“Chelsea ruin my prediction” “I won’t gamble anymore” – Arsenal legend swallow his pride after predicting Chelsea will lose against Villa
Paul Merson has come out and swallowed the bitter pill after Chelsea made a mockery of his prediction for their FA Cup fourth-round replay with Aston Villa.
The Arsenal legend had tipped Villa to secure a spot in the FA Cup fifth round with a win against the Blues on Wednesday night.
He wrote for Sky Sports ahead of the game at Villa Park: “It was bad against Liverpool but it got worse against Wolves. Losing 4-2 at home – no disrespect to Wolves – is not acceptable for Chelsea.
“I don’t give Chelsea a chance on Wednesday night, not even a chance. That can’t be right. When was the last time I ever said that as a Chelsea fan?
“It was only a few years ago that the other team would have no chance against Chelsea. Everyone would be surprised if they won that game.”
Merson’s prediction however, didn’t go as expected, as Chelsea smashed Villa 3-1 to dump them out of the competition, and the pundit has now come out to eat his own words in a post-match comment on X.
He posted via his account on Thursday: “What a result, Chelsea. Didn’t see that coming at all…that’s why I don’t gamble anymore.”
Chelsea’s display against Villa has been described by many as arguably their best this season, and we can only hope they carry the same energy and competitive level into the rest of the campaign.