Cole Palmer's new girlfriend was spotted at Stamford Bridge watching Chelsea get beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa. Olivia Holder was at the game Saturday, where Palmer got subbed off with 20 minutes left. This comes just after a low-key date at Winter Wonderland, but there wasn't much to celebrate after the loss.

Palmer's new thing

Holder and Palmer reportedly go way back to when they were 17. They first showed up in public together on a fancy vacation last summer. Around Christmas 2025, they were seen at Winter Wonderland—about a year after Palmer took his ex, Connie Grace, there before they broke up last summer. Now, this weekend, she was watching the 23-year-old as Chelsea lost to Villa. Palmer, who used to play for Manchester City, couldn't do much, and he looked ticked off when he got taken out of the game in the 72nd minute.

Coach Enzo Maresca said about that, He was doing great, both with the ball and without it, pressing hard. He was really good. We have another game soon, so it's good he's back and playing well.

Chelsea's foul-up

Chelsea played great for about an hour before Villa turned it around and won. In the first half, Chelsea almost scored twice, while Villa didn't even come close. Maresca said that himself.

Maresca, who watched from the stands because he was suspended after getting three yellow cards, told BBC Match of the Day, "For an hour, until they scored, we were all over them." We were awesome. But after that, things changed. We should have scored two or three more before they tied it up.

In that first hour, you can't say it was about experience. But afterwards, we had problems. Their subs—Watkins, Onana, and Sancho—helped them a bit.

Chelsea's misery, Villa's happiness

Villa's coach, Unai Emery, was happy his team won, especially after how the first half went. Ollie Watkins scored twice, cancelling out Joao Pedro's first goal and pushing Villa's winning streak to 11 games.

Emery said, We stuck to our game plan, but they were amazing in the first half. They had all the control. We couldn't get the ball. We were defending deep and doing okay. They only got one corner, and they scored from it. We had to be passionate and keep fighting. That's what we talked about at halftime. We knew we could play better because they were pushing so hard in the first half.

We were getting better and needed some fresh players with different skills. The guys who came in really made a difference and helped us win.

Villa kills Chelsea's title hopes.

This loss puts Chelsea 13 points behind Arsenal and 10 behind Villa. It looks like Chelsea's out of the title race. Their best bet now is to win a cup and try to get into the Champions League next season.

About Villa's next game against Arsenal, who're leading the league, Emery said, We're going to compete hard. We're not talking about our league goals yet because there are other teams like Liverpool and Chelsea fighting hard for points. We're doing great, winning games, and competing well, but we need to stay aware as we improve.

He said they're not trying to win the title with Arsenal or Manchester City, who are in second place.

There are still 20 games left, he added. It's not over yet.

Chelsea's captain, Reece James, thinks they only have themselves to blame after blowing their lead at halftime and losing 2-1 to Aston Villa.

The Blues were on top in the first half at Stamford Bridge and should've scored more than just João Pedro's goal from James' corner.

Ollie Watkins came off the bench after the break, scoring two goals and shocking the home team. Villa was completely turned around by Unai Emery's subs, catching Chelsea off guard.

We were the better team for 60, 65 minutes, James said. We started strong, setting up the right way and getting on the attack.

They didn't get any chances in the first 60 minutes, and then they got one, and everything changed.

We knew they'd sub players, and the shape would change a bit, but it wasn't something we couldn't handle. We know how they want to play. We can only blame ourselves.

A couple of things in the second half changed the game. They got some energy. We made a couple of small mistakes and paid for them. That's why this league is the toughest. Losing at home is always a letdown.

Chelsea rarely looked this good at home in the first half of this season. Just four minutes in, Cole Palmer controlled the ball well and shot just wide. The England forward also made a strong run, setting up Enzo Fernández, whose shot went past the post.

Pedro got a foot to Pedro Neto's cross, but Emiliano Martínez made a close-range save as Chelsea kept creating chances.

After halftime, John McGinn took the ball from Alejandro Garnacho, and James forced Martinez into a great save. Then Emery made his subs—Watkins, Jadon Sancho, and Amadou Onana—and things changed.

Chelsea now only has one win in their last six Premier League games, dropping from second to fifth.

Lots of teams go through rough patches, James said. We just have to keep trying, game by game. We're fighting every day, trying to get better.

We need to forget this game and concentrate on the next one against Bournemouth in a few days. We have to get ready and come back to win.

Villa's win was their 11th in a row in all competitions and their 12th in 13 league games, keeping them in touch with the top of the Premier League.

Three months ago, they were worried about their poor form after not winning any of their first five league games.

We were very worried three months ago, in August and September, Emery said.

But we weren't looking at the standings; we were just thinking about each game, building a strong structure, and working hard.