Peter Crouch said he would ‘pay to watch’ two Chelsea players after their emphatic Premier League victory over Aston Villa.

Liam Rosenior’s side ended a run of three league games without a win by thrashing top-four rivals Villa 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Chelsea trailed to Douglas Luiz’s early opener but turned the game around through Joao Pedro’s superb hat-trick and a goal from Cole Palmer.

The emphatic win saw Chelsea close the gap to top-four rivals Aston Villa and Manchester United to just three points with nine games remaining.

Crouch was impressed by Chelsea’s performance at Villa Park and reserved special praise for Pedro and Palmer, insisting they were both players he would ‘pay to watch’.

‘I would pay money to watch them, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer,’ Crouch said on TNT Sports before asking Rosenior about the potential of £60m Chelsea signing Pedro.

‘It’s scary, scary,’ Rosenior said of Pedro, who has now scored 14 goals and made five assists in the Premier League this season. ‘With the age they are it’s a joy to work with them every day.

Metro's Head of Sport James Goldman delivers punchy analysis, transfer talk and his take on the...