For the second visit running Aston Villa came to Stamford Bridge and their fans were able to crow about the opposition manager getting sacked in the morning.
Last season they were pretty much right, Graham Potter losing his job 24 hours after an April defeat to Unai Emery‘ side proved the final straw for the Chelsea hierarchy.
Just six league games into this new season, Pochettino might already have an idea how Potter felt after almost seven months when his reign came to an abrupt end, with a good idea about the difficulties his predecessor faced and scale of the task that is getting Chelsea back on track.
The change in the dugout and overhaul of the squad has yet to produce different results.
Chelsea have won just twice in the league since Potter’s departure – once under caretaker Frank Lampard and once under Pochettino.
Ollie Watkins (middle) scored the only goal during Aston Villa’s 1-0 win against Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino’s (pictured) side have not won in their last three league outings having also not scored in any of those games too
Malo Gusto (middle) was sent off in the second half after VAR overturned he had a yellow card upgraded to a red by VAR
And from this latest failure against Villa – both to win and score for the third game running – the result was not the only source of more frustration for Chelsea and their head coach.
They ended with 10 men after right back Malo Gusto was sent off in debatable fashion, winning the ball in a challenge with Lucas Digne but his follow through landing him in trouble with referee Jarred Gillett.
It will be a three-game ban for him and also a one-game suspension for striker Nicolas Jackson who picked up a fifth needless caution of the season.
None of them have been for fouls and Pochettino’s pep talk on Friday with Jackson about the dangers of getting cheap bookings seemingly fell on deaf ears.
Jackson’s caution against Villa came after he was stood in the way when goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez attempted to take a clearing free-kick.
Both banned players play in positions where Chelsea are not exactly blessed with options right now, adding to Pochettino’s headache.
Watkins’ winner, his first goal of the season, came not long after Chelsea were reduced to 10 men.
But Emery’s side played throughout with the ambition of a side who sensed the points were there for the taking and were duly rewarded.
They had the game’s outstanding players too. Take your pick from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, Ezri Konsa, Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara who were key to Villa claiming their first away league clean sheet of the season.
Mousa Diaby and Nicolo Zaniolo provided the creativity for the visitors and Watkins was clinical ahead of them. He was hardly involved in the game but left the match-winner.
How Pochettino must have looked on with envy as his side failed to win and find the net for the third game running.
In fact they have not scored in 13 Premier League games in 2023, more than any other team.
They will surely beat their record in 1995 which contained 14 blanks.
Things are especially bad at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea have won just three times in the league this year.
They were booed off once again at full time. Some of those lemons that Pochettino has in his training ground office to get rid of negativity are needed here too.
The referee Jarred Gillett awarded the sanction for a dangerous tackle on Lucas Digne (right)
Watkins (pictured) scored soon after, having his first attempt blocked before striking home from a tight angle
It means the Blues now drop to 14th in the league table after a poor start to the season
Unai Emery’s (pictured) side meanwhile move to sixth in the table, having lost two games this season while winning four
Martinez was a big reason why Chelsea ended goalless again but his opposite number Robert Sanchez was equally busy.
Sanchez produced two acrobatic stops to keep out brilliantly struck, first-half volleys from Digne and Zaniolo.
Martinez spread himself well to deny Jackson one-on-one in the first half and then Raheem Sterling in similar fashion after the restart.
Then came the six minutes of ill-discipline that cost Chelsea against Villa and will do in the coming weeks, Jackson being cautioned and Gusto seeing red.
Efforts from Zaniolo and Moussa Diaby were the first indicators that Villa were beginning to take advantage of having one man more though Chelsea were still a threat.
But seconds after a Ben Chilwell cross went begging, Villa broke Thiago Silva failed to cut out John McGinn’s clearance and Diaby sent Watkins away to fire past Sanchez at the second attempt.
Sanchez later denied Jacob Ramsey a second for Villa with another flying stop and Villa were equally indebted to Martinez, with a save from Chilwell, and Konsa, whose brilliant block frustrated Cole Palmer, for helping them over the line.
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