelsea kept toiling, applying busy, urgent pressure, but which offered little penetration and never looked like threatening Unai Emery’s side’s lead. N’Golo Kante emerged from the bench to play his first minutes under Potter, but soon it was clear it would be in a losing cause.

Villa climb into ninth place above Chelsea, whose hopes of a finishing in a European place now appear increasingly remote.

Chelsea vs Aston Villa latest news

• Match report

• Player ratings

• Chelsea now playing only for Graham Potter’s future

Chelsea FC 0 - 2 Aston Villa FC

Thank you

20:41 , Jonathan Gorrie

Thank you for joining Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea’s loss to Aston Villa.

Find our report, ratings, reaction and analysis below!

Graham Potter explains Mason Mount decision as Chelsea lose to Aston Villa

20:40 , Jonathan Gorrie

Graham Potter has revealed why he didn’t bring Mason Mount off the bench as Chelsea lost 2-0 at home to Aston Villa on Saturday night.

The 24-year-old returned after a month out from a pubic bone injury to make the bench but wasn’t called upon as Ollie Watkins and John McGinn secured the victory at Stamford Bridge.

In the backdrop of his increasing exile are stagnant contract negotiations that have led to talk of a move away to Liverpool, Manchester United or Bayern Munich.

Speaking after the match, Potter explained why he didn’t look to Mount to turn the match: “With Mason, I just felt we were there in the game.

Read Potter’s full comments here!

Chelsea left playing for Graham Potter’s future as European hopes take a battering

20:05 , Jonathan Gorrie

Graham Potter was booed off the pitch at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea were wasteful display in defeat to Aston Villa.

The 47-year-old is under pressure again after his side dropped to 11th as Unai Emery’s side pushed up to 9th, making the prospect of Chelsea qualifying for any European competition through a league finish increasingly remote.

Now, Chelsea seem to just be playing for their manager and to avoid their lowest league finish since 1996.

Most of the blame is currently falling on Potter’s shoulders after he arrived at a club in transition in September.

You have to, however, feel some sympathy for his plight. He could do little to stop his players from missing a host of clear, simple chances against the Midlands side.

Read Nizaar Kinsella’s full analysis here!

Chelsea vs Aston Villa player ratings: Mudryk dreadful in front of goal as Loftus-Cheek stunts attack

19:43 , Jonathan Gorrie

Aston Villa beat Chelsea 2-0 in a mid-table table to pile the pressure on Graham Potter and see his side drop down to a dismal 11th place.

Ollie Watkins and John McGinn scored at Stamford Bridge in a match that makes European football next season even less likely for the Blues and raises the possibility that the club could register its lowest finish in the Premier League era.

The main highlight for a wasteful Chelsea was the return of N’Golo Kante for the first time since August 14, playing for Potter for the first time.

Click here to see Nizaar Kinsella’s player ratings here!

Chelsea 0-2 Aston Villa: Miserable Blues booed off at Stamford Bridge

19:41 , Jonathan Gorrie

Goals from prolific striker Ollie Watkins and captain John McGinn earned Aston Villa all three points in a pulsating 2-0 Premier League mid-table win at Chelsea on Saturday.

Watkins took his chance in the 18th minute after a mistake from retreating defender Marc Cucurella, who headed a long ball into his path and he calmly lobbed his shot over advancing Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea, who enjoyed some 69% possession and 26 shots but as so often this season proved toothless in front of goal, came out guns blazing in the second half only to concede a corner from a Villa break.

The ball came out to McGinn and he sent a searing shot from 20 metres past the diving Kepa and into the bottom corner in the 56th minute.

The result meant Villa, who have earned 29 points from 15 games since Unai Emery took over as coach last October, leapfrogged Chelsea into ninth place, while the London side dropped to 11th, putting pressure firmly back on coach Graham Potter.

FT: Chelsea 0-2 Aston Villa

19:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

Timid Chelsea booed at the Bridge.

So, so timid

19:19 , Jonathan Gorrie

88 mins: Pulisic just hits a ball over the bar from a tight angle. For all their posssesion, they have done so little with it.

Villa so comfortable

19:08 , Jonathan Gorrie

79 mins: This really is rather meek from Chelsea, who have hardly forced Martinez into much action all evening.

CHANCE FOR CHELSEA!

18:53 , Jonathan Gorrie

63 mins: The returning Kante drags a good chance wide.

Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge

18:52 , Jonathan Gorrie

A bit surprising that Graham Potter didn’t make a half-time substitute. He has so much talent on the bench and his side felt a bit vulnerable defensively

GOAL! Chelsea 0-2 Aston Villa | John McGinn ‘56

18:44 , Jonathan Gorrie

56 mins: Wonderful strike from McGinn from outside the box, curling past Kepa after Chelsea half-clear a corner.

Chelsea look short of ideas

18:43 , Jonathan Gorrie

54 mins: Villa have largely kept the hosts at bay. Outside of a moment of magic, it’s looking hard for Chelsea.

Villa change

18:34 , Jonathan Gorrie

Back underway!

18:34 , Jonathan Gorrie

Big 45 minutes for Chelsea here.

HT: Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa

18:19 , Jonathan Gorrie

Watkins’ goal the difference so far.

GOAL DISALLOWED!

18:17 , Jonathan Gorrie

44 mins: Chilwell’s header is ruled out after a push on a Villa player!

CHANCE FOR CHELSEA

18:14 , Jonathan Gorrie

42 mins: Havertz forces Martinez into a save with a drive shot just outside the box. Villa get the resulting corner away.

18:11 , Jonathan Gorrie

CHANCE FOR CHELSEA

18:08 , Jonathan Gorrie

36 mins: Saying that, they’ve still got a lot of quality.

Chiwell hits the post from a tight angle as Villa start to drop deeper.

Chelsea not convincing

18:07 , Jonathan Gorrie

35 mins: So many attacks fall to nothing for Potter’s team.

Very little in the way of patterns.

Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge

17:51 , Jonathan Gorrie

Dreadful defending by Chelsea to allow Ollie Watkins one-on-one for the second time. This time, he hits the target and both Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly are to blame.

GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa | Ollie Watkins ‘17

17:49 , Jonathan Gorrie

17 mins: Awful header from Cucurella plays Watkins in, who dinks over Kepa.

Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge

17:48 , Jonathan Gorrie

Both teams have missed glaring chances. Mudryk going one-on-one and having a shot saved, while Watkins missed his one-on-one altogether. A pretty even, physical and fast-paced match so far. What else would you expect from El Midico and 10th vs 11th?

CHANCE FOR ASTON VILLA!

17:38 , Jonathan Gorrie

07 mins: Brilliant ball from McGinn finds Watkins through on goal but the forward drags his shot wide.

CHANCE FOR CHELSEA

17:37 , Jonathan Gorrie

05 mins: Martinez plays a very risky ball into Kamara, on which Mudryk passes. The Argentine, however, does well to save the shot and the resulting corner is cleared.

Bright start from Chelsea

17:33 , Jonathan Gorrie

02 mins: Chilwell getting into some good positions, forcing Villa wide and allowing for space for Kovacic to shoot, though the Croatian drags it wide from outside the box.

KICK-OFF

17:31 , Jonathan Gorrie

And we’re off!

Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge

17:27 , Jonathan Gorrie

John Terry and Roberto Di Matteo were out on the pitch at Stamford Bridge announcing Chelsea’s next legends game. They face Bayern Munich on 9 September in a match that is a tribute to Gianluca Vialli who recently passed away.

Chelsea vs Aston Villa match odds

17:13 , Jonathan Gorrie

Chelsea to win: 4/6

Draw: 29/10

Aston Villa to win: 9/2

Odds via Betfair and subject to change.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

17:08 , Jonathan Gorrie

Chelsea wins: 68

Draws: 35

Aston Villa wins: 58

Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge

16:56 , Jonathan Gorrie

Mudryk will enjoy running at both Ashley Young, who is 37, and Alex Moreno, who is more comfortable going forward than defensively. This is a great chance for him to change the conversation around him.

Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge

16:47 , Jonathan Gorrie

It looks like Chelsea are playing in a 4-3-3 which hasn’t brought great results recently but they could put James at centre back and use Loftus-Cheek as a wing-back, sticking to the 3-4-3.

Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge

16:37 , Jonathan Gorrie

It looks like Chelsea are playing in a 4-3-3 which hasn’t brought great results recently but they could put James at centre back and use Loftus-Cheek as a wing-back, sticking to the 3-4-3.

Confirmed Aston Villa lineup

16:31 , Jonathan Gorrie

Confirmed Chelsea lineup

16:30 , Jonathan Gorrie

A new look for Reece James!

16:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

Mason Mount reveals three answers he wants during tough season amid future uncertainty

16:15 , Jonathan Gorrie

Mason Mount says he has been asking himself three questions amid uncertainty over his Chelsea future.

Mount is looking increasingly likely to leave Stamford Bridge this season with contract talks still ongoing and described by manager Graham Potter as “complicated”. Liverpool, Manchester United and Man City are all monitoring the 24-year-old’s situation.

In a tough season for all involved at Chelsea, Mount has struggled for form. The midfielder’s return of three goals and one assist this season is in stark contrast to his 11 goals and 10 assists of last season.

Read the full story here!

Thomas Tuchel reveals details of ‘three minute’ Chelsea sacking as he admits decision ‘still hurts’

16:02 , Jonathan Gorrie

Thomas Tuchel has admitted his Chelsea sacking “still hurts”, as he revealed details of the short conversation telling him he had lost his job.

The German was relieved of his duties in early September, just six games into the Premier League season and only a few days after the end of a summer transfer window in which the Blues spent more than £250million.

While Tuchel was largely still a popular figure with the Chelsea supporters, having won the Champions League in 2021, but his relationship with the club’s ownership had become increasingly strained.

Read the full story here!

Chelsea talks over Earls Court move ‘categorically’ denied after new stadium reports

15:41 , Jonathan Gorrie

Chelsea’s reported move from Stamford Bridge to Earls Court has been “categorically” denied.

Blues supporters have expressed concern about the prospect of leaving their home, where they have played since the club was founded in 1905.

Although a move away from Stamford Bridge has not been ruled out, the most likely scenario remains the knocking down and expansion of the current 42,000-seater stadium.

There has been much speculation, however, that a £750million derelict 40-acre site in between the Earls Court, West Kensington and West Brompton tube stations could become the new home of Chelsea.

The Earls Court Development Company, who are drafting plans for the redevelopment, have denied any talks with Chelsea’s Boehly-Clearlake owners.

A statement read: “We categorically deny that there are any talks taking place with Chelsea FC about a stadium relocation to the Earls Court site.

“We have recently launched a draft masterplan for a transformative mixed use scheme to bring the wonder back to Earls Court.

“Our masterplan proposals will deliver 4,500 homes, 15,000 jobs, acres of public space and cultural facilities in an ambitious zero carbon development. There is no football stadium in our masterplan.”

The Blues would not be able to leave Stamford Bridge and keep the name ‘Chelsea FC’ without a vote taking place with the Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO). A yes vote from 75 percent of shareholders would be needed to approve any move away from the club’s historic home.

This unique 30-year arrangement was put in place by former owner Ken Bates, who gifted fans the freehold to the stadium to give them future leverage in certain matters relating to the club.

Potter outlines Barry latest as Bayern Munich push for Tuchel reunion

15:33 , Jonathan Gorrie

Graham Potter says Chelsea could put Anthony Barry on gardening leave to avoid him coaching against the Blues for Bayern Munich in a possible Champions League semi-final.

The highly-rated coach wants to join Thomas Tuchel’s staff in Germany after he was appointed at Allianz Arena last month.

The coach, who joined Chelsea under Frank Lampard in 2020 but stayed on under Tuchel and now Potter, is currently not working for the club while the situation is being resolved.

Speaking amid disruption ahead of a Premier League home match with Aston Villa, Potter was asked whether the risk of Barry leaking tactics was part of the talks.

Read the full story here!

Victor Osimhen to Chelsea: Blues major contenders to beat Manchester United in striker transfer battle

15:18 , Jonathan Gorrie

Chelsea are strong contenders to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen this summer.

The 24-year-old is aware of interest from the Blues, who regard him as a primary target as they pursue another physical forward.

They believe the Nigeria international, who has scored 25 goals in 29 games this season, would allow them to compete with the firepower of Manchester City’s goal machine Erling Haaland.

Chelsea’s need is driven by a dismal season in front of goal. They have scored just 29 Premier League goals, more than only seven clubs in the division who all find themselves in a relegation battle. Kai Havertz is the club’s top scorer with nine goals in 36 matches across all competitions.

Manchester United are also interested in Osimhen. They sounded out Osimhen at Lille, before he joined Napoli, but are also keen on Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who has just 16 months to run on his current contract.

‘Someone I admire’: Graham Potter hints at Chelsea decision for Romelu Lukaku

15:13 , Jonathan Gorrie

Graham Potter revealed Romelu Lukaku is a player that ‘he likes a lot’ as he opened the possibility that he is recalled to Chelsea’s squad next season.

The 29-year-old old took a pay cut to leave west London and re-join Inter Milan in the summer on a season-long loan after falling out with Thomas Tuchel.

The Blues are understood to have told Inter that they would allow him to stay for another year, but the Italian giants are increasingly reluctant to pay his wages after an injury-hit season.

Speaking ahead of a match at home to Aston Villa, Potter admitted that he could make use of the £100million former club-record signing.

He said: “Although he is our player, he is on loan and an Inter Milan player. I think it is important he finishes that off. Then we have a decision to make in the summer.

“He is someone I admire a lot, I like a lot but again it is something to think about over the summer.”

Score prediction

15:02 , Jonathan Gorrie

Chelsea are not an easy team to call and so much depends on Reece James’ fitness. Villa look a good bet to pounce.

Aston Villa to win 2-1.

Aston Villa team news: Kamara in contention

15:01 , Jonathan Gorrie

Emery has lost Matty Cash for a number of weeks after he was injured playing for Poland during the break.

Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos could feature, however.

Chelsea team news: Mount and Kante could play

15:01 , Jonathan Gorrie

The Blues have managed to reset after the international break, welcoming back a host of players for the final 11 league games of the campaign.

Reece James, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana and Edouard Mendy have all trained this week, while N’Golo Kante could also be involved. Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva remain out.

Where to Chelsea vs Aston Villa

15:00 , Jonathan Gorrie

TV channel: The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.

Live stream: The Sky Go app will allow subscribers to watch on a live stream.

Live blog: Follow all of the action with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog. Nizaar Kinsella will be providing expert analysis from the ground.

Welcome

14:57 , Jonathan Gorrie

Good afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea’s clash with Aston Villa today.

Kick-off from Stamford Bridge is at 5.30pm BST.