Qudus SalihuDan is a Football Writer for GIVEMESPORT, particularly focusing on Premier League football content, having
started his career with the GIVEMESPORT academy in late 2020 during his
University studies and has now worked his way up to a freelance role in
April 2023.
Having previously worked and produced a variety of written content for Eurosport, 90min and UtdDistrict, Dan now works across the GMS site producing News and Feature content. He has also worked with the Exclusives team.
Dan graduated from the University of Winchester in 2020 with a degree in
Sport and Exercise Science and stayed on to complete his MRes in Sport
and Exercise, which finished in 2021.
Chelsea are reportedly set to launch an investigation into a bottle being thrown towards the Aston Villa bench following Saturday night’s clash, which ended 2-1 in favour of Unai Emery’s men after an Ollie Watkins double off the bench, between the two Premier League sides. Enzo Maresca’s Blues have won just one of their last six Premier League
matches after dropping points on the weekend. Joao Pedro opened the
scoring in the 37th after Reece James’ corner into a congested six-yard
box caused utter chaos. The Brazilian got the final touch.
Maresca, spotted in the stands serving a one-match suspension, would
have rued his side missing a host of chances to extend their lead after Watkins bagged twice – in the 63rd and 84th minute – to complete a statement comeback for Villa, who remain third in the table.
Chelsea Set to Launch Investigation Following 2-1 Loss to Aston Villa
A 2-1 defeat on home soil now leaves Maresca’s Chelsea
languishing down in fifth, just three points adrift of reigning
champions Liverpool, whose gritty 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers
jumped them up into the top four. Villa, as mentioned, continued on
their upwards trajectory. Tempers flared on several occasions
across the west London encounter but none more when Stuart Attwell blew
his whistle for the last time. The players, elated, celebrated with one
another as they picked up a club-record 11th win on the bounce – but
there were issues on the side of the pitch. Once the full-time whistle was blown and Villa had picked up all three points in the west of the capital, The Telegraph have reported that a plastic bottle was chucked towards the away team dugout. Villa staff and substitutes were, as a result, showered in water. With
emotions running high, it has been reported that one figure from the
away bench even signalled the direction the bottle came from. It
appeared to be tossed from the side of the Chelsea dugout, but there was
no confirmation of where exactly it was thrown from. There are photos (as seen below), however, that clearly capture the moment the bottle flew through the air and towards those on the Villa bench.
The report states that Chelsea will do all they can to co-operate
with their Villa counterparts to find out exactly where the bottle was
thrown from, while they are also keen to track down the identity of who
threw it. They are yet to comment on the incident but have reportedly
taken a dim view. Whether the bottle-throwing incident was
included in referee Stuart Attwell’s post-match report remains to be
seen, but Stamford Bridge’s CCTV set-up is likely to be reviewed as a
way of finding out what actually happened upon the full-time whistle.
Emery On Whether Villa are Premier League Title Contenders
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal
remain at the top of the Premier League and Manchester City are also
keeping pace on their rivals – but Villa are proving why they deserve to
be in the title-winning conversation, too. Boss Emery believes it’s far
too early to suggest that his side can win the title come May 2026.
“Not really,” he said when asked whether Villa can lift the trophy.
“I am feeling that we are competing for Europe, not
competing in the league with Manchester City and Arsenal. We have played
18 matches and have 20 to play.
“Teams like Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United – we must
compete with them. We must be consistent over 38 matches,” Emery
continued as he didn’t address the bottle-throwing antics in his
post-match interview, instead focusing on what was a statement victory
on away soil.
Related
Supercomputer Predicts 2025-26 Premier League Table in Full
The Premier League table could look very different in some key areas by the time May rolls around.
Up next for the Spaniard is perhaps their biggest test yet: he and
his side are to visit the Emirates Stadium to face his former side, the
Gunners, on Tuesday 30 December. Looking to round off a rather brilliant
2025, Villa will be wishing to extend their winning streak.
Qudus Salihu
Rabiu Aminu
