Why Emery became 'tactical genius' as Watkins' double catches Chelsea & Maresca off guard
In this story:
Aston Villa hero Ollie Watkins explained the tactical changes Unai Emery made in the second half that led to their 2-1 comeback win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
It was a relatively comfortable game for Chelsea in the first 60 minutes of the game.
They were dominant on the ball, created more chances, and managed to stop Villa from having a shot on target in the first half.
Emery's triple substitutions in the second half turned the tide.
Watkins, who was among the substitutes, insisted that it was more than just mere personnel changes.
"He changed it because Chelsea were going man for man, but they had the extra centre-back when we were going long," the England international said about Emery's tactical tweaks in the second half.
"When I came on in the second half, he brought Jadon Sancho and Morgan Rogers on the wing and put Youri Tielemans in the No 10 - so we had an extra man in there.
"He's a tactical genius."
Obviously, it proved effective.
Watkins levelled the score just a few minutes after coming on and eventually scored the winner in the 84th minute.
In addition to that, it was Chelsea who failed to register any shots on target in the second half, while the visitors had eight.
Maresca tried to introduce fresh legs of his own in the 69th minute, but after Watkins' equaliser, the momentum had shifted to Villa's side.
Chelsea now sit fifth in the Premier League table, 10 points behind third-placed Villa, and must shift their attention to another home fixture against Bournemouth on Tuesday.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.