Chelsea coach Graham Potter said Aston Villa made his side suffer as both he and goalscorer Mason Mount paid tribute to Kepa Arrizabalaga s masterful performance in their 2-0 victory.
The Blues kept their unbeaten record under the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss with a Premier League win at Villa Park, secured through Mount s brace.
But the visitors spent long stretches on the ropes, particularly in the first half, by a relentless slew of counter-attacks from Steven Gerrard s side, with Kepa called upon to make a flurry of superb saves.
Having stepped into the starting line-up at the end of Thomas Tuchel s tenure to replace the injured Edouard Mendy, the Spaniard has kept his place amid excellent form, and Potter was quick to hail him as key to their victory.
It was a tough game, Potter told Sky Sports. Aston Villa made us suffer, especially in the first half even though we took the lead. They put us under pressure, and our goalkeeper made some good saves.
It was a world-class performance, especially in the first half. I m really pleased for him. He has had a tough period for us at times, but he contributed to the game.
Mount, whose first finish came from a defensive mistake by Tyrone Mings, with his second a beautiful free-kick, concurred with Potter s assessment.
Kepa was on fire, and his quick saves kept us in the game, he added. He has been brilliant over the last couple of weeks.
Kepa.
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We have to keep pushing and keep winning games – that s our goal to finish as high as we can. Today was not the best performance, and we re not happy with it, but [we have] come away with a 2-0 win.
Mount s double came in front of England manager Gareth Southgate, who was watching at Villa Park but did not get to see World Cup injury doubt Reece James.
Three Lions midfielder Mount acknowledged he had done his chances of making the starting XI for the finals in Qatar no harm, adding: I have to just keep focused on doing well for the club.
We know there s a massive World Cup around the corner, and you want to play as well as you can going into it and hopefully get picked.
Potter also praised his playmaker, adding: We believe in Mason Mount a lot. We love him as a player, and he is a great guy. You can see the influence he has on the team, and he works really hard for us.
