Chelsea

Henry Brownsey
BBC Sport journalist

Justin Kluivert proved that three is a magic number.

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As did Brentford's Kevin Schade.

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Cole Palmer pulled another rabbit out of his hat.

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Tom Cairney struck gold, before he was dealt the card he did not want.

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As Ruben Amorim shuffled his deck again, Marcus Rashford was up to his old tricks.

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Arteta conjured up another Arsenal victory, leaving some bewildered.

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And, as Manchester City's bad spell continues, Pep Guardiola was quick to show the wonders he has worked.

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Chris Wise
BBC Radio 5 Live commentator at Stamford Bridge

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You can definitely sense a change in the air around Stamford Bridge.

Everything has gone up a level there this season. The intensity of the performances, the quality and the atmosphere.

Having watched more than a few Chelsea home games in recent seasons, it has sometimes felt a bit stale. Clearly they have had good moments in that time, but they have also had quite a lot of unsatisfactory ones too.

This Chelsea team is hitting a different note this season. There is a hunger about them - and it is contagious.

Enzo Maresca is constantly talking about it being a "project" when he is asked about Chelsea being a title contender, and it probably is a stretch to expect the Blues to keep pace with those squads that are more established as a collective.

But what is obvious is that it feels like there is growth again at Chelsea - and it has been a while since you could genuinely say that.

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Chelsea fans

Freddie: Most well-rounded performance of the year. Completely dominating one of last year's Champions League qualifying teams shows how far we have come. I'm still not 100% convinced by Sanchez, but that was much better from him and the defence all-round. Champions League here we come?

Josh: There's a real buy-in with Maresca and that kind of commitment to the process will only make the group stronger, for sure. Hopefully they just enjoy it and take it one game at a time. Interesting how all of the noise around our squad size has gone mute. I'll be intrigued to see if fixture congestion and fatigue changes the approach of clubs with hiring decisions.

Chris: While a good overall performance, Cole Palmer still looks leggy and unsure in front of goal. Strong passing showed the team to be well-drilled, but again we lacked a killer instinct. They could have easily conceded three goals themselves and this inconsistency at the back has all too often let them down. They were lucky with Villa.

Les: What a team. We are truly developing into a major threat to the so-called big two or three. In Cole Palmer we have a Rolls Royce player, extremely gifted in all the football arts. But we are more than a one-man team now, positive contributions come from far and wide. It is so good, as a supporter, to be part of this Maresca revolution.

Villa fans

Paul: Terrible. These are mistakes that would be corrected on a primary school pitch. This is more than just a blip in form now. The confidence is sapping away. Emery earns his keep in the next three or four matches, otherwise this season is a write off.

Duncan: Plan A worked for a while. We don't have a plan B or C. We are very predictable, as a number of opposition managers have said. Perhaps try three at the back for a change, with two wing-backs. Morgan Rogers needs a rest but Emery seems too scared to drop him. Are we worried or is this our level and prior to this we were big overachievers?

Cassie: The truth hurts... and the truth is Villa are a mediocre team. We don't have the quality in depth. We are a mid-table team. Unai Emery needs to buy a striker in January. If he, for whatever reason, sticks with Ollie Watkins, we will be lucky to finish in the top 10.

Tony: Eight matches without a win is a stark reality and clearly points to the need to shake things up. The two home matches this week are critical for our confidence in the rest of this season.

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Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker does not think Chelsea can challenge for the title this season but says they are proving to be top-four contenders.

Chelsea are third in the league and level on 25 points with second-placed Arsenal, but both clubs are nine points behind leaders Liverpool.

"I don't see them forcing themselves into a title argument," said Reo-Coker on the BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily podcast. "But they are definitely up there in that top four conversation.

"They look like a team now - they look really good. They do still have moments of vulnerabilities, but their attacking power is scary. They have so many options."

Ex-Manchester City midfielder Michael Brown added: "It is good to see smiles back on faces at Chelsea because there has been a lot of rubbish for a long time. It is a group of really exciting young players and they just need to get a bit more confidence and maturity.

"They are playing in a well-balanced system and they are not going away so I give them full credit."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Mark Chapman presents highlights and analysis from Sunday's four Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Crystal Palace 1-1 Newcastle

• West Ham 2-5 Arsenal

• Man Utd 4-0 Everton

• Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa

• Liverpool 2-0 Man City

Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham are monitoring Borussia Dortmund's 20-year-old England Under-21 forward Jamie Gittens. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter, at Stamford Bridge

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says Wesley Fofana could miss between "10 or 12 games" after suffering a hamstring injury against Aston Villa.

The 23-year-old defender was substituted in the 60th minute, after awkwardly stepping on the ball when challenging striker Ollie Watkins in the 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

The France international has started every Premier League match this season for the Blues, aside from one missed game against Liverpool due to suspension.

When asked about the diagnosis for his centre-back, who went straight down the tunnel when substituted for Benoit Badiashile, Maresca said: "Unfortunately, it is bad news. It is a hamstring problem.

"These kind of things require at least three, four, five weeks. In this moment, you lose 10 games or 12 games.

"In the way he was playing, it is a big loss for us. But we have more players and we will try to find solutions. It is a big loss. He is doing fantastic.

"But it is normal when you play this amount of games and, fortunately, it is his first injury this season. But we are going to find solutions."

Chelsea remain third in the Premier League with exact same points, goal difference and goals scored as Arsenal - behind them only in alphabetical order.

When asked why Chelsea cannot compete for the Premier League title this season, Maresca added: "These kind of players, some of them probably played only one final for a title - probably the Carabao Cup final last season was the most important match they played.

"You have to live moments and, when we start to get those moments, we can get better and compete.

"Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City players, they have all lived finals and competed for titles. We will be there soon, but this is one of the reasons why we are still far and not ready to compete with those clubs."

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Enzo Maresca has won 38 of his 59 league games in charge of Chelsea and former club Leicester City (D8 L13). Since the beginning of last season, no manager has won more such matches than the Italian across England’s top two tiers (level with Leeds United's Daniel Farke – excluding play-offs).

Meanwhile, only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (41 games) has reached 30 Premier League goals for Chelsea in fewer appearances than Cole Palmer (46 games).

Since the beginning of last season, Cole Palmer has both scored and assisted in seven different Premier League games, with only Mohamed Salah (eight times before Liverpool v Manchester City) doing so more often.

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to Sky Sports following the win: "The performance was very good. A top performance on and off the ball, and I'm very happy with the three points."

On Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson scoring again: "They are attacking players, they need to be in the box when we are attacking. We saw today that they scored in both games. Enzo was in the right position, so we just need to continue that."

On goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's performance: "We don't have any doubt. It is more outside noise about him, but we are very happy because he is helping us by saving goals and helping in the build up."

On playing Moises Caicedo playing at right-back: "Moises deserves the best because he is a fantastic guy, very humble. Everything we ask [him to do], he is there to do it."

On defender Wesley Fofana's injury: "It is a muscular problem, it looks like a hamstring. We will see."

On how long he will be out for: "No idea, at the moment."

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Chelsea forward Cole Palmer has been speaking to Sky Sports after scoring a goal in the Blues' win at Stamford Bridge: "Aston Villa are a good team, so to win and go higher up the table is good."

On his goal involvements this season: "I think, if I go out and enjoy my football, the goals and assists will come.

"It is all down to the manager - the desire that he puts into the sessions and what the players give to him.

"If we keep winning, I'm sure we will be near the top four. We are just trying to keep going and win plenty of games."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

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What did you make of Aston Villa's display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

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It is one of the most eagerly anticipated dates in the football calendar as Premier League and Championship clubs join the FA Cup action from round three.

The draw will take place on Monday, 2 December from 19:00 GMT and can be watched live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

Four matches make up Sunday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Chelsea v Aston Villa (listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra)

• Man Utd v Everton (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

• Tottenham v Fulham

• Liverpool v Man City - 16:00 (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

Kick-offs 13:30 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 13, he takes on boxer Sunny Edwards who is a Chelsea fan.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Aston Villa haven't been firing on all cylinders recently, but they were unlucky not to beat Juventus on Wednesday after having a late winner ruled out.

I captained Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez in my fantasy team last weekend because I hadn't kept many clean sheets and I just had a gut feeling they would keep Crystal Palace out - and of course they conceded after four minutes.

Martinez is an outstanding goalkeeper, the best in the Premier League, but I cannot see him keeping a clean sheet this week either.

I am backing Chelsea to take this one. They were too strong for Leicester last weekend and, while Cole Palmer did not deliver, Nicolas Jackson keeps on scoring. He looks like a different player compared to last season.

Sunny's prediction: 10-0

I rate Villa but Cole Palmer is going to run riot here. A triple hat-trick, hopefully!

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen says he is "very happy" at Stamford Bridge despite having not yet made his Premier League debut.

The 22-year-old joined from Villarreal in the summer but has been an unused substitute in the league, selected only in cup competitions by head coach Enzo Maresca.

The Blues goalkeeping situation has come under scrutiny this campaign, with current number one Robert Sanchez guilty of a number of errors since his move from Brighton in 2023.

Some have suggested Jorgensen should be called on to take over in the league having played eight games across the Conference League and Carabao Cup so far - keeping four clean sheets in the process.

His shot-stopping qualities were on show during Chelsea's 2-0 Conference League win away to Heidenheim on Thursday, making a string of impressive saves to help the team maintain their perfect start in the competition.

"I'm very, very happy to be here," Jorgensen said. "I've said it many times to my friends, family and agent. I just enjoy every moment and try to get better.

"[Maresca said] to stay calm with the ball and try to do my thing, try to talk a lot with my team-mates to help them stay connected."

The Blues' number one in the second half of last season Djordje Petrovic was sent on loan to Strasbourg in the summer, leaving a straight fight between Sanchez and Jorgensen to be first choice.

Denmark Under-21 international Jorgensen has done his chances of pushing for a Premier League debut no harm with performances like he produced in Germany on Thursday.

"We competed against a tough team, many long balls and very physical," added Jorgensen. "We knew it would be a challenge.

"I'm happy to have a clean sheet but the three points are the most important thing."

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Earlier, we asked you who scored Chelsea's first Premier League goal of the 2024-25 season.

The answer is Nicolas Jackson, who netted in the 6-2 win at Wolves on 25 August.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Aston Villa (kick-off 13:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Despite Chelsea sitting third in the Premier League, Maresca simply said "no" when asked if they were in the title race: "I said many times - I didn't like the pressure. I didn't like to say yes we are there, but we are not there."

• Instead he pointed to rivals elsewhere: "Arsenal are ahead of us, [Manchester] City is ahead of us, Liverpool showing they are ahead of us. The important thing is we improve game after game and then we will see.

• On if he looks at the table and the situations of the teams: "For me, it is not about points or the table, it is about the process and the programme. Five years together [Arsenal], nine together [Man City]... Liverpool is different but they didn’t make too many changes from before. [It's] not about the points difference on the table, it is about the time together."

• Maresca said it is a "good feeling" to see that the team is improving but added: "At the same time, you have to be realistic. You can see the difference between us and the rest in this moment. It doesn't mean we are not going to compete and win games. We will do that to the end. The main focus has to be the feeling we are improving game after game."

• It is "one of the targets" that competition for places makes players hungry: "The other day, Romeo [Lavia] was on the bench but that doesn't mean he'll be on the bench the next game. It's the same for Malo Gusto or Pedro Neto, who were out. The good thing is that when we give them minutes, they are ready to have the chance."

• On if anything has changed with Enzo Fernandez to prompt his recall to the starting XI: "Enzo is doing well since we started. For some games, I take different decisions - [it] doesn't mean they are out. If they think on the bench they are doing bad, it is not like this. The gameplan requires different kinds of players and that's the reason why sometimes we go for Moises [Caicedo] and Romeo. We can go in future with Romeo and Enzo or Romeo, Enzo and Moises. It depends on the game."

• On his decision to play two separate squads in Europe and in the Premier League: "We don’t separate the squad. We use different players but they are one squad. I take different decisions for every game. Sometimes I change 11 players from one to the other. It is a way to protect players and at the moment it is working. Hopefully, it will work until the end."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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The question of who is in the title race right now is a good one, but I still think it is Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.

At the beginning of the season, I said Liverpool would be up there because I feel people forgot how well they actually did last season. They are favourites at the moment because of the consistency they have shown this year, but we all know that the likes of City and the Gunners are capable of going on long winning runs.

City are in unknown territory at the moment with the form they are in, but they are still a group of Premier League and Champions League winners who know how to win and bounce back. However, if Liverpool get the win at Anfield this weekend, that would make them clearer favourites.

The reason I have not put Chelsea and Brighton alongside the other three teams as title contenders is because of the consistency of these teams over the past few years.

Those three have been up there challenging the past two or three seasons and I think that puts them ahead.

We have seen Chelsea are developing in terms of their age and have not been as consistent with their results. The same with Brighton. They put in some really good performances - but then some not so good.

With the heavy December schedule and into January, that is when we will start to see a split and those teams with a better squad depth start to break away a bit.

And yet, although that is what we are used to seeing, when you look at the league this year it has been one of the most up and down starts ever to a campaign in terms of consistency.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson