Potter and Mount hail “Chelsea hero” Kepa after victory over Villa

opened up the scoresheet for the Blues at Villa Park in the 6th minute as

, who was replacing injured Edouard Mendy, made stunning saves to deny Aston Villa from scoring a goal.

's Sunday victory extends the Blues' unbeaten record under the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss,

, as he admits his side faced a tough challenge against Steven Gerrard’s side. Potter told his post-match interview with

:

"It was a tough game.

"Aston Villa made us suffer, especially in the first half even though we took the lead. They put us under pressure, and our goalkeeper made some good saves.

"It was a world-class performance, especially in the first half. I'm really pleased for him. He has had a tough period for us at times, but he contributed to the game."

Potter also praised his

English

playmaker, adding: 

"We believe in Mason Mount a lot. We love him as a player, and he is a great guy. You can see the influence he has on the team, and he works really hard for us."

Mason Mount

, who scored both of Chelsea's goals, hailed their Spanish keeper. He added:

"Kepa was on fire, and his quick saves kept us in the game.

"He has been brilliant over the last couple of weeks.

"We have to keep pushing and keep winning games – that's our goal to finish as high as we can. Today was not the best performance, and we're not happy with it, but [we have] come away with a 2-0 win."

On his fitness and concern ahead of the upcoming

Qatar World Cup

, Mount said:

"I have to just keep focused on doing well for the club.

"We know there's a massive World Cup around the corner, and you want to play as well as you can going into it and hopefully get picked."

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