For an hour or so, Diego Costa had the look of a striker who might have been nursing a hamstring problem; one which was preying on his mind, eating away at confidence and preventing him from turning his dial to full power. Then he crashed a header past Villa keeper Brad Guzan to score Chelsea’s second goal — his eighth in seven games this season — created the third for Willian and, with Chelsea’s opponents beaten, left the field to another standing ovation. Jose Mourinho’s team continue to forge ahead at the top of the Premier League. They have won from the front before and are shaping up as if in the mood to do it again. Yet the lingering concerns over Costa’s fitness will stop anyone getting carried away in west London. Chelsea striker burst into life with a crashing header on the hour and was the catalyst for another in his side's comfortable victory at Stamford Bridge . CHELSEA 4-2-3-1: Courtois 6.5; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 5.5, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 6; Fabregas 7, Matic 7; Willian 7.5, Oscar 7 (Mikel 77), Hazard 6 (Schurrle 68, 6); Costa 7 (Remy 81). Subs not used: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Drogba, Remy. Bookings: Cahill, Fabregas. Manager: Jose Mourinho 7. ASTON VILLA 4-5-1: Guzan 6.5; Hutton 6, Senderos 6, Baker 6, Cissokho 6; Richardson 6 (Bent 69, 5), Cleverley 6.5, Westwood 6.5, Delph 7, Weimann 5 (N’Zogbia 69, 5); Agbolahor 7. Subs not used: Given, Clark, Bacuna, Sanchez, Grealish. Bookings: Cleverley, Senderos . Manager: Paul Lambert 6 . Without him, they lose their cold spearhead. While he is fit and tormenting centre-halves they seem well-armed to charge clear. Loic Remy replaced Costa for the last 10 minutes, as Mourinho turned his thoughts to Tuesday’s game against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and wondered whether he can risk him from the start in Portugal. Mourinho’s team remain unbeaten this season. They have dropped only two points from six games. After Sporting, they play Arsenal at home and Mourinho knows his striker must be handled with extreme care. ‘He is doing almost nothing [between games],’ said Mourinho. ‘He’s just resting and recovering from the tight muscle he has every time he accumulates fatigue. I hope he goes home after this game and sleeps until tomorrow morning. ‘He cannot be at the top of his game but even so, scoring a goal is good for his confidence.’ ‘If he doesn’t go to the national team, and stays here for 15 days of treatment, he has the perfect chance to be top for Chelsea and top for national team. We can’t do anything. I can’t speak to the Spain manager.’ If there was any cause for complaint yesterday, it might have been that the manager would have liked the points to be secure sooner, especially as it had started so well, when Oscar fired in a seventh-minute opener, a goal owing everything to the persistence of Willian. Branislav Ivanovic slid a pass to the latter, who forced Guzan into a save but the rebound spilled kindly to Willian, who spotted Oscar unmarked. From seven yards, Oscar swept in his first Premier League goal of the season. Willian went close soon after but the visitors responded. Chelsea forward Oscar points someone out in the Stamford Bridge crowd after scoring the opener against Aston Villa . Oscar met the loose ball parried down by Villa keeper Brad Guzan to slot home and give the hosts an expected lead . Willian's strike wasn't handled by the American keeper (left) and Oscar was on hand to make no mistake . Brazilian Oscar shows his love for the home crowd as they erupt following his goal . Oscar is congratulated by his countryman Willian (right) and Diego Costa (left) after he found the back of the net . Spanish striker  Costa (centre) shows his strength under pressure from Villa's Alan Hutton (right) and Philippe Senderos (left) Celebrity Chelsea fans David Walliams (left) and Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson takes in the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge . Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor shoots to no avail against Chelsea . Aly Cissokho almost turned a shot on target when Chelsea failed to clear a corner and Gary Cahill was booked for tripping Gabriel Agbonlahor after being turned and left on the turf by the Villa striker. It was the home team, however, who dominated both in terms of possession and unconverted chances, defied as they were by wasteful finishing, solid defending and good goalkeeping. For almost an hour Costa had lacked some of his usual menace. Twice, either side of half time, he was found in front of goal and twice Guzan saved without fuss. The sequence ended in the 59th minute. Cesar Azpilicueta delivered the cross from the left, clipped towards the near post for Costa, who climbed above Nathan Baker and this time beat Guzan for power. This was the goal to sink Villa. They had set up to play on the counter-attack and there was plenty to admire about their spirit and energy. Fabian Delph impressed in an English midfield trio with Ashley Westwood and Tom Cleverley and almost equalised in the second half with a shot from distance. ‘If you told me we would take three points from Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, I would probably have taken it,’ said Villa manager Paul Lambert. ‘It’s tough and we’re up against Manchester City next. ’ Despite the quality of the opposition, it is back-to-back 3-0 defeats for Villa and their 1-0 win at Anfield on September 13 loses its gloss with each subsequent game Liverpool fail to win. Villa are still without captain Ron Vlaar and striker Christian Benteke and a positive start to the campaign has taken a turn for the worse since the club was struck by a virus last week. And yesterday Lambert was left to reflect on chances not taken when they trailed 1-0; Baker headed a good one over from a free-kick and Lambert said: ‘When you get a chance you have to score. It’s hard to come here at the best of times. Chelsea will be close to winning the title and the Champions League.’ By the end, however, Villa had managed only one shot on target and Thibaut Courtois celebrated his second clean sheet of the season. Chelsea pressed on after the second goal. Cissokho recovered well to clear off his own line from Oscar but Willian then grabbed the goal his performance deserved by scoring from Costa’s rebound. This was enough for Mourinho. With a three-goal lead, off came Costa to be wrapped in cotton wool. Like our MailOnline Sport Facebook page. Costa rises above Villa's Nathan Baker to head home Chelsea's second goal . A flying Guzan (right) is helpless as Costa's header crashes into the net for 2-0 . Costa needs no second invitation to finish from close range . Willian jumps on Costa's back as Chelsea celebrate their second goal . Willian was outstanding throughout, wreaking havoc on the Aston Villa defence . Brazil star Willian was rewarded for his good work with a 79th minute tap-in for 3-0 . Willian buries his simple chance in the back on Guzan's net . The midfielder had every reason to smile after a productive day out at Stamford Bridge .
Oscar scored in the seventh minute for Chelsea after Aston Villa keeper Brad Guzan's parry .
Diego Costa doubled the lead on the hour mark heading home from eight yards .
Willian put the result beyond doubt with the third from a tap in after 79 minutes .
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was in charge of his 250th match with Chelsea .
Oscar's goal was the first conceded by Villa away from home this season .
For an hour or so, Diego Costa had the look of a striker who might have been nursing a hamstring problem; one which was preying on his mind, eating away at confidence and preventing him from turning his dial to full power. Then he crashed a header past Villa keeper Brad Guzan to score Chelsea’s second goal — his eighth in seven games this season — created the third for Willian and, with Chelsea’s opponents beaten, left the field to another standing ovation. Jose Mourinho’s team continue to forge ahead at the top of the Premier League. They have won from the front before and are shaping up as if in the mood to do it again. Yet the lingering concerns over Costa’s fitness will stop anyone getting carried away in west London. Chelsea striker burst into life with a crashing header on the hour and was the catalyst for another in his side's comfortable victory at Stamford Bridge . CHELSEA 4-2-3-1: Courtois 6.5; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 5.5, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 6; Fabregas 7, Matic 7; Willian 7.5, Oscar 7 (Mikel 77), Hazard 6 (Schurrle 68, 6); Costa 7 (Remy 81). Subs not used: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Drogba, Remy. Bookings: Cahill, Fabregas. Manager: Jose Mourinho 7. ASTON VILLA 4-5-1: Guzan 6.5; Hutton 6, Senderos 6, Baker 6, Cissokho 6; Richardson 6 (Bent 69, 5), Cleverley 6.5, Westwood 6.5, Delph 7, Weimann 5 (N’Zogbia 69, 5); Agbolahor 7. Subs not used: Given, Clark, Bacuna, Sanchez, Grealish. Bookings: Cleverley, Senderos . Manager: Paul Lambert 6 . Without him, they lose their cold spearhead. While he is fit and tormenting centre-halves they seem well-armed to charge clear. Loic Remy replaced Costa for the last 10 minutes, as Mourinho turned his thoughts to Tuesday’s game against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and wondered whether he can risk him from the start in Portugal. Mourinho’s team remain unbeaten this season. They have dropped only two points from six games. After Sporting, they play Arsenal at home and Mourinho knows his striker must be handled with extreme care. ‘He is doing almost nothing [between games],’ said Mourinho. ‘He’s just resting and recovering from the tight muscle he has every time he accumulates fatigue. I hope he goes home after this game and sleeps until tomorrow morning. ‘He cannot be at the top of his game but even so, scoring a goal is good for his confidence.’ ‘If he doesn’t go to the national team, and stays here for 15 days of treatment, he has the perfect chance to be top for Chelsea and top for national team. We can’t do anything. I can’t speak to the Spain manager.’ If there was any cause for complaint yesterday, it might have been that the manager would have liked the points to be secure sooner, especially as it had started so well, when Oscar fired in a seventh-minute opener, a goal owing everything to the persistence of Willian. Branislav Ivanovic slid a pass to the latter, who forced Guzan into a save but the rebound spilled kindly to Willian, who spotted Oscar unmarked. From seven yards, Oscar swept in his first Premier League goal of the season. Willian went close soon after but the visitors responded. Chelsea forward Oscar points someone out in the Stamford Bridge crowd after scoring the opener against Aston Villa . Oscar met the loose ball parried down by Villa keeper Brad Guzan to slot home and give the hosts an expected lead . Willian's strike wasn't handled by the American keeper (left) and Oscar was on hand to make no mistake . Brazilian Oscar shows his love for the home crowd as they erupt following his goal . Oscar is congratulated by his countryman Willian (right) and Diego Costa (left) after he found the back of the net . Spanish striker  Costa (centre) shows his strength under pressure from Villa's Alan Hutton (right) and Philippe Senderos (left) Celebrity Chelsea fans David Walliams (left) and Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson takes in the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge . Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor shoots to no avail against Chelsea . Aly Cissokho almost turned a shot on target when Chelsea failed to clear a corner and Gary Cahill was booked for tripping Gabriel Agbonlahor after being turned and left on the turf by the Villa striker. It was the home team, however, who dominated both in terms of possession and unconverted chances, defied as they were by wasteful finishing, solid defending and good goalkeeping. For almost an hour Costa had lacked some of his usual menace. Twice, either side of half time, he was found in front of goal and twice Guzan saved without fuss. The sequence ended in the 59th minute. Cesar Azpilicueta delivered the cross from the left, clipped towards the near post for Costa, who climbed above Nathan Baker and this time beat Guzan for power. This was the goal to sink Villa. They had set up to play on the counter-attack and there was plenty to admire about their spirit and energy. Fabian Delph impressed in an English midfield trio with Ashley Westwood and Tom Cleverley and almost equalised in the second half with a shot from distance. ‘If you told me we would take three points from Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, I would probably have taken it,’ said Villa manager Paul Lambert. ‘It’s tough and we’re up against Manchester City next. ’ Despite the quality of the opposition, it is back-to-back 3-0 defeats for Villa and their 1-0 win at Anfield on September 13 loses its gloss with each subsequent game Liverpool fail to win. Villa are still without captain Ron Vlaar and striker Christian Benteke and a positive start to the campaign has taken a turn for the worse since the club was struck by a virus last week. And yesterday Lambert was left to reflect on chances not taken when they trailed 1-0; Baker headed a good one over from a free-kick and Lambert said: ‘When you get a chance you have to score. It’s hard to come here at the best of times. Chelsea will be close to winning the title and the Champions League.’ By the end, however, Villa had managed only one shot on target and Thibaut Courtois celebrated his second clean sheet of the season. Chelsea pressed on after the second goal. Cissokho recovered well to clear off his own line from Oscar but Willian then grabbed the goal his performance deserved by scoring from Costa’s rebound. This was enough for Mourinho. With a three-goal lead, off came Costa to be wrapped in cotton wool. Like our MailOnline Sport Facebook page. Costa rises above Villa's Nathan Baker to head home Chelsea's second goal . A flying Guzan (right) is helpless as Costa's header crashes into the net for 2-0 . Costa needs no second invitation to finish from close range . Willian jumps on Costa's back as Chelsea celebrate their second goal . Willian was outstanding throughout, wreaking havoc on the Aston Villa defence . Brazil star Willian was rewarded for his good work with a 79th minute tap-in for 3-0 . Willian buries his simple chance in the back on Guzan's net . The midfielder had every reason to smile after a productive day out at Stamford Bridge .
header past Villa keeper Brad Guzan to score this season — created the third for Willian and, crashing header on the hour and was the catalyst Oscar swept in his first Premier League goal of scoring the opener against Aston Villa . Oscar his countryman Willian (right) and Diego Costa season. Chelsea pressed on after the second goal. performance deserved by scoring from Costa’s work with a 79th minute tap-in for 3-0 . Willian buries his simple chance in the back on Guzan's