"It's as simple as that" - Reece James details Chelsea errors in 2-1 Aston Villa loss

Chelsea captain Reece James believes their errors cost them all three points against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. The Englishman said they were punished for both their mistakes, and it shows why the Premier League is the toughest league in the world.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the 2-1 loss, James said that Aston Villa's substitutions also made an impact, as they changed shape. However, he claimed that the Blues should have been able to deal with it and said (via AbsoluteChelsea):

"They made substitutions. The shape maybe changed slightly but nothing we shouldn't be able to deal with. We've played them numerous times and we understand the style and the way they want to play but I think we need to look at ourselves. We wanted to win and we didn't, and we're super disappointed."

Talking about their mistakes, James added:

"Keep the ball out of the net. It's as simple as that. We made one or two errors. One error leads to the corner and the other error leads to Ollie's [Watkins] first goal, so I think we have ourselves to blame. Two errors from us and we got punished. This is the toughest league in the world."

Chelsea have slipped to fifth in the Premier League table with just one win in their last five matches. They are now 13 points behind leaders Arsenal, and three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.

Reece James on Chelsea's performance against Aston Villa

Chelsea defender Reece James admitted they were disappointed after the home loss to Aston Villa, despite dominating for around an hour. He believes that they were sharp from the start, but failed to make the most of their chances and said (via AbsoluteChelsea):

"I think it's always disappointing to lose at home. We dominated 60/65 minutes of the game. The first 60 minutes they didn't create any chances, and then they get one and then the game changes." "I think we came out sharp the way we set up. The way we wanted to play on the front foot in the right way and second half one or two moments changed the game. They picked up momentum and it was difficult."

The Blues restricted Aston Villa to just one shot in the first half, which came from a free kick by John McGinn. They failed to defend well against Ollie Watkins, and the Englishman scored a brace to seal a 2-1 win in the second half.

Edited by Sripad