Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca was confined to the stands serving a suspension, and this was a spectacle that would have made for disappointing viewing for the Italian. All was progressing smoothly for an hour, Chelsea’s superiority helped by a desperately lack-lustre Aston Villa performance until opposite number Unai Emery put his stamp on proceedings. For all Chelsea’s dominance, Villa keeper Emi Martinez was hardly over-worked, Maresca’s team running out of steam badly in the final half hour.
