Chelsea played Aston Villa in the Third Round of the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge and it turned out a game to watch as Chelsea won on penalties 4-3 after the game ended at 1-1 in normal time.
Timo Werner opened his account for the season by scoring a well-taken header in the 54th minute. But that lead only lasted 10 minutes as Cameron Archer crashed home a bullet header into the top left corner. The first half was very mixed when it comes to playing fluid football. Both the teams had half-decent chances to opening the scoring but could not do it.
Chelsea brought on the likes of Mason Mount and Romelu Lukaku to change the game but it couldn’t be done and the game ended 1-1 in normal time. The fans were treated to the anxiety of a penalty shootout but thanks to both the woodwork and Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea prevailed and moved the club to Round 4 of the Carabao Cup.
Let’s take a look at how each player fared in the win against Aston Villa in the 3rd Round of the Carabao Cup:
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 8/10
Kepa Arrizabalaga had pretty much a flawless game today in the normal time. The Spaniard was very confident in collecting the crosses, ball distribution was on point, and made some important saves which kept the team in the game. And as we all know, when it comes to penalties Kepa Arrizabalaga is the man for that and he continues to prove it time and time again.
Reece James (Right Back): 9/10
By far the best player on the pitch today for Chelsea was Reece James. The level of maturity you can see in the gameplay of Reece James is astonishing remembering the fact that he is only 21 years old. The England international was solid at the back with three tackles and five interceptions. Adding to all of that, Reece James gave the assist for Timo Werner’s goal and scored the last penalty to win Chelsea the penalty shootout.
Trevoh Chalobah (Centerback): 7/10
Trevoh Chalobah continues his impressive form under Thomas Tuchel and continues to solidify his place for the long term in the club. The defender was solid throughout the game by winning the most aerial duels (two) and made two important interceptions throughout the normal time.
Malang Sarr (Centerback): 5.5/10
The 22-year-old defender made his Chelsea debut today and showed glimpses of his quality. But for him to have any chance of breaking into the first team, he has to improve drastically. His defensive positioning needs to improve the most as he was caught twice out of position which nearly resulted in a goal being conceded.
Ben Chilwell (Left Back): 5/10
Having finally made his first start for the club this season, Ben Chilwell can now fully focus on getting match minutes under his belt. In this game, you could see that the England international lacked match sharpness. But one thing he didn’t lack was the work rate which is a positive sign. Ben Chilwell did step up to take the fourth penalty which he missed but we wouldn’t focus on that.