Reece James reveals who is to blame for Chelsea's collapse to Aston Villa as Blues drop out of Premier League's top four

James' corner initially appeared to fly straight over Emiliano Martinez and into the back of the net. However, replays show that the ball bounced in off Pedro to put the Blues ahead in the first half.

Chelsea were unable to build upon their first half advantage at Stamford Bridge as a second half Ollie Watkins brace saw Villa again come from behind to claim all the spoils and close the gap to league leaders Arsenal to three points. Defeat to Villa means Enzo Maresca's side have won only one of their last six league outings, and they have now dropped out of the Premier League's top four.

And James has revealed that Chelsea "have ourselves to blame" after the Blues failed to capitalise upon home advantage to claim all the spoils on home turf after Unai Emery's second half substitutions left Maresca's men completely stunned.

Speaking after the full time whistle, James said: "We dominated 60, 65 minutes of the game. We came out sharp with the way we set up, we got off on the front foot and in the right way. In the first 60 minutes they didn't create any chances, and then they get one and the dynamic changes.

"We knew they'd make substitutions and the shape changed slightly but it was nothing we shouldn't have been able to deal with. We understand the style and the way they want to play. We have ourselves to blame.

"Second half one or two moments changed the game. They picked up momentum. It was two slight errors from us and we got punished. This is why it's the toughest league in the world. It's always disappointing to lose at home."

The Chelsea captain continued: "Many teams have spells in the season when they're underperforming. We have to keep chipping away game by game. We are fighting every day, we want to get better.

"We have to put this game behind this and look forward because we have another game in a few days (against Bournemouth) which we have to prepare right for, come back and win."

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Victory at Chelsea saw Villa keep pace with the Premier League leaders as they maintained their stunning run of form. The Villans have now won their last eight league matches, and 12 of their last 13 in England's top tier.

It's a far cry from the Villans' dire start to the season. Indeed, Unai Emery oversaw a five-game winless run to kick off the season, a run in which Villa scored just one goal, that in itself a Matty Cash strike against 10-man Sunderland back in September.

Emery, though, insists that while Villa were "worried" about their start to the season, they were not watching the table and instead taking things one game at a time. "We were so so worried three months ago, in August and September," the Spaniard said. "But we were not watching the table, only thinking each match, and through creating our structure strong tactically and working hard."

Chelsea will hope to bounce back from Saturday's defeat to Villa when they welcome Bournemouth to Stamford Bridge in midweek. The Blues and the Cherries played out a 0-0 draw when they met at the Vitality Stadium earlier this month.

Villa, meanwhile, will hope to do the double over Arsenal when they make the trip to the Emirates on Tuesday night. A late Emiliano Buendia strike saw the Villans claim a 2-1 victory over the Gunners at the start of December, and a win for the Midlands side next would see them go level with the Gunners at the top of the Premier League table.