“I try to base my free-kicks on [Cristiano] Ronaldo,” says a young Mason Mount in a video recorded during his time in the Chelsea academy, his long hair flowing in the wind on one of the training pitches at Cobham. “Hit the ball by the valve and it moves. That’s all you do."
You've probably seen the clip recorded several years ago by the Blues' in-house media. But for those that haven't, Mount then proceeds to expertly fire a free-kick over his pre-teenage teammates in the youth ranks and into the top corner. It is the perfect dead-ball strike.
Plenty has changed in the years since. Mount has risen through the academy ranks, been to Vitesse and Derby County on loan, come back and established himself in the Chelsea first-team, and become a Champions League winner in the process. He has also proved himself to be one of the finest players in the Premier League.
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What hasn't changed is the free-kick technique. That remains the same – although it is showcased on a surprisingly infrequent basis by Mount. Yet this afternoon at Villa Park, with Chelsea struggling to contain a spritely Aston Villa side, Mount produced a throwback moment to take the game away from the hosts.
It was just after the hour mark that Mount escaped pressure and nudged the ball beyond Tyrone Mings, who fouled the 23-year-old around 25 yards from goal. In years past, Mount would have been battling against the likes of Willian to take the set piece. Hakim Ziyech is usually a contender too but he was not named in today's squad.
Mount took charge of the situation. He set the ball as he wanted, steadied himself, and then hit a free-kick that dipped and swerved beyond Emiliano Martinez. The Aston Villa goalkeeper was completely bamboozled by the flight of the ball and watched it fly over his left shoulder into the net.
It was Mount's second goal of the game. His first of the contest – and of the season – arrived inside the opening six minutes as he volleyed beyond Martinez after a mistake from Tyrone Mings. It undoubtedly raised his confidence and enabled him to pull off the second-half strike and pay homage to Ronaldo.
The goal killed Villa's spirit; all the energy put in by those in claret and blue had been for nothing. Chelsea were able to see out the game and secure their fifth successive victory in all competitions under Graham Potter. Momentum is building for the Blues.
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