Kepa Arrizabalaga's performance against Aston Villa was 'WORLD class'

Graham Potter praised Kepa Arrizabalaga after the Chelsea goalkeeper put in a match-winning performance away at Aston Villa.

Deputising in place of the injured Edouard Mendy, Kepa made a series of crucial saves as Chelsea extended their unbeaten start to life under Potter.

Speaking after the win, which took Chelsea up to fourth and left Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa staring further into the abyss, Potter praised his goalkeeper and said that he was 'pleased for him' after a tough period in which he lost the number one shirt to Mendy.

Following a series of high profile errors, Kepa lost his place to Mendy under Thomas Tuchel despite Chelsea having made him the most expensive goalkeeper of all time in the summer of 2018 when they signed him for £71m from Athletic Bilbao.

'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,' he told Sky Sports.

'It was a tough game. 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,' he added.

'It's important coming back from the Champions League game to respond. Am delighted for the players and it's a big three points for us. They have good players, the crowd gets involved in the game.

'Results are important and it's relentless, that's how we have to manage the players and the squad.'

Meanwhile, Mason Mount, who scored his first league goals of the season, was singled out for praise by his manager who credited his 'influence' on the team with e ensuring Chelsea came through the tough test.

'We believe in Mason Mount a lot. We love him as a player and he is a great guy,' he said.

'You can see the influence he has on the team and he works really hard for us.'

The win at Villa Park means Chelsea remain unbeaten under Potter across all competitions, with the club seemingly on a more assured footing than in the last days of Thomas Tuchel.

Having taken the largely unpopular decision at the start of September, co-owner Todd Boehly has seen an upturn in the team's fortunes under his manager with Potter getting the best out of a number of previously misfiring stars.