Chelsea’s start to the new season has been impressive, recording back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Arsenal in their opening two league fixtures before drawing 1-1 with Liverpool before the international break.
The Blues actually took the lead at Anfield through Kai Havertz and looked in good shape before Reece James was sent off just before the interval; the incident saw Liverpool awarded a penalty, which Mohamed Salah scored, but Thomas Tuchel’s side managed to leave Merseyside with a welcome point.
Chelsea are entering a fascinating period of their season, as they will take on Zenit St Petersburg in their Champions League group-stage opener on September 14 before travelling to Tottenham Hotspur, who currently sit at the top of the Premier League, next weekend.
The capital outfit will then face Villa in the EFL Cup ahead of a home league game against Manchester City before ending September with a trip to Juventus in the Champions League; Tuchel has put together an impressive squad, and he will need to use it during a busy few weeks.
Chelsea only actually took a point from their two league games against Villa last weekend, playing out a 1-1 draw with Dean Smith’s side at Stamford Bridge in December before losing 2-1 at Villa Park on the final weekend of last season, but they still made the top four in the table despite the defeat.
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Villa, meanwhile, opened their 2021-22 Premier League season with a disappointing defeat at newly-promoted Watford, but they managed to put an important three points on the board one week later courtesy of a 2-0 home success over Newcastle United.
Smith’s side then thumped Barrow 6-0 in the EFL Cup but could not make it three straight wins in all competitions, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford at Villa Park before the international break.https://e014ce7a23c14a7a384bfa177fc87862.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html?n=0
Jack Grealish moved on during the summer transfer window, but the likes of Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Ashley Young arrived, and the club’s owners will be expecting a push into the top half of the table considering the quality present in the squad
