With second-place Arsenal winning on Saturday, Chelsea took the opportunity to keep the pressure on the Gunners and moved – at least temporarily – above Manchester City.
Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring with his eighth league goal this season, finishing off Marc Cucurella’s cross after just seven minutes.
Enzo Fernandez doubled Chelsea’s lead before half-time, while Palmer’s superb strike from 20 yards secured the result in the 83rd minute.
Enzo Maresca’s team is in third place due to alphabetical order, as they have an identical record to Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Villa have fallen to twelfth after a fifth successive winless game in the Premier League – and eighth in all competitions.
