Chelsea climbed to third in the Premier League standings with a commanding 3-0 victory over Aston Villa, courtesy of goals from Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Fernández, and Cole Palmer.

Enzo Maresca’s side started energetically and took the lead in the seventh minute when Jackson’s precise strike deflected in off the post. Villa, winless in their last seven matches across all competitions, nearly equalized eight minutes later. Ollie Watkins broke free from his marker but couldn’t muster enough power to beat Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.

Chelsea dominated the first half and doubled their advantage in the 36th minute. Enzo Fernández executed a slick one-two with Palmer before finding the bottom corner with a clinical finish. Just before the break, Watkins had another chance to bring Villa back into the game, only for Sánchez to deny him again.

The second half saw Chelsea in full control, comfortably managing the game. Cole Palmer sealed the victory in style with a sensational strike from outside the box, curling the ball into the top corner to cap a dominant display.

Remarkably, Chelsea and second-placed Arsenal are level on all table metrics after 13 matches, with the Blues sitting just behind their London rivals on alphabetical order.

Next up, Chelsea will aim to extend their unbeaten run when they travel to Southampton on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Aston Villa will seek to end their winless streak in a clash against Brentford the same evening.