Liam Rosenior reveals exactly what he thinks about Joao Pedro scoring 'tap-ins' as Chelsea star's hat-trick keeps Champions League dream alive

Villa stunned Chelsea with a quick opening goal from Douglas Luiz, but the Blues steadily took control of the match. Joao Pedro equalised with a simple finish on the half-hour mark, and after a narrow VAR offside call denied the home side a second goal, Pedro struck again deep in first-half stoppage time to snatch the lead. Chelsea dominated the second half, with Cole Palmer smashing in a rebound before helping to dismantle Villa's high defensive line, allowing Alejandro Garnacho to unselfishly set up Pedro for his hat-trick to cap off a decisive comeback victory.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Joao Pedro, who has now collected 14 goals in the Premier League. Rosenior was quick to highlight the significance of the striker's opportunistic positioning for his first and third goals. "Yeah, he's a top player. I think he's grown in confidence. I think his hold-up play, the energy he puts into the team in terms of his press, his movement, his goal with the left foot is world-class. The finish is magnificent. But actually, I'm really, really delighted with his two tap-ins that he got. He was in the right place at the right time. We worked hard with him on that, but he gets the hat-trick," the boss said after the final whistle.

One of the main talking points of the night wasn't just the scoreline, but a specific piece of apparent gamesmanship from the Chelsea players. Before the start of each half, the Blues engaged in a team huddle at the centre circle that seemed to get under the skin of the home side. Rosenior admitted he was a huge fan of the display, even if it frustrated the opposition. "No, it wasn't [my idea]. The idea came from the players, and I really like it because they're showing unity and togetherness and spirit, and I think you need that," he explained.

Chelsea now sit just three points behind Villa in the race for Europe's elite competition. With momentum building, Rosenior was asked if this result signals a turning point in their pursuit of a top-four finish. He warned his players that this result only matters if they find a level of consistency in the coming weeks. "It's only significant if we back it up. We have to be consistent. We have a massive FA Cup game, then we've got a huge game in Paris, and then we've got another huge game against Newcastle. We just need to back it up and not look at the significance of the games," he concluded.