Romelu Lukaku makes instant impact as Chelsea come from behind to win at Aston Villa

• Romelu Lukaku scores first league goal since September and wins penalty after half-time introduction
• Aston Villa rewarded for fast start with Reece James own goal before first of two Chelsea penalties
• Thomas Tuchel's team remain within six points of league leaders Man City

This is what Chelsea spent £97.5million for. Drifting out of the Premier League title race and to yet more dropped December points, the Blues badly needed someone to come to their rescue and Romelu Lukaku did just that.

Make no mistake, anything other than three points at Villa Park would have left Thomas Tuchel’s team with a mountain of epic proportions to climb to catch leaders Manchester City over the second half of the season.

Jorginho might have scored another two penalties to become Chelsea’s top scorer with nine goals, but this fightback from a goal behind against Aston Villa was all about Lukaku, who Tuchel will hope finishes the season top of the club’s scoring chart.

“I needed a performance like this,” said Lukaku. “We are the hunters now. The last results were not the best and now we have to chase. We have to treat every game like a final. Today we won and now we have to push on. We had to win the game.”

Chelsea still look less than convincing and must now sweat over the fitness of Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante, who were both forced off, but Lukaku has kept hope alive at Stamford Bridge – even though Tuchel is worried by the impact the schedule and coronavirus will have on his squad and is angry the Premier League have not reverted to allowing teams to make five substitutions again.

“Five subs was invented because of coronavirus,” said Tuchel. “Europe has a winter break, but we play through and put it on the players' shoulders. They make us play all the time even if we have Covid. We have new injuries and it won’t stop. People at the green table, in offices, make these decisions. He [Lukaku] was a game changer today. I’m super impressed with the guys, but I’m super concerned.”

It was just 11 minutes after being sent on as a second-half substitute, with Chelsea fortunate to be level, that Lukaku netted his first league goal since scoring twice against Villa at Stamford Bridge back in September.

Callum Hudson-Odoi, who like Lukaku had to play for longer than originally planned, also produced a performance that encouraged Tuchel, as the winger, who returned from coronavirus isolation, had a hand in all three of Chelsea’s goals.

Chelsea were horribly off the pace in the first 45 minutes, as Villa were first to most second balls and caused the European champions problems with balls over the top for Ollie Watkins, who, along with Danny Ings, could have got on the scoresheet.

Villa’s opening goal, in the 28th minute, came about thanks to a huge slice of good fortune, but they could argue it was deserved. Matt Targett’s cross skimmed off the top of the head of Reece James and gave Edouard Mendy no chance.