'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABjAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQYQAAIBAwMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECBAADEQgiIwUGByFhAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBREAAgICAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMCBAARBRIiUf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A2tzTlHux7Yu91zy86wiBxEi8RADgrlD624NWbelLjTHkDra7RtWNGVR8AC0pVavyl6tEFTjHsDvQH3DNQlh9QB1n/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chelsea suffered a 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa and moved out of the top 10 of the Premier League table on Saturday, April 1. Fans on Twitter were outraged by the Blues' performance at Stamford Bridge.
Ollie Watkins gave the Villains the lead in the 18th minute. Mykhaylo Mudryk had a golden chance to equalize soon after, but the Ukrainian's weak effort was saved by Emiliano Martinez.
John McGinn added to Villa's lead in the second half, scoring in the 56th minute.
Coming into the contest, the Blues and Villa had identical points tallies. Graham Potter's side were 10th, one place ahead of Villa. With the win, Unai Emery's side climbed up to ninth place while the west Londoners slid down to the 11th spot.
The defeat against Villa means that the Blues have now won only two out of their last five Premier League games. While there have certainly been signs of improvement in recent matches, the recent loss showed that Potter's team are still far from where they want to be.
Here are some of the best reactions from fans Twitter as Chelsea were defeated by Aston Villa in the Premier League:
Paul Merson claimed Chelsea would want to avoid European football next season
Given the Blues' current position in the Premier League, they are highly unlikely to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League unless they win the European competition this season.
Potter's side are still active in the UCL and are set to face defending champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the competition.
They could still secure a UEFA Europa League or a UEFA Conference League spot if their league form improves. However, former Arsenal forward Paul Merson believes it might prove to be counter-productive. He recently told Sky Sports (via Football Daily):
“I think it’s going to get to a stage where they can’t want to get in the Europa Conference [League], surely, Why would you want to get in that on Thursday nights? Chelsea have got a squad together to go and try to win the Premier League, not play on Thursday nights in Magaluf.”
The Blues' have a tough fixture up next as they host Liverpool in a Premier League showdown on Tuesday, April 4.
