Chelsea FC mdifielder Nemanja Matic hailed the importance of the Blues’ 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League title race. The Blues came in to the weekend with a 5-point lead over Manchester City in second place. After all was said and done, Chelsea ended the weekend with a 7-point lead courtesy of City’s surprising draw with Hull City.
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Matic, as quoted in The Mirror, said: “This is a big, important win. Last season we lost here 1-0 so we are very happy for these three points. City drew and that’s good for us. We could look back at the end of the season and this could be one of the big days. Winning these kinds of games – maybe it is one that is decisive in winning the title.The gap is only seven points and because City is a good team they will fight to the end.””
This same fixture last season was an absolute disaster for Chelsea as they lost 1-0 to Aston Villa courtesy of a wonder goal from Fabian Delph. That same match saw Willian sent off unjustly and Ramires given a straight red for a stamp on Delph late in the match.
Jose Mourinho himself was sent to the stands for being on the field during Ramires’s dismissal. It lead to a big hoodoo over nothing after Mourinho spoke ill of the referee after the match and was subsequently fined by the FA.
Mourinho has also never won a match at Villa Park in the Premier League but Nemanja Matic and his teammates made sure that streak would come to an end. Matic did not find himself on the score sheet but he was key in neutralizing an Aston Villa attack that is not prolific but can be very physical.
The match was also tough because of the circumstances surrounding it. The Blues were without Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa against a defense that they knew would be compact. This was the type of match that last season would have ended 0-0 or even 1-0 to the opposition because the Blues simply could not break down a compact defense.
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This time around Chelsea had an early lead, let it slip through a soft goal, but came back to fight to take the lead and win. It was the type of match that the best teams have win even when they are not having a great day on the pitch and the Blues did just that. The clash at Villa Park may not have gotten the media coverage that the match against Manchester City did but it could prove to be equally as important when the title race is over.