Andre Schurrle reflected on the explosive defeat at Villa Park last season that saw two red cards, Jose Mourinho sent to the stands and Chelsea’s inability to take advantage of their chances.
“It was a battle,” said the World Cup winning German. “We had two players sent off and didn’t get the little bit of luck you need to win these matches.
“There were a lot of fouls. The crowd was very intense and, at the end, we lost it. But we could have won it as well.”
Brazilians Willian and Ramires were dismissed in a bad-tempered finale, as was Blues boss Mourinho for protesting.
Schurrle, speaking at the launch of EA Sports FIFA 15 , came on as a substitute in the 1-0 loss, settled by Fabian Delph’s 82nd-minute goal.
He added: “After the match, everyone was down, no one spoke. It was a hard defeat as we were going for the title and then we had this bad match.”
With Villa visiting Stamford Bridge today, Schurrle added: “So we owe them one. We want to win and to put on a great performance in front of our fans.”
Villa visit Stamford bridge this afternoon sitting in third position and seem to be a better side than last season.
But Schurrle believes Chelsea learnt their lesson from last season where they suffered defeats to Premier League strugglers Villa, Stoke, Crystal Palace and Sunderland. They finished four points behind champions Manchester City.
Chelsea are still unbeaten so far this season with four wins and on draw and Schurrle warns that they are determined to maintain their streak.
He added: “It will be difficult, but we have to. We want to win the league, so we have to keep this killer instinct up.
“We’ve a big squad, with many players who can score goals, who can come in fresh so we can rotate a lot. This is a big plus for us because all of our players can play from the start and can kill games.”
Schurrle was off his game against Bolton on Wednesday, he had a lot of attempts and failed to convert any but his team still went with a win. However, he insists he and striker Diego Costa are hungry to put things right.
“I had a lot of shots against Bolton, but that’s what I want,” he said. “That’s what I need. I’m sure in the next game when I have a shot, the ball will go in.
“I’ve had games like that when I was in the Bundesliga. It’s normal. I wasn’t angry. The most important thing was to win and get through to the next round.
“I was very motivated. I wanted the win so badly. I wanted to perform well.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s the World Cup final or a Capital One Cup match. When I’m on the pitch, I’m always motivated.
“Diego? He is fearless. Seven goals is very good for his first five matches in the Premier League.He wants to win every duel.”