"It is always nice to score and help the team to win. It had been a few games I hadn't scored. I knew the goals would come but I am delighted it has come in a game that helps the team and helps us get the three points.

"The defender did well to block the first shot but then it fell to me and I hit it quite cleanly. I was always feel good, but that first goal is tricky to get.

"We played against a top team in Poland the other day and then it was a quick turnaround. We showed our resilience, kept playing our game.

“We concede goals because we play such a high line it is risky

“But we've got an unbelievable goalkeeper who one versus one is so hard to score against.

"We have such a good squad. We have crucial players out with injuries that we cannot forget about. We just have to keep recovering and keep working hard."

Ollie Watkins.


“We are trying to separate this competition and to be competitive, progressing with the players. We were not competitive in the first two matches playing away against top seven teams like Newcastle and Liverpool. We didn't keep a clean sheet at Legia Warsaw and we were very concerned about the importance of today, keeping a clean sheet through a clean sheet.

"To be strong defensively too, keep possession when we need it. We needed the goalkeeper today, Emi Martinez played very well. We faced the match today trying to do different things.

"Ollie Watkins’ commitment every day is very high. Every day he wants to improve. He wants to work and to help the team. When he is scoring then we are happy for him because he always deserves to score. He is trying to get his objective and target through the team. First is to win and then it is to score. Today we won and he scored. It’s brilliant for the team.

"We needed from him the skill to build up with the goalkeeper and trying to combine with the midfielders. Of course, we are practising a lot, and sometimes it doesn’t work well. We have to be consistent and focusing even when we are not doing well trying to be strong in the structure we want to create. We want to feel strong doing it.

“He works hard every day in practice with his teammates. His commitment to the club is amazing and really, we will need his goals like today. I think his first objective is to try to get his performance to the team, scoring as well helping us. This is the mentality we want.

“Overall I think we are progressing. We changed some players, we had some difficult injuries to Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia. The most important is to create our style and idea as quick as possible with the new players we add as soon as possible.

"To get it every day, we must be consistent defensively and competitive like we were today. Strong at home playing really good and winning a lot of matches, but away we must try to get the same performances. To win here at Chelsea in 90 minutes everything that happened today was something normal.

"To win here is not easy. We could have lost as well. We were very competitive, we felt strong defensively, better than the last matches we played away. This is a step ahead today.

"We have to try to control it better. We are in construction and we have to create this mentality like we showed today. Try to be competitive in each match and face each competition with different players, or objective in each moment.

"Keep the same game plan we were doing and try to improve things because the first half I think we had a good balance. I think we needed more, offensively more, getting in the box more. Then, to keep the same, we were feeling strong, feeling good.

"I tried with the referees, with VAR, to be respectful. When they decided offside, not offside, red card, not red card, then I try to understand."

Unai Emery, post match.


“It was a little bit unlucky.

“How many chances did we have like Aston Villa? They shoot, we block, then they shoot and it touches the post and goes in. For us, how many one v one against Emiliano Martínez.

“We were a little bit unlucky but that happens.

 “But it was unlucky because how many chances did they create? Not many. With 10 men we were forcing them to go back.

[Villa Shots 15 vs. Chelsea Shots 10]
[Villa Shots on Target 7 vs. Chelsea Shots on Target 4]

“That is unlucky. We need to be aware about what is going on but in some way we need to be calm because the team is creating, the team is alive, the team is fighting every single action.


Mauricio Pochettino bends reality Chelsea style.


“I’ve had very good goalkeepers, but really, I think with Emiliano Martinez, I think it’s the best moment I can feel.

“He is a goalkeeper adapting to each tactic we are trying to build. He is being very, very focused trying to defend our back four. He is doing very well.

“Sometimes we needed him to save us and he did it, still being important building our idea and style, trying to be comfortable in the way we are trying to play. He is very important for us because like I told you I think it’s very difficult to find a goalkeeper like him.”

Unai Emery on Emiliano Martinez.