Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins scored his first Premier League goal of the season to pile more misery on 10-man Chelsea and head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Villa’s jubilant supporters sang “you’re getting sacked in the morning” and while Pochettino does not need to worry about his job just yet, his problems are piling up.
Chelsea were booed off for the second League game in succession and Pochettino’s team have now failed to score in any of their last three games.
Chelsea defender Malo Gusto was sent-off for a wild lunge into Lucas Digne near the touchline and striker Nicolas Jackson collected his fifth booking of the season.
It means Gusto and Jackson will be suspended for the trip to Fulham, with Pochettino and Chelsea now in desperate need of points.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made excellent saves from Digne and Nicolo Zaniolo in the first half, while Chelsea saw a Axel Disasi header disallowed and Emi Martinez saved well from Jackson.
But the game turned in Villa’s favour in the 55th minute, when Chelsea - not for the first time this season - shot themselves in the foot.
Gusto sent Digne tumbling near the touchline and referee Jarred Gillett initially booked the right-back. But Gillett was sent to the monitor by the Video Assistant Referee and decided to change the yellow card to a red.
The sending off immediately put Chelsea on the back foot and it was no surprise when Villa went ahead in the 73rd minute, although Pochettino will be furious it essentially came from a home corner.
Villa captain John McGinn got the ball in a tight spot deep in his own half and tried to play it to Moussa Diaby. He should have been dealt with by Thiago Silva, but the Frenchman got the better of the defender and raced into the Chelsea half.
Diaby played in Watkins, who ran at Levi Colwill, who blocked his first shot but the Villa striker brilliantly sent his second effort past Sanchez and into the net.
Chelsea responded well to going behind, despite being a man down, and Martinez quickly had to save from Ben Chilwell. Disasi also lashed a shot wide of the goal.
But Villa held on and this proved to be yet another embarrassing afternoon for Chelsea in front of their own supporters.
