Mauricio Pochettino admits Chelsea need to ‘grow up’ after defeat by Aston Villa… with the Blues left to count the cost of Malo Gusto’s red card for a poor challenge on Lucas Digne

• Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa: Blues lose for a THIRD time in the Premier League 
• Ollie Watkins scored on the counter after Malo Gusto was sent off for the Blues 
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Mauricio Pochettino admitted his Chelsea side need to grow up after they slumped to a third league defeat of the season.

Malo Gusto picked up an avoidable red card after a tackle on Lucas Digne on the halfway line and will now be banned for three games.

Striker Nicolas Jackson will also serve a one-game ban after being shown his fifth yellow card of the campaign already, just six league games in.

Villa took full advantage of Chelsea being down to 10 men when Ollie Watkins ran through to score the second-half winner for Unai Emery’s side.

Pochettino said: ‘We were talking that I think we need to grow up like a team, not only in an individual way.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea slumped to a third league defeat of the season on Sunday

Malo Gusto (middle) was sent off in the second half of Sunday’s defeat by Aston Villa

The Chelsea defender saw red for a poorly-timed tackle that caught Lucas Digne on the ankle

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‘Players like Nico that are so young, feeling the Premier League and he is learning I think they need time.

‘In this type of game we’re competing and want to win but also players when they’re young need to learn with experience and make mistakes.

‘We feel disappointed because I think we are paying [in] too many situations like this. Too many things like this, these things, another small detail, another small detail and in the end we are losing the game. We are in a situation that we need to change as soon as possible.’

Pochettino added: ‘After the red card the game changed. With 10 men it’s two different games,’ but Chelsea were booed off once again.

They are languishing in 14th with five points from six games and Pochettino said: ‘Of course they [the owners] are disappointed.

‘They arrived to the club and they are so excited to build some project and of course they feel disappointed but at the same time they need to support the plan.’

Victory ensured Aston Villa bounced back from their Europa Conference League defeat at Legia Warsaw on Thursday and Emery was full of praise for match-winner Ollie Watkins and provided an update on his star striker’s contract talks.

Emery said: ‘He’s working hard every day in practice with his team-mates and he’s committed to the club and with his team-mates is amazing.

‘We will need his goals and his quality. I’m happy for him and for us. His first objective is always his performance for the team and then helping us. This is the good mentality that we want.

Watkins is into the final two years of his current deal and Emery added: ‘I am concerned [about his contract] and we are working on it. We are in touch. We are talking.’

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