London, Dec 28 (NationPress) Ollie Watkins made a significant impact off the bench, leading Aston Villa to a thrilling comeback victory over Chelsea in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, thereby matching the club record of 11 consecutive wins.

Going into the match, Villa found themselves on the back foot in the first half, trailing after a Joao Pedro goal. However, the introduction of Watkins injected new energy into Villa's attack, allowing him to equalize just before the hour.

With numerous opportunities missed, Watkins later scored a header from a Youri Tielemans corner, igniting jubilation among traveling fans with just seven minutes to spare.

This victory ties the club’s record for consecutive wins, originally set in 1897 and matched in 1914, keeping Unai Emery’s squad within three points of the league leaders as they prepare to face Arsenal next.

Now sitting in third place, Villa is just three points away from Arsenal, who they will challenge in an important fixture at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, while Chelsea finds themselves three points behind the top four.

Following the match, Villa manager Unai Emery remarked, "We maintained our game plan from the first half, but they played excellently. They were in control initially. We struggled to gain possession and had to defend well. Only one corner led to their goal. Yet, we needed to stay passionate and resilient, and we had a discussion in the dressing room at halftime."

On the other hand, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca stated, "For about an hour, we were in command until we conceded. We performed admirably. Regrettably, the game’s dynamics shifted after that. We should have scored two or three more goals before they equalized."