"As these teams emerged for kick-off, the Holte End displayed a tifo proudly flaunting Aston Villa's hand, chiefly an ace of clubs. By the end, however, they rued a damaging defeat after Chelsea roused from being behind to dismantle Unai Emery's side and canter to victory, Joao Pedro scoring a hat-trick to make it 17 goals for the season in all competitions."
"The Brazilian, a 55m buy from Brighton last summer, was in the mood for a fourth and tried his luck with an overhead-kick, while the Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez prevented Alejandro Garnacho from adding a fifth late on. For Villa and their grand aspirations, it was a sobering evening."
"When Joao Pedro exhibited his anime face-mask goal celebration for the final time, every outfield Chelsea player joined the party in front of the away fans, while many in the home end headed for the exits. It was fitting that Enzo Fernandez pretended to polish the forward's boot after his second."
Aston Villa took an early lead through Douglas Luiz but Chelsea mounted a dramatic comeback to win 4-1. Joao Pedro, Chelsea's Brazilian forward signed from Brighton for £55 million, scored three goals and demonstrated his anime face-mask celebration multiple times. Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior made tactical changes, dropping goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after Arsenal's defeat. Despite Villa's initial dominance and early goal, they appeared overwhelmed by the occasion and failed to maintain their advantage. The loss marked a significant setback for Villa's title aspirations, extending their poor home form to one win in five league matches.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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