Chelsea vs. Aston Villa: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
STAMFORD BRIDGE, London — Chelsea maintained their excellent start to the season with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Oscar scored his team's first goal after just seven minutes, with Diego Costa and Willian completing an excellent day's work for Jose Mourinho's men.
Costa's strike was his eighth in just six Premier League games this term, his form ensuring the Blues remain the early-season pacesetters.
Indeed, Chelsea are now three points clear of second-placed Southampton in the table but also have a significant cushion ahead of those clubs considered among the title contenders.
Manchester City are five points behind in third, while last season's Premier League runners-up Liverpool are further back in 12th and nine points adrift.
Already Chelsea are in a commanding position, but Mourinho was eager to heed a warning at the final whistle. He said in the post-match press conference:
"I think everybody knows that everybody is going to lose points. I don't think any team is scared or convinced that Chelsea is going to keep this run for 10, 15 or 20 matches.
I think we know this is the Premier League. Every game is possible for a top team to lose points, so I don't think any team is worried about us.
"
Bleacher Report takes a look at the winners and losers from Stamford Bridge.
Winner: Willian
1 of 6
It was an excellent display against Aston Villa from Willian. The Brazilian was magnificent.
From creating Chelsea's opening goal, he proved a thorn in the side of the Villa defence all afternoon and looked the biggest threat.
Willian's goal—Chelsea's third to kill off the game—may have been a tap-in, but it was richly deserved.
The last time Chelsea faced Aston Villa was in March, and Willian found himself taking an early bath on that occasion, being sent off for a second bookable offence in the 68th minute.
On the back of this performance, he'll have much fonder memories of playing Paul Lambert's side.
Loser: Paul Lambert
2 of 6
Chelsea hardly broke a sweat against Aston Villa, whose negative tactics stifled the game and made for a dull affair at times.
Chelsea themselves are often criticised for a negative approach, but they're rarely this poor.
Without a shot on target in the first half, the stats didn't lie about Villa's desire to rarely advance beyond the halfway line.
It was a case of 10 men behind the ball to prevent Chelsea getting in behind, and it may well have worked had Villa shown any desire to break on the counter.
They didn't, and Gabby Agbonlahor cut a lonely figure up front.
Things improved slightly after the interval, but even then Villa offered little going forward.
If it was a draw Lambert targeted, it backfired spectacularly.
Winner: Diego Costa
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The goal drought is over!
Diego Costa did the unthinkable by not scoring against Manchester City last week, but after failing to add to his tally at the Etihad Stadium, normal business resumed against Aston Villa.
Costa was given few opportunities at Stamford Bridge, as Villa's deep defensive line meant he often found space at a premium.
Like any good striker, though, when given his chance, he took it, heading past Brad Guzan to double Chelsea's lead on the hour.
That's eight for the season, and we're not even out of September yet.
The Costa express keeps rolling on.
Loser: Eden Hazard
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Jose Mourinho was asked in the post-match press conference if he thought Eden Hazard was off the pace against Aston Villa.
His response was a simple nod to acknowledge he agreed.
Hazard played just 10 minutes against Bolton Wanderers in midweek, so his off-colour performance can't be put down to fatigue.
It's perhaps harsh to label him a loser after the way he has started the campaign, yet in isolation, on this game's evidence, he needs to up the ante, and we know he's more than capable.
With Willian, Oscar and Andre Schurrle all enjoying good form themselves, Hazard could find himself on the bench if it continues.
Winner: Phil Dowd
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Referees come in for plenty of criticism, so it's only right we acknowledge them when they do something positive.
Phil Dowd enjoyed a fairly low-key game at Stamford Bridge, the match passing with little incident.
There was a moment when Aston Villa fans attempted to goad him with a song about his physical appearance, but rather than allow it to affect him, Dowd saw the funny side, grinning and holding his hand to his ear.
It was all in good spirits and the referee played his part, so we salute him.
Loser: Brendan Rodgers
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Shortly before Chelsea kicked off against Aston Villa, the final whistle had blown at Anfield in the Merseyside derby.
It finished honours even, 1-1, but given their title aspirations, Liverpool will feel they lost more from the draw than they gained.
Brendan Rodgers' side have endured a difficult start to the campaign and needed Villa to do them a favour at Stamford Bridge by taking three points from Chelsea.
They didn't, and now the Blues sit nine points clear of them in the table.
Liverpool are some way off the pace, and already their title hopes are looking over.
*All quotes taken firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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