Aston Villa face a tough challenge at Chelsea on Saturday after muscling their way into the Premier League title race alongside Arsenal and Manchester City. AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the festive action:Rogers spearheads Villa chargeUnai Emery‘s third-placed Villa are still considered rank outsiders for the Premier League title even though they are just three points behind leaders Arsenal. Rogers’ seven Premier League goals this season have come from just 2.86 expected goals — a metric used to determine how likely a player is to convert a chance. Slot has steadied the ship at Anfield after a shocking run of six defeats in seven Premier League matches that left Liverpool’s title defence in tatters. The summer signing has netted eight times in the Premier League — twice the tallies of Salah and Cody Gakpo.

Source: The Guardian December 25, 2025 12:58 UTC