Are Aston Villa in Premier League title race after win at Chelsea?

Emery may deflect title talk, but his work at Villa and the Midas touch he has displayed (match winner Watkins described his manager as a “tactical genius”) mean they are now at the heart of the conversation at the top of the table.

Villa’s acid test may come in their next match, when they face league leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday 30 December (20:15 GMT), but Emery has made a habit of making life difficult for his former club.

He ticked all the boxes for an elite manager, leading Villa to the Champions League last season, but missed out on this term’s competition on the final day of last season, now leaving them just three points off the top of the table and just one point behind Manchester City.

Another important figure is that Villa’s win means they are 10 points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea; Having failed to win any of their first five league games, they would gratefully accept this position.

Emery proved his pedigree by sparking a stuttering Villa display on the hour mark after Joao Pedro’s messy 37th-minute goal; The striker touched down Reece James’ corner in a tackle.

At a time when Villa were getting nowhere but the game was in the balance, Emery sent on Watkins, Amadou Onana and Jadon Sancho instead of Donyell Malen, John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia.

The impact was stunning, Watkins equalizing inside four minutes and then heading in for the winner.

Emery did what the best managers do; He made big decisions that turned the game around, which appeared to be slipping away from Villa.