Marcus Rashford, who is on loan from Manchester United, came on as a substitute and helped Aston Villa pull off a 2-1 comeback victory.
Pedro Neto’s superb cross was tapped in by Enzo Fernandes to give Chelsea the lead in the first half.
During the half, Unai Emery pushed Rashford into the action because Villa was behind, and the United star did not let him down.
Rashford picked up a ball from Matty Cash just before the hour, then squared it for Marco Asensio, another January addition, who was able to pull it out from beneath his feet and poke it over the line.
Villa persisted in pressing, with Rashford entering hazardous zones and wreaking mayhem. Villa was given a corner and went short with less than three minutes of regular time remaining. Rashford selected an unmarked Asensio with skill. Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen let the Spaniard’s effort slither beneath his body.
Even though Asensio will surely make headlines after scoring two goals, Rashford was the catalyst that gave Villa a boost. When he slipped in Donyell Malen, he had another chance to help, but Jörgensen stopped the resulting attempt.
Rashford touched the ball 27 times and completed 15 of his 16 passes, finding his teammates in addition to his two assists. He just missed one pass. He made three crucial passes.
He started four dribbles and finished two of them. Rashford attempted two efforts as well, but both were blocked.
Both of Asensio’s goals came from two excellent chances that the Carrington academy graduate generated. In addition, he prevailed in two of his four ground fights.