It was match day 18 in the Premier League 2025/2026 season, and we had Chelsea playing Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. It was surely the match of the gameweek as Aston Villa is a team that looks unstoppable at the moment. Before coming into this match, they won their last ten matches in the Premier League, and what a run they are having under the coach Unai Emery.
The captain of Chelsea, Reece James, was visibly not happy with the team. He also blamed the players for the 2-1 loss against Aston Villa. Since Chelsea have won against FC Barcelona in the Champions League, and later drew to Arsenal in the Premier League, they have not been the same team, as it is surely hard to predict what they are going to come up with on the football pitch. Chelsea, at one moment, was a title contender as they were fighting with Arsenal. Now they are 13 points behind the table toppers, Arsenal.
Also check out: Cole Palmer’s Monthly Earnings at Chelsea: How Cole Palmer Boosts His Monthly Income
Premier League 2025/2026: Captain Reece James blames Chelsea players for the loss against Aston Villa
Chelsea were playing on the front foot as they were taking shots and creating chances in the first half of the match. Cole Palmer took a shot in the opening minutes, but it went wide. The first goal in the match came for Chelsea, and it was in the 37th minute. Reece James set up Joao Pedro for a chance, and he converted it. Chelsea took the lead and were leading 1-0 going into the first half.
We went to the second half, and Chelsea were dominating from the start of the second half too. It was Ollie Watkins who came in the 58th minute of the match and changed the game. He first scored in the 63rd minute of the match. Ollie Watkins again scored in the 84th minute of the match and gave Aston Villa the lead 2-1 with a few minutes left in the match. Eventually, Chelsea lost the match 2-1 as they could not score further in the match.
We dominated 60, 65 minutes of the game,” said James. “We came out sharp with the way we set up, we got off on the front foot and in the right way.
In the first 60 minutes they didn’t create any chances, and then they get one and the dynamic changes.
We knew they’d make substitutions and the shape changed slightly but it was nothing we shouldn’t have been able to deal with. We understand the style and the way they want to play. We have ourselves to blame.
Second half one or two moments changed the game. They picked up momentum. It was two slight errors from us and we got punished. This is why it’s the toughest league in the world. It’s always disappointing to lose at home.
Reece James, who is the captain of the Chelsea team, spoke about how the players did not manage the game, and small errors cost them the match. He also added that you can’t make errors, as a small error will also be punished. Reece further added, this is the reason why it is called the toughest league in the world.
